Density-dependent coral recruitment displays divergent responses during distinct early life-history stages

Doropoulos, Christopher; Evensen, Nicolas R.; Gómez-Lemos, Luis A.; Babcock, Russell C.

doi:10.1098/rsos.170082

Cited by 64 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Successful recruitment of new corals is a critical ecological process for the maintenance and recovery of corals and reefs 5,[10][11][12] . With some exceptions 13 , coral populations are often considered demographically open and the addition of new individuals is largely dependent on the supply of pelagic coral larvae from other reefs 14 , followed by suitable ecological conditions for settlement and post-settlement survival and growth 10,15 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Density of coral larvae can influence settlement, post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover in larval restoration

Cameron

Harrison

2020

Sci Rep

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Successful recruitment of new individuals is essential for recovery of degraded coral reefs. Enhancing supply of coral larvae increases initial settlement, however post-settlement survival can be influenced by density-dependent processes. We investigated the influence of larval density on settlement, colony abundance and growth to 24 months for Acropora tenuis in the northwestern Philippines, to determine whether larval supply can be optimised to maximise successful recruitment. Thirty different densities of coral larvae were enclosed for five days around settlement tiles and highest total settlement occurred on tiles with highest larval densities. After 12 months, however, colony abundance and coral cover was lower on high density tiles (supplied with ~2,500-5,000 larvae) than tiles supplied with ~1,000-2,000 larvae. Coral cover at 24 months remained highest on tiles supplied with ~1,000-2,500 larvae. Larval density influenced larval substratum selection, with proportionally fewer larvae settling in typically preferred locations as density increased. We conclude that larval density can influence post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover to 12 months, with coral cover trends persisting to 24 months. We show that optimising larval densities can maximise coral recruitment and growth, however oversupply of larvae at very high densities can have negative outcomes for larval restoration.

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Density of coral larvae can influence settlement, post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover in larval restoration

Cameron

Harrison

2020

Sci Rep

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“…, Bramanti and Edmunds ) and, in a few cases, recruitment has experimentally been shown to be density dependent (Vermeij and Sandin , Doropoulos et al. ). However, diverse examples of DD in coral populations are lacking (but see Linares et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density‐dependence mediates coral assemblage structure

Edmunds

Nelson

Bramanti

2018

Ecology

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Density dependence (DD) controls community recovery following widespread mortality, yet this principle rarely has been applied to coral assemblages. The reefs of Mo'orea, French Polynesia, provide the opportunity to study DD of coral population growth, because coral assemblages in this location responded to declines in abundance with high recruitment and an increase in cover during which recruitment of pocilloporid corals was inversely associated with density. This study tests for DD in this system, first, by describing the context within which it operates: coral cover changed from 46% in 2005, to <1% in 2010 following an outbreak of a corallivorous sea star and a cyclone, and then increased to 74% by 2017, in large part through inverse density‐associated pocilloporid recruitment. Second, a test for DD of recruitment was conducted by decreasing Pocillopora spp. cover from 33% to 19%: one year later, the density of Pocillopora spp. recruits was 1.65‐fold higher in the low vs. high cover treatment. Finally, the effects of DD were investigated by comparing simulated and empirical distributions of pocilloporid colonies: as predicted by DD, small colonies were randomly distributed, while large colonies were uniformly distributed. Together these results demonstrate DD of population regulation for Pocillopora spp. corals, thus revealing the potential importance of this ecological principle in determining the resilience of coral assemblages.

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“…Nevertheless, aggregation of conspecific dominants could be coexistence-promoting through competition between adults and recruits (Baird and Hughes 2000, Vermeij 2005, Marhaver et al 2013). Furthermore, if settlement processes produce aggregations of superior competitors, conspecific settlers might suffer density-dependent mortality (Vermeij et al 2009, Doropoulos et al 2017) that will limit population growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negligible effect of competition on coral colony growth

Álvarez‐Noriega

Baird

Dornelas³

et al. 2018

Ecology

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Competition is an important determinant of assemblage structure and population regulation, often resulting in decreased growth, fecundity or survival. In corals, most studies testing for an effect of competition on demographic traits, such as growth, have been experimental and often impose very high levels of competition upon colonies. To more realistically assess the role of competition on coral traits, multispecies studies in the wild are required. Here, we use 5 yr of data that includes 11 coral species on the reef crest at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef to quantify the effect of competition on growth. Additionally, we test whether species differ in their susceptibility to direct-contact (overgrowth and digestion) and overtopping competition, and whether species from some morphological groups are more likely to compete with one another than with species from other morphological groups. We also investigate the relationships between competitive ability and three key traits: growth rate, mechanical stability and fecundity. In contrast to most previous work using field manipulations of competition, we found a negligible effect of competition on growth. Acropora species consistently won overtopping encounters but lost in direct-contact encounters, and these results were consistent among the four Acropora morphological groups. In contrast, the massive Goniastrea spp. were poor at overtopping but generally won direct-contact encounters. Only tabular colonies were disproportionally more likely to compete against one another than with other morphologies. This propensity increases intraspecific relative to interspecific competition, a phenomenon that can promote coexistence when it is present among dominant competitors. Good competitors grew more quickly and had higher fecundity but were less mechanically stable, implying a tradeoff between performance during disturbance vs. performance in the absence of disturbance. We conclude that competition among adults is less likely to influence community dynamics than previously thought. If competition does have an effect, it is more likely to occur at life-stages other than adults.

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Density-dependent coral recruitment displays divergent responses during distinct early life-history stages

Cited by 64 publications

References 64 publications

Density of coral larvae can influence settlement, post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover in larval restoration

Density of coral larvae can influence settlement, post-settlement colony abundance and coral cover in larval restoration

Density‐dependence mediates coral assemblage structure

Negligible effect of competition on coral colony growth

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