Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katherine R. Eaton, Abigail S. Clark, Katie Curtis, Mike Favero, Nathaniel Hanna Holloway, Kristen Ewen, Erinn M. Muller
Summary: Outbreaks of infectious diseases are a major cause of coral reef decline worldwide. Black band disease (BBD) is a particularly lethal disease that has been reported on reefs globally. This study developed and tested different therapeutic agents to effectively treat BBD on corals in the US Virgin Islands. The results showed that the CoralCure rope formulations successfully eliminated BBD in 100% of the treated corals, reducing the likelihood of disease occurrence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juliano Morais, Renato A. Morais, Sterling B. Tebbett, Morgan S. Pratchett, David R. Bellwood
Summary: The study found that Acropora and massive Porites coral colonies exhibited significant differences in survival and growth after bleaching events, with Acropora showing a marked capacity for apparent recovery while massive Porites displayed stable survival. This contrast highlights different dynamics of boom-and-bust vs. protracted declines in the two major coral groups.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Paige Strudwick, Justin Seymour, Emma F. Camp, Christine Roper, John Edmondson, Lorna Howlett, David J. Suggett
Summary: Coral propagation and out-planting play a vital role in reef stewardship, but their impact on the coral microbiome and long-term survival is still unclear. A study in three reef sites found significant changes in bacterial communities of transplanted corals within 7 days to 1.5 months. However, after 1.5 months, bacterial communities became similar across sites, suggesting the influence of other factors on long-term survival.
Article
Ecology
Thomas D. Glaze, Dirk Erler, Henri M. P. Siljanen
Summary: The study reveals the existence of nitrogen cycling processes such as denitrification, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and DNRA in tropical scleractinian corals. Limited denitrification activity suggests its limited importance in holobiont nitrogen removal, while relatively greater nitrogen fixation activity confirms corals as net nitrogen importers to reef systems. The research highlights the key role of tropical scleractinian corals in nitrogen cycling.
Article
Ecology
Juliano Morais, Sterling B. Tebbett, Renato A. Morais, David R. Bellwood
Summary: Ecosystem recovery from human-induced disturbances is occurring worldwide, but the dynamics and implications for ecosystem management remain unclear. Using coral reefs as a case study, this research found that coral reefs can recover to global average levels within just 2 years, with as few as 11.5 coral recruits per square meter. However, factors such as wave exposure, growth form, and colony density can impact the recovery rates. This study emphasizes the importance of considering natural recovery in management and restoration, and provides insights into the recovery dynamics of high-diversity climate-disturbed ecosystems.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kate M. Quigley, Blake Ramsby, Patrick Laffy, Jessica Harris, Veronique J. L. Mocellin, Line K. Bay
Summary: Survival of symbiotic reef-building corals under global warming requires rapid acclimation or adaptation. The impact of accumulated heat stress was compared across 1643 symbiont communities before and after the 2016 mass bleaching in three coral species and free-living in the environment across similar to 900 kilometers of the Great Barrier Reef. Resilient reefs (less aerial bleaching than predicted from high satellite sea temperatures) showed low variation in symbioses. Before 2016, heat-tolerant environmental symbionts were common in similar to 98% of samples and moderately abundant (9 to 40% in samples). In corals, heat-tolerant symbionts were at low abundances (0 to 7.3%) but only in a minority (13 to 27%) of colonies. Following bleaching, environmental diversity doubled (including heat-tolerant symbionts) and increased in one coral species. Communities were dynamic (Acropora millepora) and conserved (Acropora hyacinthus and Acropora tenuis), including symbiont community turnover and redistribution. Symbiotic restructuring after bleaching occurs but is a taxon-specific ecological opportunity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jennifer Skerratt, Mark E. Baird, Mathieu Mongin, Robin Ellis, Rachael A. Smith, Melanie Shaw, Andy D. L. Steven
