Comparative Taphonomy of Modern and Pleistocene Corals, San Salvador, Bahamas

Greenstein, Benjamin J.; Moffat, Heather A.

doi:10.2307/3515116

Cited by 41 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…We assessed the degree of taphonomic degradation of the coral material (encrustation, surficial erosion, and internal boring) using a modified version of the rank scales employed by Greenstein and Moffat (1996) for Acropora cervicornis in The Bahamas. The taphonomic condition of each coral fragment was rated as good, intermediate, or poor based on the most degraded portion of the fragment.…”

Section: Coring Procedures and Sample Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…cervicornis observed in Bahia Almirante (and Belize) grew with tissue covering the entirety of the branches. The taphonomy of this species could, therefore, be used to infer the rapidity of burial and the degree of transport, assuming that it grew in a similar manner in the past (Greenstein and Moffat 1996). The layers of Ac.…”

Section: Transport Degradation and Accumulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phase Shifts, Alternative States, and the Unprecedented Convergence of Two Reef Systems

Aronson

Macintyre

Wapnick

et al. 2004

Ecology

176

144

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Abstract. Initial conditions can generate differences in the biotic composition of spatially disjunct communities, but intense, large-scale perturbations have the potential to reduce or eliminate those historical differences. The latter possibility is of particular concern with respect to coral reefs, which have undergone dramatic changes in the last 25-30 years. This paper reports a case in which two reef systems with different biotic histories were recently perturbed to a single, novel state.We compared millennial-scale records of species dominance from reefs in Bahia Almirante, a coastal lagoon in northwestern Panama, to previously published records from reefs in the shelf lagoon of Belize. Reef cores extracted from Bahia Almirante at 5-10 m water depth revealed that the Panamanian reefs were persistently dissimilar from the Belizean reefs for at least 2000-3000 years prior to the last several decades. The Panamanian reefs were dominated continuously by branching finger corals, Porites spp. (primarily P. furcata). Shifts from the Ponfes-dominated state to dominance by other coral species were rare, were restricted to small areas, and lasted for decades to centuries. The Belizean reefs were dominated continuously by the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis in the same depth range during the same period. Excursions from the Acropora-dominated state were again rare and spatially localized. Populations of Ac. cervicornis in the Belizean lagoon were nearly extirpated by an outbreak of white-band disease in the late 1980s, and changes in water quality were apparently detrimental to branching Porites in Bahia Almirante in recent decades. These large-scale perturbations caused the two reef systems to converge on a third, historically unprecedented state: dominance by the lettuce coral Agaricia tenuifolia. Ag. tenuifolia possesses life-history attributes and environmental tolerances that enabled it to become dominant in both disturbed ecosystems. Although the two phase shifts to Ag. tenuifolia differed in both their general mechanisms and specific causes, they had the effect of eliminating the salient difference in benthic composition between the Panamanian and Belizean reefs. The changes in species composition thus obliterated the influence of several thousand years of reef history.

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Section: Coring Procedures and Sample Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Transport Degradation and Accumulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phase Shifts, Alternative States, and the Unprecedented Convergence of Two Reef Systems

Aronson

Macintyre

Wapnick

et al. 2004

Ecology

176

144

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We assessed the degree of taphonomic degradation of the coral material-encrustation, surficial erosion, and internal excavation-using a modified version of the rank scales employed by Greenstein and Moffat (1996) for Acropora cervicornis in the Bahamas. The taphonomic condition of each coral fragment was rated as good, intermediate or poor based on the most degraded portion of the fragment.…”

Section: Analysis Of the Coresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent Zonation and Geographic Convergence of Coral Reefs

