Caribbean-wide decline in carbonate production threatens coral reef growth

Perry, Chris T.; Murphy, Gary N.; Kench, Paul S.; Smithers, Scott G.; Edinger, Evan; Steneck, Robert S.; Mumby, Peter J.

doi:10.1038/ncomms2409

Cited by 330 publications

(422 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…3a). In a global coral-reef landscape characterized by declining coral cover, reduced growth and calcification, and negative trajectories of reef accretion, mitigating and reversing anthropogenic climate change are critical steps to ensuring the continuity of coral populations, reef-framework accretion, and the ecosystem services that coral reefs provide [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] .…”

Section: Hiatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic and biotic thresholds of coral-reef shutdown

et al. 2015

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Climate change is now the leading cause of coral-reef degradation and is altering the adaptive landscape of coral populations 1,2 . Increasing sea temperatures and declining carbonate saturation states are inhibiting short-term rates of coral calcification, carbonate precipitation and submarine cementation [3][4][5] . A critical challenge to coral-reef conservation is understanding the mechanisms by which environmental perturbations scale up to influence long-term rates of reef-framework construction and ecosystem function 6,7 . Here we reconstruct climatic and oceanographic variability using corals sampled from a 6,750-year core from Pacific Panamá. Simultaneous reconstructions of coral palaeophysiology and reef accretion allowed us to identify the climatic and biotic thresholds associated with a 2,500-year hiatus in vertical accretion beginning ∼4,100 years ago 8 . Stronger upwelling, cooler sea temperatures and greater precipitation-indicators of La Niña-like conditions-were closely associated with abrupt reef shutdown. The physiological condition of the corals deteriorated at the onset of the hiatus, corroborating theoretical predictions that the tipping points of radical ecosystem transitions should be manifested sublethally in the biotic constituents 9 . Future climate change could cause similar threshold behaviours, leading to another shutdown in reef development in the tropical eastern Pacific.Climatic and oceanographic variability have played a dominant role in the development of reefs throughout the Phanerozoic eon 10 , and the recent past is no exception. In Panamá and several other locations in the Pacific, coral reefs stopped accreting vertically for 2,500 years, beginning ∼4,100 cal yr BP (ref. 8; calibrated 14 C calendar years before 1950; Fig. 1a). Correlations with regional palaeoclimate proxies suggest that enhanced variability of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was the ultimate cause of reef shutdown in the tropical eastern Pacific 8 (TEP). Climatic shifts at that time led to environmental and cultural impacts on a global scale 11,12 .In this study we investigated the long-term impacts of environmental variability on coral physiology and reef development in the TEP to ascertain the climatic, oceanographic and biotic controls on ecosystem state in the past. We quantified the range of environmental conditions that corals experienced during the past ∼6,750 years to determine whether significant changes in climate or oceanography were associated with changes in coral physiology or reef accretion. We then evaluated the environmental and physiological thresholds that characterized the catastrophic phase shift to the hiatus.In Pacific Panamá, El Niño-like periods are characterized by a warm, dry climate and a reduction in seasonal upwelling. Those conditions are reversed during La Niña-like periods (Supplementary Discussion and Supplementary Fig. 1). Contemporary environmental variability is high at Contadora Island, a site in Pacific Panamá that is exposed to intense seasonal upwelling and ...

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Section: Hiatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic and biotic thresholds of coral-reef shutdown

et al. 2015

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“…chemical ecology | indirect effects | community structure | marine protected areas | trophic dynamics C aribbean coral reef ecosystems are threatened by several decades of loss of reef-building corals (1). Sponges are now the dominant benthic animals on most reefs, and there is evidence that sponge abundance is increasing (2)(3)(4)(5).…”

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confidence: 99%

Chemical defenses and resource trade-offs structure sponge communities on Caribbean coral reefs

Loh

Pawlik

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

145

196

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Ecological studies have rarely been performed at the community level across a large biogeographic region. Sponges are now the primary habitat-forming organisms on Caribbean coral reefs. Recent species-level investigations have demonstrated that predatory fishes (angelfishes and some parrotfishes) differentially graze sponges that lack chemical defenses, while co-occurring, palatable species heal, grow, reproduce, or recruit at faster rates than defended species. Our prediction, based on resource allocation theory, was that predator removal would result in a greater proportion of palatable species in the sponge community on overfished reefs. We tested this prediction by performing surveys of sponge and fish community composition on reefs having different levels of fishing intensity across the Caribbean. A total of 109 sponge species was recorded from 69 sites, with the 10 most common species comprising 51.0% of sponge cover (3.6-7.7% per species). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling indicated that the species composition of sponge communities depended more on the abundance of sponge-eating fishes than geographic location. Across all sites, multiple-regression analyses revealed that spongivore abundance explained 32.8% of the variation in the proportion of palatable sponges, but when data were limited to geographically adjacent locations with strongly contrasting levels of fishing pressure (Cayman Islands and Jamaica; Curaçao, Bonaire, and Martinique), the adjusted R 2 values were much higher (76.5% and 94.6%, respectively). Overfishing of Caribbean coral reefs, particularly by fish trapping, removes sponge predators and is likely to result in greater competition for space between fastergrowing palatable sponges and endangered reef-building corals.chemical ecology | indirect effects | community structure | marine protected areas | trophic dynamics

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“…Multiple bleaching events within a short time period are projected to lead to coral reefs with a coral cover level likely too low to support local recruitment and the accumulation of endogenous carbonate (e.g., Harriott and Banks 2002). A recent study suggests that even in the absence of bleaching, intrinsic growth rates of coral in the Caribbean have slowed considerably compared to historical averages, further restricting the ability of corals to recover from bleaching and mortality events (Perry et al 2013). Although the projected ecological and economic benefits of the policy scenarios appear slight for coral reefs in South Florida and Puerto Rico, it is certainly possible that lower SSTs and reduced ocean acidification associated with the GHG mitigation scenarios would provide benefits to localized areas of more resilient corals over the 21st century.…”

Section: Coral Reef Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change impacts on freshwater fish, coral reefs, and related ecosystem services in the United States

et al. 2014

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We analyzed the potential physical and economic impacts of climate change on freshwater fisheries and coral reefs in the United States, examining a reference case and two policy scenarios that limit global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We modeled shifts in suitable habitat for three freshwater fish guilds and changes in coral reef cover for three regions. We estimated resulting economic impacts from projected changes in recreational fishing and changes in recreational use of coral reefs. In general, coldwater fisheries are projected to be replaced by less desirable fisheries over the 21st century, but these impacts are reduced under the GHG mitigation scenarios. Similarly, coral cover is projected to decline over the 21st century primarily due to multiple bleaching events, but the GHG mitigation scenarios delay these declines in Hawaii (but not in South Florida or Puerto Rico). Using a benefit-transfer approach, we estimated that global policies limiting GHG emissions would Climatic Change (2015) 131:143-157

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Caribbean-wide decline in carbonate production threatens coral reef growth

Cited by 330 publications

References 29 publications

Climatic and biotic thresholds of coral-reef shutdown

Climatic and biotic thresholds of coral-reef shutdown

Chemical defenses and resource trade-offs structure sponge communities on Caribbean coral reefs

Climate change impacts on freshwater fish, coral reefs, and related ecosystem services in the United States

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