Post-bleaching coral community change on southern Maldivian reefs: is there potential for rapid recovery?

Perry, Chris T.; Morgan, Kyle M.

doi:10.1007/s00338-017-1610-9

Cited by 50 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Similar proportions of corals in north-west Peros Banhos Atoll (Chagos Archipelago) bleached in 2016 (68% in May 2016) as in the Maldives during the peak of bleaching (77% in May-June 2016; Ibrahim et al 2017). Following the Maldivian reef bleaching, in March 2017 many sub-massive and compact branched colonies that had originally survived began to show partial mortality (Perry and Morgan 2017b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral bleaching impacts from back-to-back 2015–2016 thermal anomalies in the remote central Indian Ocean

et al. 2019

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Studying scleractinian coral bleaching and recovery dynamics in remote, isolated reef systems offers an opportunity to examine impacts of global reef stressors in the absence of local human threats. Reefs in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean, suffered severe bleaching and mortality in 2015 following a 7.5 maximum degree heating weeks (DHWs) thermal anomaly, causing a 60% coral cover decrease from 30% cover in 2012 to 12% in April 2016. Mortality was taxon specific, with Porites becoming the dominant coral genus post-bleaching because of an 86% decline in Acropora from 14 to 2% cover. Spatial heterogeneity in Acropora mortality across the Archipelago was significantly negatively correlated with variation in DHWs and with chlorophyll-a concentrations. In 2016, a 17.6 maximum DHWs thermal anomaly caused further damage, with 68% of remaining corals bleaching in May 2016, and coral cover further declining by 29% at Peros Banhos Atoll (northern Chagos Archipelago) from 14% in March 2016 to 10% in April 2017. We therefore document back-to-back coral bleaching and mortality events for two successive years in the remote central Indian Ocean. Our results indicate lower coral mortality in 2016 than 2015 despite a more severe thermal anomaly event in 2016. This could be caused by increased thermal resistance and resilience within corals surviving the 2015 thermal anomaly; however, high bleaching prevalence in 2016 suggests there remained a high sensitivity to bleaching. Similar coral mortality and community change were seen in the Chagos Archipelago following the 1998 global bleaching event, from which recovery took 10 yr. This relatively rapid recovery suggests high reef resiliency and indicates that the Archipelago's lack of local disturbances will increase the probability that the reefs will again recover over time. However, as the return time between thermal anomaly events becomes shorter, this ability to recover will become increasingly compromised. Keywords Coral bleaching Á Chagos archipelago Á Coral mortality Á British Indian Ocean Territory Á BIOT Á Coral community composition

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral bleaching impacts from back-to-back 2015–2016 thermal anomalies in the remote central Indian Ocean

et al. 2019

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“…This reflects the fact that these areas were extensively impacted by the 2016 bleaching event (Extended Data Fig. 2), with widespread coral mortality to depths of at least 6-7 m 28 .…”

Section: Carbonate Budgets and Reef Accretion Potentialmentioning

confidence: 94%

Loss of coral reef growth capacity to track future increases in sea level

Perry

Álvarez‐Filip

Graham

et al. 2018

Nature

274

269

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Sea-level rise (SLR) is predicted to elevate water depths above coral reefs and to increase coastal wave exposure as ecological degradation limits vertical reef growth, but projections lack data on interactions between local rates of reef growth and sea level rise. Here we calculate the vertical growth potential of more than 200 tropical western Atlantic and Indian Ocean reefs, and compare these against recent and projected rates of SLR under different Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios. Although many reefs retain accretion rates close to recent SLR trends, few will have the capacity to track SLR projections under RCP4.5 scenarios without sustained ecological recovery, and under RCP8.5 scenarios most reefs are predicted to experience mean water depth increases of more than 0.5 m by 2100. Coral cover strongly predicts reef capacity to track SLR, but threshold cover levels that will be necessary to prevent submergence are well above those observed on most reefs. Urgent action is thus needed to mitigate climate, sea-level and future ecological changes in order to limit the magnitude of future reef submergence.

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“…The observed loss of approximately half (48.3%) of the hard coral coverage in 2017 was less than the inner islands that exhibited on average 60% loss, but more than the average outer island loss of approximately 17% (Smith et al, 2017;Gudka et al, 2018). Additionally, the hard coral coverage decline described in this study was more than many other reports from the broader region (Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar) but less than areas in Maldives (Gudka et al, 2018;Perry and Morgan, 2017). However, caution should be taken when comparing hard coral coverage loss between regions due to the difference in methods employed to assess coverage (Gudka et al, 2018).…”

Section: Benthic Compositionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Research following past bleaching events suggests that reefs can recover from coral loss over decadal timescales if not affected again by mass bleaching or the presence of other anthropogenic stressors (Hoegh-Guldberg et al, 2017). However, current trajectories of global warming make this scenario seem unlikely (Bellwood et al, 2004;Zinke et al, 2014;Perry and Morgan, 2017) and evidence from progressive (Hughes, 1994;Hughes et al, 2017b). After the 1998 global bleaching event, coral cover in the Western Indian Ocean region declined substantially but reefs, particularly in Seychelles, showed signs of recovery following the event (Obura, 2005;Stobart et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-bleaching mortality of a remote coral reef community in Seychelles, Western Indian Ocean

Gadoutsis

Daly

Hawkins

et al. 2019

West Ind. Oc. J Mar. Sci.

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Aims and scope: The Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science provides an avenue for the wide dissemination of high quality research generated in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region, in particular on the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources. This is central to the goal of supporting and promoting sustainable coastal development in the region, as well as contributing to the global base of marine science. The journal publishes original research articles dealing with all aspects of marine science and coastal management. Topics include, but are not limited to: theoretical studies, oceanography, marine biology and ecology, fisheries, recovery and restoration processes, legal and institutional frameworks, and interactions/relationships between humans and the coastal and marine environment. In addition, Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science features state-of-the-art review articles and short communications. The journal will, from time to time, consist of special issues on major events or important thematic issues.

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Post-bleaching coral community change on southern Maldivian reefs: is there potential for rapid recovery?

Cited by 50 publications

References 14 publications

Coral bleaching impacts from back-to-back 2015–2016 thermal anomalies in the remote central Indian Ocean

Coral bleaching impacts from back-to-back 2015–2016 thermal anomalies in the remote central Indian Ocean

Loss of coral reef growth capacity to track future increases in sea level

Post-bleaching mortality of a remote coral reef community in Seychelles, Western Indian Ocean

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