Rapid bioerosion in a tropical upwelling coral reef

Wizemann, André; Nandini, Sri; Stuhldreier, Ines; Sánchez-Noguera, Celeste; Wisshak, Max; Westphal, Hildegard; Rixen, Tim; Wild, Christian; Reymond, Claire E.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0202887

Cited by 29 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Each of the microatolls showed individual macroscopically visible boreholes of 2-3 mm in diameter, presumably caused by macroborers. Numerous studies also confirmed the important role of macroborers for coral erosion, including lithophagine bivalves (Wizemann et al, 2018) and polychaetes (Davies and Hutchings, 1983). While faunal organisms generally contribute substantially to coral erosion (Zubia and Peyrot-Clausade, 2001;Tribollet and Golubic, 2011), they might be less abundant in microatolls as a consequence of increased heat stress (Przeslawski et al, 2008) at the water surface.…”

Section: Influence Of Endolithic Green Algae On Coral Skeletonmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…As calcium concentrations are usually strictly controlled in all types of organisms (White and Broadley, 2003;Dominguez, 2004;Brini et al, 2013) due to its toxic effects (Smith, 1995), passive diffusion of Ca 2+ ions within the algal thallus is highly unlikely. Instead, once taken up, the majority of calcium ions might have been attached to calcium-binding proteins acting as concentration buffers (La Verde et al, 2018).…”

Section: Influence Of Endolithic Green Algae On Coral Skeletonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Endolithic Algae Affect Modern Coral Carbonate Morphology and Chemistry

et al. 2019

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Section: Influence Of Endolithic Green Algae On Coral Skeletonmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Influence Of Endolithic Green Algae On Coral Skeletonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endolithic Algae Affect Modern Coral Carbonate Morphology and Chemistry

et al. 2019

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“…These taxa were largely absent in the GoC, but abundant, yet patchily distributed, in the GoP. Exclusively heterotrophic, suspension-feeding fauna rapidly colonize dead-coral substrates in upwelling regions in the ETP (Wizemann et al 2018). They are also relatively fast-growing, as evidenced by balanoid barnacles that have been observed to reach 15 mm in diameter in 56 d in the GoP (Birkeland 1977).…”

Section: Calcificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upwelling and the persistence of coral‐reef frameworks in the eastern tropical Pacific

Enochs

Toth

Kirkland

et al. 2021

Ecological Monographs

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In an era of global change, the fate and form of reef habitats will depend on shifting assemblages of organisms and their responses to multiple stressors. Multiphyletic assemblages of calcifying and bioeroding species contribute to a dynamic balance between constructive and erosive processes, and reef-framework growth occurs only when calciumcarbonate deposition exceeds erosion. Each contributing species exhibits a unique combination of environmental sensitivities, trophic needs, and competitive abilities, making the net outcome of their habitat-altering behavior difficult to predict. In this study, standardized blocks of clean, massive Porites were placed at six reef sites in the eastern tropical Pacific, in the strongly and more-weakly upwelling Gulfs of Panam a (GoP) and Chiriqu ı (GoC), respectively. Sites were chosen to characterize the unique thermal and carbonate-chemistry conditions of each gulf. Satellite products were used to examine differences in sea-surface productivity, and surveys were conducted to quantify the abundance of important grazing taxa. After two years in situ, the Porites blocks were collected and scanned using high-resolution computed tomography to volumetrically quantify both endolithic and epilithic habitat alteration. Scan-volumes were further classified into functional groups according to morphology to quantify external bioerosion by fish and sea urchins, as well as the calcifying and bioeroding activity of crustose coralline algae, scleractinian corals, mollusks, annelids, and barnacles. The GoP, which has higher productivity, cooler temperatures, and periodically lower pH conditions, had higher rates of macroboring, but also higher rates of calcification. These unexpectedly higher rates of calcification in the GoP were a result of high recruitment of suspension-feeding taxa, particularly barnacles and vermiform fauna that have poor reef-forming potential. External bioerosion by grazers was the dominant process influencing these dead coral substrates across both gulfs, contributing to higher rates of net erosion in the GoC and underscoring the important roles that urchins and fish play in not just removing algae on reefs, but also eroding reef habitat. Ultimately these findings reveal that the trophic requirements of habitat-altering taxa are closely tied to reef-framework stability, and that environmental conditions conducive to carbonate precipitation are not necessarily those that will lead to habitat persistence.

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“…However, it has also been suggested that upwelling areas do not always guarantee refuge for coral reefs in a warming ocean unless the thermal threat and upwelling coincide [136]. Some large-scale seasonal upwelling with cold, nutrient-rich, and naturally acidic subsurface water-such as the upwelling in Gulf of Panama and Papagayo upwelling of Costa Rica, in the tropical eastern Pacific-indeed hinders the development of coral reefs [137][138][139]. In KNP, upwelling is small-scale, localized, and induced by tides flowing from east to west Nanwan that create a temperature difference within the bay of Nanwan and two sides of Hengchun Peninsula, where the water is cooler in the east and warmer in the west (Table 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral Reef Resilience in Taiwan: Lessons from Long-Term Ecological Research on the Coral Reefs of Kenting National Park (Taiwan)

Keshavmurthy

Kuo

Huang

et al. 2019

JMSE

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Coral reefs in the Anthropocene are being subjected to unprecedented levels of stressors, including local disturbances—such as overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution—and large-scale destruction related to the global impacts of climate change—such as typhoons and coral bleaching. Thus, the future of corals and coral reefs in any given community and coral-Symbiodiniaceae associations over time will depend on their level of resilience, from individual corals to entire ecosystems. Herein we review the environmental settings and long-term ecological research on coral reefs, based on both coral resilience and space, in Kenting National Park (KNP), Hengchun Peninsula, southern Taiwan, wherein fringing reefs have developed along the coast of both capes and a semi-closed bay, known as Nanwan, within the peninsula. These reefs are influenced by a branch of Kuroshio Current, the monsoon-induced South China Sea Surface Current, and a tide-induced upwelling that not only shapes coral communities, but also reduces the seawater temperature and creates fluctuating thermal environments which over time have favoured thermal-resistant corals, particularly those corals close to the thermal effluent of a nuclear power plant in the west Nanwan. Although living coral cover (LCC) has fluctuated through time in concordance with major typhoons and coral bleaching between 1986 and 2019, spatial heterogeneity in LCC recovery has been detected, suggesting that coral reef resilience is variable among subregions in KNP. In addition, corals exposed to progressively warmer and fluctuating thermal environments show not only a dominance of associated, thermally-tolerant Durusdinium spp. but also the ability to shuffle their symbiont communities in response to seasonal variations in seawater temperature without bleaching. We demonstrate that coral reefs in a small geographical range with unique environmental settings and ecological characteristics, such as the KNP reef, may be resilient to bleaching and deserve novel conservation efforts. Thus, this review calls for conservation efforts that use resilience-based management programs to reduce local stresses and meet the challenge of climate change.

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Rapid bioerosion in a tropical upwelling coral reef

Cited by 29 publications

References 63 publications

Endolithic Algae Affect Modern Coral Carbonate Morphology and Chemistry

Endolithic Algae Affect Modern Coral Carbonate Morphology and Chemistry

Upwelling and the persistence of coral‐reef frameworks in the eastern tropical Pacific

Coral Reef Resilience in Taiwan: Lessons from Long-Term Ecological Research on the Coral Reefs of Kenting National Park (Taiwan)

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