Aronson

Macintyre

Lewis

et al. 2005

Ecology

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Abstract. Environmental degradation is reducing the variability of living assemblages at multiple spatial scales, but there is no a priori reason to expect biotic homogenization to occur uniformly across scales. This paper explores the scale-dependent effects of recent perturbations on the biotic variability of lagoonal reefs in Panama and Belize. We used new and previously published core data to compare temporal patterns of species dominance between depth zones and between geographic locations. After millennia of monotypic dominance, depth zonation emerged for different reasons in the two reef systems, increasing the between-habitat component of beta diversity in both taxonomic and functional terms. The increase in between-habitat diversity caused a decline in geographic-scale variability as the two systems converged on a single, historically novel pattern of depth zonation.Twenty-four reef cores were extracted at water depths above 2 m in Bahía Almirante, a coastal lagoon in northwestern Panama. The cores showed that finger corals of the genus Porites dominated for the last 2000-3000 yr. Porites remained dominant as the shallowest portions of the reefs grew to within 0.25 m of present sea level. At intermediate depths of 5-10 m, however, declining water quality in the Bahía enabled the lettuce coral Agaricia tenuifolia to replace Porites during the last several decades. In Belize, the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis dominated the rhomboid shoals of the central shelf lagoon for millennia. As the shallowest portions of the rhomboid shoals approached sea level around 500 years ago, Porites spp. replaced Ac. cervicornis in an intrinsically driven successional sequence. At intermediate depths, white-band disease killed Ac. cervicornis in the late 1980s, precipitating a transition to dominance by Ag. tenuifolia. Phase shifts between coral taxa and the emergence of coral zonation in both locations were mediated by the sea urchin Echinometra viridis, which controlled algal growth. Opposite trends in biotic variability at the habitat and geographic levels highlight the complex, scale-dependent nature of the response of coral reefs to intense perturbations.

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“…In the manner described previously by Wapnick et al (2004), we assessed the degree of taphonomic degradation of the Acropora cervicornis material-encrustation, surfi cial erosion, and internal boring-using a modifi ed version of the rank scales of Greenstein and Moffat (1996). The average taphonomic condition of each coral fragment was rated as good, intermediate, or poor.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The constituents of each interval retained on a 5 mm sieve were cleaned of matrix, sorted to species, dried to a constant mass, and weighed to the nearest milligram. In earlier studies, we showed from regression analysis that, for the coral constituents, log(mass) was a strong predictor of log(volume), as measured by water displacement.In the manner described previously by Wapnick et al (2004), we assessed the degree of taphonomic degradation of the Acropora cervicornis material-encrustation, surfi cial erosion, and internal boring-using a modifi ed version of the rank scales of Greenstein and Moffat (1996). The average taphonomic condition of each coral fragment was rated as good, intermediate, or poor.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings of the Smithsonian Marine Science Symposium

Lang¹,

Macintyre²,

Rützler³

2009

Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences

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s m i t h s o n i a n c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o t h e m a r i n e s c i e n c e s • n u m b e r 3 8 SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONEmphasis upon publication as a means of "diffusing knowledge" was expressed by the fi rst Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions in History and Technology Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to ZoologyIn these series, the Institution publishes small papers and full-scale monographs that report on the research and collections of its various museums and bureaus. The Smithsonian Contributions Series are distributed via mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institutions throughout the world.Manuscripts submitted for series publication are received by the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press from authors with direct affi liation with the various Smithsonian museums or bureaus and are subject to peer review and review for compliance with manuscript preparation guidelines. General requirements for manuscript preparation are on the inside back cover of printed volumes. For detailed submissions requirements and to review the "Manuscript Preparation and Style Guide for Authors," visit the Submissions page at www.scholarlypress.si.edu. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39. Foreword N early two-thirds of Earth's surface is covered by the ocean, a global system essential to all life. Impacts on one part of the ocean can have worldwide effects. The ocean moderates our climate, provides valuable resources, and produces at least half the oxygen we breathe: it makes our planet livable. We know little, however, about the physical, chemical, geological, and biological aspects of this crucial life support system. s m i t h s o n i a n c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o t h e m a r i n S M I T H S O N I A N C O N T R I B U T I O N S T O T H E M A R I N E S C I E N C E S MARINE BIODIVERSITY, EVOLUTION, AND SPECIATION S M I T H S O N I A N C O N T R I B U T I O N S T O T H E M A R I N E S C I E N C E S i i i • S M I T H S O N I A N C O N T R I B U T I O N S T O T H E M A R I N E S C I E N C E SThe Smithsonian Institution, in efforts to increase knowledge about the ocean, has established a ...

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Comparative Taphonomy of Modern and Pleistocene Corals, San Salvador, Bahamas

Cited by 41 publications

References 0 publications

Phase Shifts, Alternative States, and the Unprecedented Convergence of Two Reef Systems

Phase Shifts, Alternative States, and the Unprecedented Convergence of Two Reef Systems

Emergent Zonation and Geographic Convergence of Coral Reefs

Proceedings of the Smithsonian Marine Science Symposium

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