Mangrove lagoons of the Great Barrier Reef support coral populations persisting under extreme environmental conditions

Camp, Emma F.; Edmondson, John; Doheny, Annabelle; Rumney, John; Grima, Amanda J.; Huete, Alfredo; Suggett, David J.

doi:10.3354/meps13073

Cited by 75 publications

(146 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Red Sea) and both acidification and warming (e.g. New Caledonia Lagoon) all their lives provide examples of acclimatization/adaptation to global change conditions (Camp et al, , , ; Fine, Gildor, & Genin, ; Foo, Byrne, Ricevuto, & Gambi, ; Hall‐Spencer et al, ; González‐Delgado & Hernández, ). These systems also incorporate environmental factors, such as nutrients, currents and species interactions, not easily replicated in the laboratory.…”

Section: Insights From Contemporary Environmental Analogues Of Globalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limitations of cross‐ and multigenerational plasticity for marine invertebrates faced with global climate change

Byrne

Foo

Ross

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

129

109

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Although cross generation (CGP) and multigenerational (MGP) plasticity have been identified as mechanisms of acclimation to global change, the weight of evidence indicates that parental conditioning over generations is not a panacea to rescue stress sensitivity in offspring. For many species, there were no benefits of parental conditioning. Even when improved performance was observed, this waned over time within a generation or across generations and fitness declined. CGP and MGP studies identified resilient species with stress tolerant genotypes in wild populations and selected family lines. Several bivalves possess favourable stress tolerance and phenotypically plastic traits potentially associated with genetic adaptation to life in habitats where they routinely experience temperature and/or acidification stress. These traits will be important to help 'climate proof' shellfish ventures. Species that are naturally stress tolerant and those that naturally experience a broad range of environmental conditions are good candidates to provide insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in CGP and MGP. It is challenging to conduct ecologically relevant global change experiments over the long times commensurate with the pace of changing climate. As a result, many studies present stressors in a shock-type exposure at rates much faster than projected scenarios. With more gradual stressor introduction over longer experimental durations and in context with conditions species are currently acclimatized and/or adapted to, the outcomes for sensitive species might differ. We highlight the importance to understand primordial germ cell development and the timing of gametogenesis with respect to stressor exposure. Although multigenerational exposure to global change stressors currently appears limited as a universal tool to rescue species in the face of changing climate, natural proxies of future conditions (upwelling zones, CO 2 vents, naturally warm habitats) show that phenotypic adjustment and/or beneficial genetic selection is possible for some species, indicating complex plasticity-adaptation interactions. K E Y W O R D Sadaptation, habitat warming, ocean acidification, phenotypic plasticity, stress resilience | 81 BYRNE Et al.

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Section: Insights From Contemporary Environmental Analogues Of Globalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limitations of cross‐ and multigenerational plasticity for marine invertebrates faced with global climate change

Byrne

Foo

Ross

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

129

109

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“…Further, ecological surveys of Florida mangroves from the 1930s to 1980s made no mention of the presence of corals when detailing associated fauna ( Davis, 1940 ; Odum, McIvor & Smith, 1982 ). However, a number of recent studies have identified several locations around the world with corals growing on or near mangrove prop roots ( Bengtsson et al, 2019 ; Camp et al, 2019 , 2017 ; Hernández-Fernández, 2015 ; Macintyre et al, 2000 ; Rogers, 2009 , 2017 ; Scavo Lord et al, 2020 ). In some of these habitats, mangroves are sheltering corals even in the face of extreme variability in pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, resulting in lower incidences of bleaching and high rates of recovery ( Camp et al, 2019 , 2017 ; Yates et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying mangrove-coral habitats in the Florida Keys