Summary: Pesticides from urban and agricultural runoff are causing pollution in the Great Barrier Reef, with concentrations of the pesticide diuron exceeding water quality guidelines. The diuron load entering the reef waters and its dispersal patterns have been quantified using models. The highest concentrations of diuron were found in the Mackay-Whitsunday region, posing a risk to coral and seagrass habitats. This study provides valuable information for the understanding and management of pesticide pollution in the Great Barrier Reef.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chris M. Roelfsema, Mitchell B. Lyons, Carolina Castro-Sanguino, Eva M. Kovacs, David Callaghan, Magnus Wettle, Kathryn Markey, Rodney Borrego-Acevedo, Paul Tudman, Meredith Roe, Emma Kennedy, Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero, Nicholas Murray, Stuart R. Phinn
Summary: The geomorphic and benthic composition of Australia's Great Barrier Reef are understudied, but crucial for understanding disturbance impacts and recovery potential. Through new research methods and high-resolution maps, there is now a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial extent and ecological characteristics of the Great Barrier Reef.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joerg Wiedenmann, Cecilia D'Angelo, M. Loreto Mardones, Shona Moore, Cassandra E. Benkwitt, Nicholas A. J. Graham, Bastian Hambach, Paul A. Wilson, James Vanstone, Gal Eyal, Or Ben-Zvi, Yossi Loya, Amatzia Genin
Summary: Research shows that corals acquire dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus by feeding on symbiont cells, which are essential nutrients for their success in nutrient-poor waters.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Megan Star, John Rolfe, Marina Farr, Mark Poggio
Summary: The declining health of the Great Barrier Reef has led to government policies aimed at reducing pollutant loads; limited availability and consistency of cost-effectiveness measures; a call for a consistent, transparent, and rigorous framework for the Great Barrier Reef.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Apolline Mariotti, Jacky Croke, Rebecca Bartley, Samuel E. Kelley, Jay Ward, Reka-Hajnalka Fulop, Anna H. Rood, Dylan H. Rood, Alexandru T. Codilean, Klaus Wilcken, Keith Fifield
Summary: This study utilized cosmogenic 10Be data to investigate sediment delivery to the Great Barrier Reef, presenting background sediment yields for 11 catchments and calculating an Accelerated Erosion Factor to identify denudation hotspots. The results showed that 58% of basins have higher modern sediment yields compared to long-term values, indicating potential changes in sediment delivery dynamics.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wenhui Zhao, Yi Huang, Steven Siems, Michael Manton
Summary: The study revealed a significant negative correlation between total cloud cover anomaly (TCCA) and lagged sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the Great Barrier Reef region, which is greater in magnitude and spatial extent compared to the SSTA-ENSO correlation. This suggests that local-scale reduced cloud cover plays a crucial role in the formation of warm shallow water and occurrence of thermal coral bleaching events in the region.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mandi C. Thran, Sascha Brune, Jody M. Webster, Dale Dominey-Howes, Daniel Harris
Summary: The study investigates the buffering capacity of the Great Barrier Reef against tsunamis triggered by various sources. It reveals that coral cover has a stronger buffering effect on higher-amplitude tsunamis. The orientation of the shoreline relative to the reef platforms determines the level of protection, with areas behind broad, shallow, coral-covered platforms benefiting the most.
