Sedentary urchins influence benthic community composition below the macroalgal zone

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander T. Lowe ◽  
Ross Whippo ◽  
Aaron W. E. Galloway ◽  
Kevin H. Britton-Simmons ◽  
Megan N. Dethier
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Benthic Community

scholarly journals Depth moderates loss of marine foundation species after an extreme marine heatwave: could deep temperate reefs act as a refuge?

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1928) ◽  
pp. 20200709
Author(s):  
Ana Giraldo-Ospina ◽  
Gary A. Kendrick ◽  
Renae K. Hovey
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
Temperate Reefs ◽  
Environmental Extremes ◽  
Deep Reefs ◽  
Clear Shift ◽  
Western Australian

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) have been documented around the world, causing widespread mortality of numerous benthic species on shallow reefs (less than 15 m depth). Deeper habitats are hypothesized to be a potential refuge from environmental extremes, though we have little understanding of the response of deeper benthic communities to MHWs. Here, we show how increasing depth moderates the response of seaweed- and coral-dominated benthic communities to an extreme MHW across a subtropical–temperate biogeographical transition zone. Benthic community composition and key habitat-building species were characterized across three depths (15, 25 and 40 m) before and several times after the 2011 Western Australian MHW to assess resistance during and recovery after the heatwave. We found high natural variability in benthic community composition along the biogeographic transition zone and across depths with a clear shift in the composition after the MHW in shallow (15 m) sites but a lot less in deeper communities (40 m). Most importantly, key habitat-building seaweeds such as Ecklonia radiata and Syctothalia dorycarpa which had catastrophic losses on shallow reefs, remained and were less affected in deeper communities. Evidently, deep reefs have the potential to act as a refuge during MHWs for the foundation species of shallow reefs in this region.

scholarly journals Environmental conditions and herbivore biomass determine coral reef benthic community composition: implications for quantitative baselines

Coral Reefs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 1157-1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. W. Robinson ◽  
Ivor D. Williams ◽  
Lauren A. Yeager ◽  
Jana M. McPherson ◽  
Jeanette Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Benthic Community

An experimental test of the effect of the abalone Haliotis midae on benthic community composition

2013 ◽  
Vol 161 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-337
Author(s):  
Zannè Zeeman ◽  
George M. Branch ◽  
Deena Pillay ◽  
Astrid Jarre
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Experimental Test ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Haliotis Midae

scholarly journals Benthic and coral reef community field data for Heron Reef, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, 2002–2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Roelfsema ◽  
Eva M. Kovacs ◽  
Kathryn Markey ◽  
Julie Vercelloni ◽  
Alberto Rodriguez-Ramirez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Coral Reef Community ◽  
Reef Community ◽  
Composition Point

AbstractThis paper describes benthic coral reef community composition point-based field data sets derived from georeferenced photoquadrats using machine learning. Annually over a 17 year period (2002–2018), data were collected using downward-looking photoquadrats that capture an approximately 1 m2 footprint along 100 m–1500 m transect surveys distributed along the reef slope and across the reef flat of Heron Reef (28 km2), Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Benthic community composition for the photoquadrats was automatically interpreted through deep learning, following initial manual calibration of the algorithm. The resulting data sets support understanding of coral reef biology, ecology, mapping and dynamics. Similar methods to derive the benthic data have been published for seagrass habitats, however here we have adapted the methods for application to coral reef habitats, with the integration of automatic photoquadrat analysis. The approach presented is globally applicable for various submerged and benthic community ecological applications, and provides the basis for further studies at this site, regional to global comparative studies, and for the design of similar monitoring programs elsewhere.

scholarly journals Wave exposure shapes reef community composition and recovery trajectories at a remote coral atoll

Coral Reefs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines D. Lange ◽  
Cassandra E. Benkwitt ◽  
Jamie M. McDevitt-Irwin ◽  
Kristina L. Tietjen ◽  
Brett Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Wave Exposure ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Bleaching Event ◽  
Community Patterns ◽  
Similar Survey

AbstractIn a time of unprecedented ecological change, understanding natural biophysical relationships between reef resilience and physical drivers is of increasing importance. This study evaluates how wave forcing structures coral reef benthic community composition and recovery trajectories after the major 2015/2016 bleaching event in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. Benthic cover and substrate rugosity were quantified from digital imagery at 23 fore reef sites around a small coral atoll (Salomon) in 2020 and compared to data from a similar survey in 2006 and opportunistic surveys in intermediate years. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis show strong separation of community composition between exposed (modelled wave exposure > 1000 J m−3) and sheltered sites (< 1000 J m−3) in 2020. This difference is driven by relatively high cover of Porites sp., other massive corals, encrusting corals, soft corals, rubble and dead table corals at sheltered sites versus high cover of pavement and sponges at exposed sites. Total coral cover and rugosity were also higher at sheltered sites. Adding data from previous years shows benthic community shifts from distinct exposure-driven assemblages and high live coral cover in 2006 towards bare pavement, dead Acropora tables and rubble after the 2015/2016 bleaching event. The subsequent recovery trajectories at sheltered and exposed sites are surprisingly parallel and lead communities towards their respective pre-bleaching communities. These results demonstrate that in the absence of human stressors, community patterns on fore reefs are strongly controlled by wave exposure, even during and after widespread coral loss from bleaching events.

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