Repeat bleaching of a central Pacific coral reef over the past six decades (1960–2016)

Barkley, Hannah C.; Cohen, Anne L.; Mollica, Nathaniel R.; Brainard, Russell E.; Rivera, Hanny E.; DeCarlo, Thomas M.; Lohmann, G. P.; Drenkard, Elizabeth J.; Alpert, Alice E.; Young, Charles W.; Vargas-Ángel, Bernardo; Lino, Kevin; Oliver, Thomas; Pietro, Kathryn R.; Luu, Victoria H.

doi:10.1038/s42003-018-0183-7

Cited by 68 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This could happen through either physiological adaptation, such as symbiont shuffling (Baker, 2003), bacterial restructuring (Ziegler et al, 2017), or regulation in gene expression (Kenkel & Matz, 2017)-in particular front loading (Barshis et al, 2013) whereby corals alter the relative levels of expression of housekeeping genes governing normal physiological maintenance and environmentally responsive genes that help protect the coral against unfavorable conditions (Dixon et al, 2018). If this was the case, Porites in the Red Sea respond differently from those in the equatorial Pacific that appear to bleach and recover during nearly every major ENSO event (Barkley et al, 2018).…”

Section: 1029/2019gc008312mentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐Term Impacts of the 1997–1998 Bleaching Event on the Growth and Resilience of Massive Porites Corals From the Central Red Sea

D’Olivo

Georgiou

Falter

et al. 2019

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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This study investigates the impact of extreme heat wave events on long‐lived massive corals (Porites spp.) from the central Saudi Arabian Red Sea using trace element (Sr/Ca, Li/Mg, Mg/Ca, U/Ca, B/Ca, and Li/Ca) records preserved in the coral skeleton for the period between 1992 and 2012. Prior to 1998, the trace element records show strong correlations with sea surface temperature. However, during the prolonged high temperature phase associated with the 1998 El Niño event, the seasonal trace element signals were disrupted, which also coincided with a reduction in extension rates. This disruption in normally highly correlated seasonal trace element ratios‐sea surface temperature relationships was unusually long, lasting for approximately 2 years in the inner‐shelf reef site and nearly 4 years in the outer‐shelf reef site. Although the seasonal signal of trace element ratios in both cores eventually stabilized, for the inner‐shelf core the amplitude and absolute values in most trace element ratios remained significantly different compared to pre‐1998 levels. This suggests that prolonged thermal stress can induce subtle but potentially long‐lasting physiological changes that affect the elemental composition of the coral's calcifying fluid. The lack of indication of stress in the core records during later bleaching events (2003, 2005, and 2010) suggests that some of these physiological changes could have induced increased thermal tolerance, particularly for inner‐shelf corals, lending support to the capacity for corals to acclimatize.

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Section: 1029/2019gc008312mentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐Term Impacts of the 1997–1998 Bleaching Event on the Growth and Resilience of Massive Porites Corals From the Central Red Sea

D’Olivo

Georgiou

Falter

et al. 2019

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…Nevertheless, well-protected reefs within MPAs are not shielded from thermal stress [150,151]. After the last bleaching event, this was confirmed for MPAs [152], and for remote and isolated reefs with almost no direct human pressures [23,24,27,[153][154][155].…”

Section: Perspectives For the Futurementioning

confidence: 85%

Thermal Stress and Resilience of Corals in a Climate-Changing World

Carballo-Bolaños

Soto

Chen

2019

JMSE

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Coral reef ecosystems are under the direct threat of increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases, which increase seawater temperatures in the oceans and lead to bleaching events. Global bleaching events are becoming more frequent and stronger, and understanding how corals can tolerate and survive high-temperature stress should be accorded paramount priority. Here, we review evidence of the different mechanisms that corals employ to mitigate thermal stress, which include association with thermally tolerant endosymbionts, acclimatisation, and adaptation processes. These differences highlight the physiological diversity and complexity of symbiotic organisms, such as scleractinian corals, where each species (coral host and microbial endosymbionts) responds differently to thermal stress. We conclude by offering some insights into the future of coral reefs and examining the strategies scientists are leveraging to ensure the survival of this valuable ecosystem. Without a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a divergence from our societal dependence on fossil fuels, natural mechanisms possessed by corals might be insufficient towards ensuring the ecological functioning of coral reef ecosystems.

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“…Our findings indicate that coral reef ecosystems in the central Pacific can thrive in nutrient conditions typically considered detrimental to reefbuilding corals. Indeed, coral cover is also high on Jarvis Island, which is just north of Malden and at the epicenter of equatorial upwelling, where DIN concentrations can naturally fluctuate up to 16 μmol [62]. Though inorganic nutrients can influence benthic dynamics, the relative dominance of reef-builders on these islands likely is also linked to high biomass of herbivorous fishes [36].…”

Section: Environmental Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecophysiology of coral reef primary producers across an upwelling gradient in the tropical central Pacific

Johnson¹,

Fox²,

Kelly³

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Upwelling is an important source of inorganic nutrients in marine systems, yet little is known about how gradients in upwelling affect primary producers on coral reefs. The Southern Line Islands span a natural gradient of inorganic nutrient concentrations across the equatorial upwelling region in the central Pacific. We used this gradient to test the hypothesis that benthic autotroph ecophysiology is enhanced on nutrient-enriched reefs. We measured metabolism and photophysiology of common benthic taxa, including the algae Porolithon, Avrainvillea, and Halimeda, and the corals Pocillopora and Montipora. We found that temperature (27.2-28.7˚C) was inversely related to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (0.46-4.63 μM) and surface chlorophyll a concentrations (0.108-0.147 mg m -3 ), which increased near the equator. Contrary to our prediction, ecophysiology did not consistently track these patterns in all taxa. Though metabolic rates were generally variable, Porolithon and Avrainvillea photosynthesis was highest at the most productive and equatorial island (northernmost). Porolithon photosynthetic rates also generally increased with proximity to the equator. Photophysiology (maximum quantum yield) increased near the equator and was highest at northern islands in all taxa. Photosynthetic pigments also were variable, but chlorophyll a and carotenoids in Avrainvillea and Montipora were highest at the northern islands. Phycobilin pigments of Porolithon responded most consistently across the upwelling gradient, with higher phycoerythrin concentrations closer to the equator. Our findings demonstrate that the effects of in situ nutrient enrichment on benthic autotrophs may be more complex than laboratory experiments indicate. While upwelling is an important feature in some reef ecosystems, ancillary factors may regulate the associated consequences of nutrient enrichment on benthic reef organisms.

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Repeat bleaching of a central Pacific coral reef over the past six decades (1960–2016)

Cited by 68 publications

References 42 publications

Long‐Term Impacts of the 1997–1998 Bleaching Event on the Growth and Resilience of Massive Porites Corals From the Central Red Sea

Long‐Term Impacts of the 1997–1998 Bleaching Event on the Growth and Resilience of Massive Porites Corals From the Central Red Sea

Thermal Stress and Resilience of Corals in a Climate-Changing World

Ecophysiology of coral reef primary producers across an upwelling gradient in the tropical central Pacific

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