Article
Environmental Studies
Evan Hamman, Jon Brodie, Rachel Eberhard, Felicity Deane, Michael Bode
Summary: The quality of water entering the coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef remains a pressing concern for policy makers. In this paper, the role of regulation in addressing threats to water quality is examined, with a focus on sugarcane and cattle grazing. The study evaluates the approaches adopted by government, including recent legislative measures, and highlights the importance of combining regulation with economic incentives, education, and outreach.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Hilton B. Swan
Summary: This mini review summarizes research on the potential of coral reef-derived DMS oxidation products to regulate the regional climate of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) according to the CLAW hypothesis. The research suggests that during low wind speeds over exposed coral reefs, plumes of atmospheric DMS and new sulfate-containing nano-particles can be detected on the GBR, potentially providing a coral-mediated mechanism for seeding low-level stratocumulus clouds. However, recent modeling indicates that under current anthropogenic conditions and increased coral bleaching events, the potential for GBR regional climate regulation via DMS oxidation products is weak.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Sonia Bejarano, Jean-Baptiste Jouffray, Iliana Chollett, Robert Allen, George Roff, Alyssa Marshell, Robert Steneck, Sebastian C. A. Ferse, Peter J. Mumby
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Tries B. Razak, Peter J. Mumby, Ai D. Nguyen, Jian-Xin Zhao, Janice M. Lough, Neal E. Cantin, George Roff
Article
Ecology
George Roff, Sonia Bejarano, Mark Priest, Alyssa Marshell, Iliana Chollett, Robert S. Steneck, Christopher Doropoulos, Yimnang Golbuu, Peter J. Mumby
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2019)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Laura D. Puk, Christophe Vieira, George Roff, Olivier De Clerck, Peter J. Mumby
Article
Biology
Ama Wakwella, Peter J. Mumby, George Roff
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Amelia A. Desbiens, George Roff, William D. Robbins, Brett M. Taylor, Carolina Castro-Sanguino, Alexandra Dempsey, Peter J. Mumby
Summary: In the relatively unfished northern Great Barrier Reef, changes in reef shark density did not have a significant impact on the density or biomass of teleost mesopredators or prey, suggesting a lack of trophic cascading. Instead, many functional groups, including sharks, responded positively to environmental drivers.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Peter J. Mumby, Robert S. Steneck, George Roff, Valerie J. Paul
Summary: By 2004, Belize experienced a decline in fisheries and by 2009-2010, several policies were implemented to address this issue, including a moratorium on fishing parrotfish and the establishment of a marine park. Approximately 10 years after the implementation of these policies, some areas showed signs of recovery, but complete restoration may still require a longer period of time.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Christopher Doropoulos, Yves-Marie Bozec, Marine Gouezo, Mark A. Priest, Damian P. Thomson, Peter J. Mumby, George Roff
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jennifer K. McWhorter, Paul R. Halloran, George Roff, William J. Skirving, Peter J. Mumby
Summary: Increases in warm seawater temperatures are causing mass coral mortality events. However, some reefs act as potential refugia, escaping severe stress. This study identifies climate refugia on the Great Barrier Reef and predicts their persistence into the future. It is found that certain reef locations experience the least thermal stress due to their oceanographic circumstances, providing potential relief from warming until global warming exceeds approximately 3 degrees C.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jessica S. Stella, Kennedy Wolfe, George Roff, Alice Rogers, Mark Priest, Yimnang Golbuu, Peter J. Mumby
Summary: The importance of small, cryptic invertebrate taxa in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, is not well understood. This study examines the role of ecological and environmental factors in shaping cryptofauna communities, and the importance of different microhabitats in supporting coral reef biodiversity and food webs. Results indicate that as coral reefs decline, habitats other than live coral may become increasingly important.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christopher Doropoulos, George Roff
Summary: This study develops a novel method for colorizing large numbers of coral larvae, enabling research on their behavior and ecology, with potential applications for conservation planning and understanding patterns of connectivity.
Article
Geology
Tara R. Clark, George Roff, Tess Chapman, Hannah Markham-Summers, Nicholas M. Hammerman, Faye Liu, Yuexing Feng, John M. Pandolfi, Jian-xin Zhao
Summary: The overall status of many reefs in the Great Barrier Reef is uncertain due to the lack of detailed broad-scale studies. The relative role of various threats in impacting individual reefs is generally unclear. A novel approach using uranium-thorium dating of dead corals was adopted to reconstruct historical disturbance events at Rib and Davies Reefs, providing a reliable benchmark to assess recovery and monitor coral communities effectively.
Article
Ecology
George Roff, Jennifer Joseph, Peter J. Mumby
Article
Ecology
Christopher Doropoulos, George Roff, Mart-Simone Visser, Peter J. Mumby
Article
Biology
George Roff, Christopher J. Brown, Mark A. Priest, Peter J. Mumby
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2018)
