Outbreaks of the coral-killing seastar Acanthaster planci are intense disturbances that can decimate coral reefs. These events consist of the emergence of large swarms of the predatory seastar that feed on reef-building corals, often leading to widespread devastation of coral populations. While cyclic occurrences of such outbreaks are reported from many tropical reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, their causes are hotly debated, and the spatio-temporal dynamics of the outbreaks and impacts to reef communities remain unclear. Based on observations of a recent event around the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, we show that Acanthaster outbreaks are methodic, slow-paced, and diffusive biological disturbances. Acanthaster outbreaks on insular reef systems like Moorea's appear to originate from restricted areas confined to the ocean-exposed base of reefs. Elevated Acanthaster densities then progressively spread to adjacent and shallower locations by migrations of seastars in aggregative waves that eventually affect the entire reef system. The directional migration across reefs appears to be a search for prey as reef portions affected by dense seastar aggregations are rapidly depleted of living corals and subsequently left behind. Coral decline on impacted reefs occurs by the sequential consumption of species in the order of Acanthaster feeding preferences. Acanthaster outbreaks thus result in predictable alteration of the coral community structure. The outbreak we report here is among the most intense and devastating ever reported. Using a hierarchical, multi-scale approach, we also show how sessile benthic communities and resident coral-feeding fish assemblages were subsequently affected by the decline of corals. By elucidating the processes involved in an Acanthaster outbreak, our study contributes to comprehending this widespread disturbance and should thus benefit targeted management actions for coral reef ecosystems.
Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by various types of disturbances, and their recovery is challenged by accelerating, human-induced environmental changes. Recurrent disturbances reduce the pool of mature adult colonies of reef-building corals and undermine post-disturbance recovery from newly settled recruits. Using a long-term interannual data set, we show that coral assemblages on the reef slope of Moorea, French Polynesia, have maintained a high capacity to recover despite a unique frequency of large-scale disturbances which, since the 1990s, have caused catastrophic declines in coral cover and abundance. In 2014, only four years after one of the most extreme cases of coral decline documented, abundance of juvenile and adult colonies had regained or exceeded pre-disturbance levels, and no phase-shift to macroalgal dominance was recorded. This rapid recovery has been achieved despite constantly low coral recruitment rates, suggesting a high post-disturbance survivorship of recruits. However, taxonomic differences in coral susceptibility to disturbances and contrasting recovery trajectories have resulted in changes in the relative composition of species. In the present context of global coral reef decline, our study establishes a new benchmark for the capacity of certain benthic reef communities to sustain and recover their coral cover from repeated, intense disturbances.
Symbioses with the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium are widespread among marine invertebrates and protists, especially in nutritionally demanding habitats, such as tropical coral reefs, where they play a major role in ecosystem survival. Moreover, apart from corals and sea anemones, many of the Symbiodinium species and clades involved in these partnerships remain to be characterized. This study provides new insights into nudibranch and sponge associations with Symbiodinium by sequencing regions of the Symbiodinium 28S rDNA and the host mitochondrial COI oxidase. Specimens were sampled between 2011 and 2013 from locations around the islands of Moorea and Tahiti, French Polynesia. Our results revealed that some of the sponges and nudibranchs harbored typical Symbiodinium from clade B or C while others harbored new, undescribed Symbiodinium-like dinoflagellates. A detailed analysis of the different life stages of the nudibranch Phestilla lugubris and of its specific coral prey, Porites rus, suggests a prey-predator horizontal transfer of the symbiont and its vertical inheritance from the parent to the eggs.
Outbreaks of the predator crown-of-thorns seastar (COTS) Acanthaster planci cause widespread coral mortality across the Indo-Pacific. Like many marine invertebrates, COTS is a nocturnal species whose cryptic behaviour during the day can affect its detectability, particularly in structurally complex reef habitats that provide many refuges for benthic creatures. We performed extensive day and night surveys of COTS populations in coral reef habitats showing differing levels of structural complexity and COTS abundance. We tested whether estimations of COTS density varied between day and night observations, and if the differences were related to changes in COTS abundance, reef structural complexity and the spatial scale of observation. Estimations of COTS density were on average 27% higher at night than during the day. Differences in COTS detection varied with changing seastar abundance but not reef structural complexity or scale of observation. Underestimation of COTS abundance in daytime was significant for a broad seastar density range, thus potentially affecting most outbreak events. Our study suggests that portions of COTS populations can be undetected during conventional surveys and control campaigns, which are exclusively conducted by day, and significantly affect the trajectory of coral reefs. Accounting for bias in COTS detection can strengthen coral reef management broadly.
Coral reefs across the globe are facing threats from a variety of anthropogenic disturbances. Consequently, the proportional representation of live scleractinian corals in the benthic community has declined substantially in many regions. In contrast, parts of the reef ecosystem around Mo’orea (French Polynesia) have displayed remarkable rebound potential. Nevertheless, detailed studies of when, where, and to what extent reefs have been disturbed and subsequently recovered in the different reef habitats are lacking. Using long-term monitoring data (2004-2018), we reveal that the spatiotemporal dynamics of benthic communities differ markedly between the contiguous inner (fringing and barrier) and outer (fore) reefs. Coral communities on inner reefs vary spatially but were remarkably stable over 15 yr, exhibiting consistent levels of coral and algal cover, with no evidence for disturbance-driven regimes or community transitions. In contrast, the outer reefs showed marked declines in coral cover following consecutive acute disturbances, but coral recovered rapidly thereafter. Nevertheless, community composition changed significantly, with Pocillopora replacing Acropora as the dominant genus at several sites, indicating a more subtle but potentially critical transition into an alternative state defined by the prevalence of a single, fast-growing genus. Inner reef stability and outer reef recovery provide evidence that the effects of environmental disturbances and chronic anthropogenic stressors can manifest in fundamentally different ways, depending on prevailing conditions. Our results suggest important ecological and physical links between inner and outer reef systems that influence the observed dynamics, emphasizing that reef ecosystem management and conservation strategies need to consider all habitats.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.