Kellogg

Moyer

Jacobsen

et al. 2020

PeerJ

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Coral reefs are degrading due to many synergistic stressors. Recently there have been a number of global reports of corals occupying mangrove habitats that provide a supportive environment or refugium for corals, sheltering them by reducing stressors such as oxidative light stress and low pH. This study used satellite imagery and manual ground-truthing surveys to search for mangrove-coral habitats in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and then collected basic environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pHNBS, turbidity) at identified sites using a multi-parameter water quality sonde. Two kinds of mangrove-coral habitats were found in both the Upper and Lower Florida Keys: (1) prop-root corals, where coral colonies were growing directly on (and around) mangrove prop roots, and (2) channel corals, where coral colonies were growing in mangrove channels under the shade of the mangrove canopy, at deeper depths and not in as close proximity to the mangroves. Coral species found growing on and directly adjacent to prop roots included Porites porites (multiple morphs, including P. divaricata and P. furcata), Siderastrea radians, and Favia fragum. Channel coral habitats predominantly hosted S. radians and a few S. siderea, although single colonies of Solenastrea bournoni and Stephanocoenia intersepta were observed. Although clear, low-turbidity water was a consistent feature of these mangrove-coral habitats, the specific combination of environmental factors that determine which mangrove habitats are favorable for coral recruitment remains to be defined. Circumstantial evidence suggests additional coral communities existed on mangrove shorelines of oceanside and backcountry islands until destroyed, likely by Hurricane Irma. These mangrove-coral habitats may be climate refugia for corals and could be included in ecosystem management plans and considered for their applications in coral restoration.

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“…Mangroves are increasingly being recognized as an important component of the ecological niche for many coral species (Yates et al 2014, Hernández Fernández 2015, Rogers 2017, Bengtsson et al 2019, Camp et al 2019, Scavo Lord et al 2020. Here, we demonstrate significant differences in key environmental variables between the mangrove and adjacent coralsupporting habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is the first study to directly compare the morphology of corals across mangrove and shallow patch-reef habitats. Given increasing interest in the role of non-reef habitats for supporting coral resilience (Yates et al 2014, Hernández Fernández 2015, Rogers 2017, Bengtsson et al 2019, Camp et al 2019, Scavo Lord et al 2020, it is important to understand whether and how coral phenotypes can change to accommodate the conditions found in what have historically been regarded as suboptimal habitats for corals, such as mangroves. Going forward, it will be important to differentiate genetic from environmental factors in the phenotypic diversity documented here.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, reefs are not the only habitat in which corals can live. Many coral species are habitat generalists that can thrive in a multitude of different environments in addition to coral reefs, including mangrove forests (Yates et al 2014, Hernández Fernández 2015, Rogers 2017, Bengtsson et al 2019, Camp et al 2019) and seagrass beds (Camp et al 2016, Lohr et al 2017. For example, around half of the approximately 75 coral species that occur on Caribbean reefs also occur in mangrove habitats (Scavo Lord et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phenotypic variation in two widespread Caribbean corals —Porites astreoidesandP. divaricata— between mangrove and lagoon habitats

Lord

Barcala

Aichelman

et al. 2020

Preprint

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ABSTRACTAs coral reefs experience dramatic declines in coral cover throughout the tropics, there is an urgent need to understand the role that non-reef habitats such as mangroves play in the ecological niche of corals. Mangrove habitats present a challenge to reef-dwelling corals as they can differ dramatically from adjacent reef habitats with respect to key environmental parameters such as temperature and light. As variation in temperature and light within reef habitats is known to drive intraspecific differences in coral phenotype, we hypothesized that coral species which can exploit both reef and mangrove habitats will exhibit predictable differences in phenotype between habitats. To investigate how intraspecific variation, driven by either local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity, might enable particular coral species to exploit these two qualitatively different habitat types, we compared the phenotypes of two widespread Caribbean corals — Porites divaricata and P. astreoides— in mangrove versus lagoon habitats on Turneffe Atoll, Belize. We document significant differences in colony size, color, structural complexity, and corallite morphology between habitats. In every instance, the difference between mangrove and lagoon corals was consistent in P. divaricata and P. astreoides. This study is the first to document intraspecific phenotypic diversity in corals occupying mangrove versus patch-reef habitats, and it provides a foundation for understanding why some “reef coral” species can exploit mangroves, while others cannot.

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Mangrove lagoons of the Great Barrier Reef support coral populations persisting under extreme environmental conditions

Abstract: Acropora millepora colony thriving under extreme low pH, low oxygen and highly variable temperatures of a Great Barrier Reef mangrove lagoon.

Cited by 75 publications

References 69 publications

Limitations of cross‐ and multigenerational plasticity for marine invertebrates faced with global climate change

Limitations of cross‐ and multigenerational plasticity for marine invertebrates faced with global climate change

Identifying mangrove-coral habitats in the Florida Keys

Phenotypic variation in two widespread Caribbean corals —Porites astreoidesandP. divaricata— between mangrove and lagoon habitats

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