Article
Ecology
Ian C. Enochs, Lauren T. Toth, Amanda Kirkland, Derek P. Manzello, Graham Kolodziej, John T. Morris, Daniel M. Holstein, Austin Schlenz, Carly J. Randall, Juan L. Mate, James J. Leichter, Richard B. Aronson
Summary: In this study, the composition and erosion activities on coral blocks in two coral reef gulfs in the eastern tropical Pacific were analyzed, revealing that the balance between bioerosion and calcification activities depends on rich trophic needs and environmental conditions, suggesting the unpredictable impact of contributing species on habitats.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caroline Palmer, Carlos Jimenez, Giovanni Bassey, Eleazar Ruiz, Tatiana Villalobos Cubero, Maria Marta Chavarria Diaz, Xavier A. Harrison, Robert Puschendorf
Summary: The study documents coral cover and composition in relation to sea surface temperature (SST) over the past 25 years in marginal reefs of Costa Rica's Eastern Tropical Pacific. A catastrophic coral die-off event occurred in 2009, driven by SST minima and likely by extreme harmful algal blooms, leading to a shift in coral composition and a lack of recovery in the subsequent decade. This highlights the need for resilience-based management and restoration strategies in the face of ongoing coral reef declines.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Gabriela Athie, David Salas-Monreal, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson
Summary: One-year subinertial flow profiles and near-bottom temperatures were studied in a tropical coral reef in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. The study found that flow distributions in the reef were primarily influenced by wind stress, sea-level slopes, and baroclinic pressure gradient. The study also discovered that near-bottom summer intrusions of relative cold water were driven by baroclinicity, rather than Ekman dynamics. The findings revealed additional flow distributions compared to previous descriptions of the reefs in the southwestern continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Lucia Castrillon-Cifuentes, Fernando A. Zapata, Alan Giraldo, Christian Wild
Summary: Dissolved oxygen concentration is a main limiting factor for benthic species distribution, and low oxygen conditions may occur in coral reefs of the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The Spatio-temporal changes of DO in coral reefs of Gorgona Island were characterized and the critical oxygen tension for Pocillopora capitata was calculated. Low DO conditions were due to upwelling, and hypoxic events sporadically occurred at 10 m depth. Oxygen conditions lower than 2.3 mg L-1 coincided with the deepest distribution of scattered colonies of Pocillopora. Hypoxic events could pose a threat if eutrophication increases.
Article
Environmental Sciences
James Gahan, David R. Bellwood, Leo Nankervis, Sterling B. Tebbett
Summary: This study analyzed the characteristics of zooplankton communities in the offshore regions of the Queensland shelf using Australian data and found that the composition of these communities was predictable at a broad taxonomic level, but the variation in relative abundance was unpredictable.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miguel Angel Perez-Castro, Nadine Schubert, Gabriela Ang-Montes De Oca, Gerardo Esteban Leyte-Morales, Gal Eyal, Gustavo Hinojosa-Arango
Summary: Research in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) region suggests the potential presence of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs), which are influenced by factors such as light availability and water transparency. Studies mainly focus on taxonomy, ecosystem function, and reviews, indicating a need for further research in areas such as environmental variable structure, molecular ecology, and natural resource management. Light availability is identified as a key driver for the bathymetric distribution of MCEs, although other local factors should also be considered for potential shifts in depth limits.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wentao Zhu, Yuxiao Ren, Xiangbo Liu, Duanjie Huang, Jingquan Xia, Ming Zhu, Hongyang Yin, Rouwen Chen, Xiubao Li
Summary: This study examines the impact of the Qiongdong upwelling on the coastal coral reefs of Hainan Island. The results show significant differences in environmental variables between upwelling and non-upwelling areas, with colder and saltier water and lower coral coverage in the upwelling areas. The upwelling areas also face severe threats from coastal development and local anthropogenic activities.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Courtney S. Couch, Thomas A. Oliver, Kyle Dettloff, Brittany Huntington, Kisei R. Tanaka, Bernardo Vargas-Angel
