Growth rates of Porites astreoides and Orbicella franksi in mesophotic habitats surrounding St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Groves, Sarah; Holstein, Daniel M.; Enochs, Ian C.; Kolodzeij, Graham; Manzello, Derek P.; Brandt, Marilyn E.; Smith, Tyler B.

doi:10.1007/s00338-018-1660-7

Cited by 35 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Density measurements were made along the growth axis in the CT images using Amira software (FEI Visualization Sciences Group, Massachusetts, USA). Density (g cm −3 ) was determined from grayscale values by linear regression of coral standards of known density as previously described (Groves et al 2018 ). Linear extension (cm year −1 ) was determined by measuring the distance between annually repeating high-density bands using the Coral X-radiograph Densitometry System (CoralXDS) (Helmle et al 2002 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience in carbonate production despite three coral bleaching events in 5 years on an inshore patch reef in the Florida Keys

et al. 2018

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The persistence of coral reef frameworks requires that calcium carbonate (CaCO3) production by corals and other calcifiers outpaces CaCO3 loss via physical, chemical, and biological erosion. Coral bleaching causes declines in CaCO3 production, but this varies with bleaching severity and the species impacted. We conducted census-based CaCO3 budget surveys using the established ReefBudget approach at Cheeca Rocks, an inshore patch reef in the Florida Keys, annually from 2012 to 2016. This site experienced warm-water bleaching in 2011, 2014, and 2015. In 2017, we obtained cores of the dominant calcifying coral at this site, Orbicella faveolata, to understand how calcification rates were impacted by bleaching and how they affected the reef-wide CaCO3 budget. Bleaching depressed O. faveolata growth and the decline of this one species led to an overestimation of mean (± std. error) reef-wide CaCO3 production by + 0.68 (± 0.167) to + 1.11 (± 0.236) kg m−2 year−1 when using the static ReefBudget coral growth inputs. During non-bleaching years, the ReefBudget inputs slightly underestimated gross production by − 0.10 (± 0.022) to − 0.43 (± 0.100) kg m−2 year−1. Carbonate production declined after the first year of back-to-back bleaching in 2014, but then increased after 2015 to values greater than the initial surveys in 2012. Cheeca Rocks is an outlier in the Caribbean and Florida Keys in terms of coral cover, carbonate production, and abundance of O. faveolata, which is threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Given the resilience of this site to repeated bleaching events, it may deserve special management attention.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience in carbonate production despite three coral bleaching events in 5 years on an inshore patch reef in the Florida Keys

et al. 2018

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“…Previous studies quantifying photosynthetic and respiration responses at depth have observed that mesophotic corals have depressed metabolic rates compared to shallower conspecifics (Cooper et al., 2011; Lesser et al., 2010), which may correspond to reduced calcification and growth rates in some scleractinian species (Groves et al., 2018; Leichter & Genovese, 2006; Mass et al., 2007). Assessments of morphological variation over depth have suggested a similar trend, whereas flattened mesophotic colonies generally have lower tissue area (Klaus, Budd, Heikoop, & Fouke, 2007), which could contribute to the observed decline in metabolic activity (Cooper et al., 2011; Lesser et al., 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Transcriptomic plasticity of mesophotic corals among natural populations and transplants ofMontastraea cavernosain the Gulf of Mexico and Belize

Studivan

Voss

2020

Molecular Ecology

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While physiological responses to low‐light environments have been studied among corals on mesophotic coral ecosystems worldwide (MCEs; 30–150 m), the mechanisms behind acclimatization and adaptation to depth are not well understood for most coral species. Transcriptomic approaches based on RNA sequencing are useful tools for quantifying gene expression plasticity, particularly in slow‐growing species such as scleractinian corals, and for identifying potential functional differences among conspecifics. A tag‐based RNA‐Seq (Tag‐Seq) pipeline was applied to quantify transcriptional variation in natural populations of the scleractinian coral Montastraea cavernosa from mesophotic and shallower environments across five sites in Belize and the Gulf of Mexico: Carrie Bow Cay, West and East Flower Garden Banks, Pulley Ridge, and Dry Tortugas. Regional site location was a stronger driver of gene expression patterns than depth. However, mesophotic corals among all sites shared similar regulation of metabolic and cell growth functional pathways that may represent common physiological responses to environmental conditions at depth. Additionally, in a transplant experiment at West and East Flower Garden Banks, colonies transplanted from mesophotic to shallower habitats diverged from the control mesophotic group over time, indicating depth‐regulated plasticity of gene expression. When the shallower depth zone experienced a bleaching event, bleaching severity did not differ significantly between transplants and shallow controls, but gene expression patterns indicated variable regulation of stress responses among depth treatments. Coupled observational and experimental studies of gene expression among mesophotic and shallower M. cavernosa provide insights into the ability of this depth‐generalist coral species to persist under varying environmental conditions.

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“…The impact of direct and indirect storm effects can be exacerbated when the coral community is dominated by fragile coral growth forms, such as thin plating agariciid corals (Kahng et al 2010;Smith et al 2010;White et al 2013). Massive corals appear to be more resistant to such damage, but if damaged, they may need a longer time period to recover due to slower growth rates (e.g., as observed in mesophotic populations of Caribbean orbicellid corals; Weinstein et al 2016;Groves et al 2018). Thus, the impact of a major storm event over depth can vary strongly depending on the particular storm, the local geomorphology, and the ecological community present.…”

Section: Storm Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the “Deep Reef Refuge” Hypothesis: A Conceptual Framework to Characterize Persistence at Depth

Bongaerts

Smith

2019

Coral Reefs of the World

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The rapid deterioration of coral reefs worldwide has led to a growing interest in identifying areas that can offer protection against adverse conditions including coral reef communities at intermediate (~15-30 m) and mesophotic (≥ 30 m) depths. However, various concepts regarding the protective potential of deeper coral reef communities, and subsequent roles in overall reef resilience and persistence, remain poorly defined. Herein, we organize these ideas into an initial conceptual framework, and review for scleractinian corals how these ideas may be supported by the limited empirical data that is currently available. We distinguish between the concepts of "depth refuges", "depth refugia" and "depth resilience areas", based on the nature (i.e., avoidance versus resilience) and temporal scope of protection. Although past examples have confirmed the role of mesophotic coral ecosystems as short-term, ecological "refuges", there is thus far little support that they comprise longterm "refugia." In contrast, the concept of "deep resilience areas," reefs that persist long-term through disturbance by resistance and recovery, remains largely unexplored. In terms of the functional roles of such protected areas in the overall coral reef ecosystem, we distinguish between the concepts of "reseeding" and "local persistence". The potential to actively reseed shallow reefs may be ecologically important, but only for a small proportion of shared biodiversity, whereas the potential to promote persistence of local biodiversity may apply across a broad range of coral reef species. Although empirical evidence remains very limited, we hope that the incipient conceptual delineations presented here provide a constructive reference for further discussion and research into the ecological importance of deep reef communities.

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Growth rates of Porites astreoides and Orbicella franksi in mesophotic habitats surrounding St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Cited by 35 publications

References 57 publications

Resilience in carbonate production despite three coral bleaching events in 5 years on an inshore patch reef in the Florida Keys

Resilience in carbonate production despite three coral bleaching events in 5 years on an inshore patch reef in the Florida Keys

Transcriptomic plasticity of mesophotic corals among natural populations and transplants ofMontastraea cavernosain the Gulf of Mexico and Belize

Beyond the “Deep Reef Refuge” Hypothesis: A Conceptual Framework to Characterize Persistence at Depth

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