Journal ArticleDOI
Localised hydrodynamics influence vulnerability of coral communities to environmental disturbances
George Shedrawi,James L. Falter,Kim Friedman,Ryan J. Lowe,Morgan S. Pratchett,Christopher J. Simpson,Conrad W. Speed,Shaun K. Wilson,Zhenlin Zhang +8 more
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In this paper, the authors explore the relationship between small reef-scale water circulation patterns and measured differences in the abundance, composition and vulnerability of coral assemblages over decades, and provide empirical evidence that spatial patterns in water circulation and flushing can influence the resilience of coral communities, thus identifying areas sensitive to emerging threats associated with global climate change.Abstract:
The movement of water can have a significant influence on the vulnerability of hermatypic corals to environmental disturbances such as cyclone damage, heat stress and anoxia. Here, we explore the relationship between small reef-scale water circulation patterns and measured differences in the abundance, composition and vulnerability of coral assemblages over decades. Changes in coral cover and community structure within Bill’s Bay (Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia) over a 22-yr period, during which multiple disturbance events (including mass bleaching, anoxia, and tropical cyclones) have impacted the area, were compared with spatial variation in water residence times (WRT). We found that reef sites associated with longer water residence times (WRT >15 h) experienced higher rates of coral mortality during acute environmental disturbances compared to reef sites with shorter WRT. Shifts in coral community composition from acroporid to faviid-dominated assemblages were also more prominent at sites with long WRT compared to reef sites with shorter WRT, although shifts in community composition were also observed at sites close to shore. Interestingly, these same long-WRT sites also tended to have the fastest recovery rates so that coral cover was returned to original levels of approximately 20% over two decades. This study provides empirical evidence that spatial patterns in water circulation and flushing can influence the resilience of coral communities, thus identifying areas sensitive to emerging threats associated with global climate change.read more
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The state of Western Australia’s coral reefs
James P. Gilmour,James P. Gilmour,Kylie Cook,Nicole M. Ryan,Marjetta Puotinen,Rebecca H. Green,George Shedrawi,Jean-Paul A. Hobbs,Damian P. Thomson,Russell C. Babcock,Joanna Buckee,Taryn Foster,Zoe T. Richards,Zoe T. Richards,Shaun K. Wilson,Peter Barnes,Teresa B. Coutts,Ben Radford,Ben Radford,Camilla Piggott,Camilla Piggott,Martial Depczynski,Martial Depczynski,Scott N. Evans,Verena Schoepf,Richard D. Evans,Andrew R. Halford,Christopher D. Nutt,Kevin P. Bancroft,Andrew Heyward,Daniel Oades +30 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assessed the changing regime of disturbance to reef systems across Western Australia (WA) and linked their site-specific exposure to damaging waves and heat stress since 1990 with mean changes in coral cover.
Journal ArticleDOI
Boom and bust of keystone structure on coral reefs
TL;DR: It is shown that fluctuation in the cover of branching coral is positively associated with changes in the abundance of small-bodied fish which contribute to ecological processes and high diversity, suggesting branching corals are a keystone structure.
Journal ArticleDOI
Gradients of disturbance and environmental conditions shape coral community structure for south‐eastern Indian Ocean reefs
Jens Zinke,James P. Gilmour,James P. Gilmour,Rebecca Fisher,Rebecca Fisher,Marji Puotinen,Marji Puotinen,Joseph Maina,Joseph Maina,Emily S. Darling,Emily S. Darling,Michael Stat,Zoe T. Richards,Zoe T. Richards,Tim R. McClanahan,Maria Beger,Maria Beger,Cordelia H. Moore,Cordelia H. Moore,Nicholas A. J. Graham,Nicholas A. J. Graham,Ming Feng,Jean-Paul A. Hobbs,Scott N. Evans,Stuart N. Field,George Shedrawi,Russell C. Babcock,Shaun K. Wilson +27 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the role of the Cedar Tree Foundation (CDF) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CoEEC) in environmental decision making.
Journal ArticleDOI
Genetic signatures through space, time and multiple disturbances in a ubiquitous brooding coral.
Jim N. Underwood,Zoe T. Richards,Zoe T. Richards,Karen Miller,Marji Puotinen,James P. Gilmour +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined patterns of genetic diversity over multiple spatio-temporal scales across tropical Australia in the ubiquitous brooding coral, Seriatopora hystrix, and analyzed complimentary environmental and demographic data to elucidate the seascape drivers of these patterns.
Journal ArticleDOI
Evidence of coral bleaching avoidance, resistance and recovery in the Maldives during the 2016 mass-bleaching event
TL;DR: Wave exposure and depth appeared to promote avoidance and resistance of corals to bleaching, but reduced their recovery potential, while the reverse was true for shallow sheltered reefs.
References
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TL;DR: Copyright (©) 1999–2012 R Foundation for Statistical Computing; permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and permission notice are preserved on all copies.
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TL;DR: The second edition of this book is unique in that it focuses on methods for making formal statistical inference from all the models in an a priori set (Multi-Model Inference).
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Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a model for the analysis of variance in a single-classification and two-way and multiway analysis of Variance with the assumption of correlation.
Journal ArticleDOI
Resilience and Stability of Ecological Systems
TL;DR: The traditional view of natural systems, therefore, might well be less a meaningful reality than a perceptual convenience.
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