Summary: The persistence of Pacific coral reefs is at risk due to various threats, and the density of coral juveniles plays a crucial role in their recovery potential. This study investigated the spatial and temporal patterns of juvenile coral density across the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands and atolls and identified the potential factors influencing coral juvenile abundance. The study found significant regional variations in juvenile density and highlighted the importance of ecological and environmental factors in predicting juvenile density.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cameron Do, Georgia Elizabeth Saunders, Yuriy Kuleshov
Summary: This study attempts to expand the methodology of tropical cyclone risk assessment by focusing on coral reefs and to understand the risk to Australia's natural environment. The study found that the northern Ningaloo Reef and southern Great Barrier Reef regions had the highest risk values. However, the limitations in data quality mean that these results are only estimates at best.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caitlin R. Fong, Tyler B. Smith, Ranjan Muthukrishnan, Peggy Fong
Summary: The global evidence of phase shifts to alternate community types is of particular concern due to their fundamentally different and often novel ecosystem functions and services compared to the original community. We observed green algal mats on reefs in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, which supported a more speciose macroalgal community and facilitated growth of an associated understory macroalgal species. These results demonstrate the importance of further research on community shifts, which will become increasingly common in the Anthropocene.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hannah C. Barkley, Thomas A. Oliver, Ariel A. Halperin, Noah V. Pomeroy, Joy N. Smith, Rebecca M. Weible, Charles W. Young, Courtney S. Couch, Russell E. Brainard, Jennifer C. Samson
Summary: The study evaluates coral reef community structure and reef processes across a strong natural gradient in pH and aragonite saturation state. It finds that net carbonate accretion rates are sensitive to declining omega(ar), while benthic ecological metrics show fewer direct responses to lower-omega(ar) conditions. This highlights the importance of monitoring coral reef net carbonate accretion as a critical tool for assessing the long-term impacts of ocean acidification.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diane L. Brinkman, Florita Flores, Heidi M. Luter, F. Mikaela Nordborg, Maxime Brooks, Thomas F. Parkerton, Andrew P. Negri
Summary: The risks posed by petroleum spills to coral reefs are not well understood. This study aims to quantify the toxicity thresholds of aromatic hydrocarbons to reef-building corals. The results show that Acropora millepora is more sensitive to aromatic hydrocarbons compared to other corals and aquatic taxa.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Deborah L. Santavy, Susan K. Jackson, Benjamin Jessup, Jeroen Gerritsen, Caroline Rogers, William S. Fisher, Ernesto Weil, Alina Szmant, David Cuevas-Miranda, Brian K. Walker, Christopher Jeffrey, Patricia Bradley, David Ballantine, Loretta Roberson, Hector Ruiz-Torres, Brandi Todd, Tyler Smith, Randy Clark, Ernesto Diaz, Jorge Bauza-Ortega, Christina Horstmann, Sandy Raimondo
Summary: With the decline in coral reef condition worldwide, it is important to understand and communicate the response of coral reefs to management actions, environmental contamination, and natural disasters. A narrative model has been developed to evaluate the condition of coral reefs and detect changes using narrative descriptions. The model can be used to assess actions that affect coral reef ecosystems and develop management plans.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Brittany Huntington, Bernardo Vargas-Angel, Courtney S. S. Couch, Hannah C. C. Barkley, Melanie Abecassis
Summary: Past research has shown the adverse effects of human impacts and climate change on coral reefs. This study surveyed benthic reef communities on 34 Pacific islands and found that the dominance of calcifiers on uninhabited islands has decreased, with other factors such as oceanic productivity and SST variability playing a larger role in benthic cover.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert van Woesik, Christopher William Cacciapaglia
Summary: The potential thermal stress gradient affects the reef-building capacity of coral reefs. Outer-exposed reefs and lagoonal-patch reefs have higher rates of net carbonate production than nearshore reefs. Thermal anomalies, particularly the intensity of thermal-stress events, significantly reduce net carbonate production.