Jessica Stella

TL;DR: This study bridges the gap between the theory and practice of assessing the risk of ecosystem collapse, under the emerging framework for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems, by rigorously defining both the initial and collapsed states, identifying the major driver of change, and establishing quantitative collapse thresholds.

TL;DR: A full appreciation of the consequences of further coral reef degradation for invertebrate biodiversity awaits a more complete description of the diversity of coral-associated invertebrates, the roles they play in coral reef ecosystems, their contribution to reef resilience and their conservation needs.

TL;DR: This paper quantified the species richness and composition of animals associated with four common species of branching corals (Acropora nasuta, A. millepora, Pocillopora damicornis, and Seriatopora hystrix) at Lizard Island in the northern Great Barrier Reef.

TL;DR: Investigation of the effects of host-colony bleaching on the obligate coral-dwelling crab, Trapezia cymodoce, during a natural bleaching event in the lagoon of Lizard Island, Australia found thatHost-colonies bleaching also prompted crabs to emigrate in search of more suitable colonies.

TL;DR: For Acropora hyacinthus, a threshold of 50% colony bleaching is a good indicator that substantial mortality at both the colony and population level is likely to follow a heat stress event, suggesting that disease exacerbated mortality in bleached corals and contributed significantly to the substantial loss of corals on the GBR in 2017.