Identifying Causes of Temporal Changes in Acropora cervicornis Populations and the Potential for Recovery

Corals, specifically the Atlantic staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, have become more vulnerable to disturbance events such as storms and disease and predation outbreaks. Since its population declines due to a wide spread disease event in the early 1980s, limited long-term monitoring studies desc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in Marine Science Vol. 6
Main Authors: Goergen, Elizabeth A., Moulding, Alison L., Walker, Brian K., Gilliam, David S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Lausanne Frontiers Research Foundation 12.02.2019
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects:
Acropora cervicornis
Bleaching
Climate change
Colonies
Coral reefs
Corals
demographic monitoring
Demography
disease
Diseases
Endangered & extinct species
Environmental impact
Epidemics
fireworm
Fisheries
Florida
Growth
Hurricanes
Interspecific relationships
long-term monitoring
Mortality
Ocean warming
Plant cover
Population decline
Predation
Recovery
Storms
Summer
Surveys
Temporal variations
time series
Tropical climate
Tropical depressions
Wildlife conservation
Florida
United States > US
ISSN:2296-7745, 2296-7745
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Corals, specifically the Atlantic staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, have become more vulnerable to disturbance events such as storms and disease and predation outbreaks. Since its population declines due to a wide spread disease event in the early 1980s, limited long-term monitoring studies describing the impact of current threats and potential recovery have been completed. The aim of this study was to document the impacts of environmental (tropical storms, increased wind) and biological (disease and predation) threats on A. cervicornis to further understand its dynamics and potential for recovery. Two high-density A. cervicornis patches (greater than 1 hectare each) were surveyed tri-annually (winter, summer, fall) from 2008-2016. Acropora cervicornis percent cover, canopy height, census of individuals (fragments, colonies and masses), and prevalence and occurrence of disease, predation, and bleaching were evaluated within permanent 3.5 m radial plots. Temporal variability was observed in mean percent live cover at both patches and resulted in an overall loss of tissue. Frequent disturbances such as tropical storms, hurricanes, and disease events caused increased, prolonged, and widespread mortality. Periods void of disturbance allowed for recovery and growth. Prevalence and occurrence of disease and predation were highly variable between monitoring events. They were also found to be significantly higher on masses (individuals ≥ 1.5 m) than on colonies and during summer surveys. These data indicate that substantial length of time between major disturbance events are necessary for recovery and growth of this species. The implication from these results is that given the current rates of growth, recruitment, and storm frequency, natural species recovery is unlikely unless larger scale issues are addressed such as climate change and ocean warming, which could reduce the intensity and frequency of disease and predation.
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ISSN:2296-7745
2296-7745
DOI:10.3389/fmars.2019.00036