Corals of the genus Porites are a locally abundant component of the epibiont community on mangrove prop roots at Calabash Caye, Turneffe Atoll, Belize

Abstract

Mangrove prop roots support diverse epibiont communities, but they are generally regarded as inhospitable for corals. However, recent reports have documented corals thriving on mangrove roots in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Cuba, and it has been proposed that mangroves may provide a refuge from environmental conditions that trigger coral mortality on nearby reefs. It also raises interesting questions about the potential evolutionary significance of coral populations in mangrove forest. We investigated diverse

Distinct Phenotypes Associated with Mangrove and Lagoon Habitats in Two Widespread Caribbean Corals, Porites astreoides and Porites divaricata

“…Length and width were measured in a plane parallel to the substratum, with length representing the greatest linear dimension parallel to the substrate and with width measured at a point rotated 907 from where the length was taken. For corals growing on mangrove roots, linear dimensions were measured as previously described (Bengtsson et al, 2019;Scavo Lord et al, 2020). Height was measured as the perpendicular distance from the root to the most distant extent of the colony.…”

“…Many coral species are habitat generalists that can thrive in a multitude of different environments in addition to coral reefs, including seagrass beds (Camp et al, 2016;Lohr et al, 2017) and mangroves. With respect to mangroves, corals have been reported growing directly on mangrove prop roots (Rogers and Herlan, 2012;Yates et al, 2014;Hernández Fernández, 2015;Rogers, 2017;Bengtsson et al, 2019;Kellogg et al, 2020), on the benthos under the shade of the mangrove canopy (Rogers and Herlan, 2012;Yates et al, 2014;Rogers, 2017;Kellogg et al, 2020), and in lagoonal habits bounded by mangroves, although not shaded by the mangrove canopy (Rogers and Herlan, 2012;Yates et al, 2014;Camp et al, 2016Camp et al, , 2019Rogers, 2017). About half of the approximately 75 coral species that occur on Caribbean reefs also occur in mangrove habitats (Rogers and Herlan, 2012;Yates et al, 2014;Hernández Fernández, 2015;Rogers, 2017;Bengtsson et al, 2019;Kellogg et al, 2020).…”

“…1). These two weedy corals can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and lagoonal patch reefs, as well as across distinct reef zones (Veron, 2000;Hernández Fernández, 2015;Camp et al, 2016;Rogers, 2017;Bengtsson et al, 2019). The mustard hill coral, P. astreoides, exists as a massive, encrusting, or plating form, with colors ranging from bright yellow to medium gray to dark brown (Fig.…”

“…While previous studies have explored the phenotypic variation of P. astreoides (Gleason, 1993) and P. divaricata (Bengtsson et al, 2019) within habitat types, this study characterizes differences between coral species inhabiting mangrove prop root and shallow lagoon habitats (not associated with mangroves). Given that our mangrove and lagoon habitats differ in key environmental parameters, including temperature and light, we hypothesized that colonies from the two study locations would exhibit consistent and predictable differences in phenotype.…”

Caribbean mangrove forests act as coral refugia by reducing light stress and increasing coral richness

“…Red mangroves ( Rhizophora mangle ) frequently occur in close proximity to reefs, and there are a few studies documenting the occurrence of corals growing among and near the mangrove roots such as in the saltwater ponds and channels of Belize (Macintyre et al 2000, Rutzler et al 2000, Bengtsson et al 2019, Scavo Lord et al 2020), bays of the U.S. Virgin Islands (Rogers 2009, Rogers and Herlan 2012, Yates et al 2014), and the Florida Keys (Kellogg et al 2020). These observational studies suggest that mangroves can serve as an alternative habitat for corals and perhaps a refugium in the face of continued reef degradation.…”