The importance of structural complexity in coral reef ecosystems

Graham, Nicholas A. J.; Nash, Kirsty L.

doi:10.1007/s00338-012-0984-y

Cited by 715 publications

(676 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Reefbuilding corals provide shelter, food and habitat, and therefore loss of live coral and associated structural complexity leads to declines in the diversity and abundance of other reef organisms 9,10 . The future of coral reefs will therefore depend on the capacity of these foundation species to respond adaptively to rapid environmental change.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid adaptive responses to climate change in corals

et al. 2017

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Rapid adaptive responses to climate change in corals

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“…We also estimated the effect of microborers, but when compared to sea urchins and corallivorous fishes, their effect was negligible. Prison Reef showed higher structural complexity than Bawe Reef, which suggests greater reef maturity (Graham and Nash, 2013). However, we observed that relatively high bioerosion and/or poorly cemented framework could lead to high structural complexity though the break-down and disintegration of the reef framework at Prison Reef ( Figure S3).…”

Section: Calcium Carbonate Production and Reef Complexitymentioning

confidence: 79%

“…and boring sponges as they strongly affect reef community structure ( Figure S2) and reef structural complexity (Mumby et al, 2006;Graham and Nash, 2013). We also estimated the effect of microborers, but when compared to sea urchins and corallivorous fishes, their effect was negligible.…”

Section: Calcium Carbonate Production and Reef Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, increasing local anthropogenic (coastal development, pollution and overfishing) and global climate-related pressures greatly threaten coral reefs (McClanahan et al, 2007;Mumby and Steneck, 2008;Graham and Nash, 2013). Reefs affected by local pollution show high framework bioerosion (Edinger, 1998;Holmes et al, 2000) and low skeletal density (Highsmith, 1981), which will limit if not inhibit accumulation of CaCO 3 over time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tropical carbonate secreting benthic assemblages are major bioengineers and sediment producers (Graham and Nash, 2013). Collectively, reef calcifiers produce 7,250 t CaCO 3 km −2 yr −1 , with corals dominating carbonate production (73%) (Hart and Kench, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Calcium Carbonate Production, Coral Cover and Diversity along a Distance Gradient from Stone Town: A Case Study from Zanzibar, Tanzania

et al. 2017

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Photosymbiotic scleractinian corals are major bioengineers in tropical coastal waters, where they build structurally complex geological features and provide substrata for a manifold of macro and microhabitats. On a local scale, ecological competition and physical parameters-natural as well as human-derived, alter species richness, biodiversity, and morphological adaptation on tropical coral reefs. Here, we compared four coral reefs in the Zanzibar Archipelago at different distances from Stone Town and under different management regimes. To assess the ecological health of these reefs, calcium carbonate production, structural complexity, and α-diversity were determined. The unprotected reefs in the direct vicinity of Stone Town, which are exposed to fishing pressure, land-derived pollution, unregulated tourism, and careless anchoring, showed the lowest calcium carbonate production (8.47 ± 4.37 kg CaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ), coral cover (52.4 ± 13.9%), and diversity (H ′ = 0.94 ± 0.37). Conversely, the furthest reef and marine protected area showed the highest net calcium carbonate production (16.90 ± 9.70 kg CaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ), coral cover (67.4 ± 8.7%), and diversity (H ′ = 1.74 ± 0.20). In comparison to other bioregions and/or reefs of the Indian Ocean, estimates of calcium carbonate production and coral cover (>50%) were relatively high. Moreover, coral community structure differs significantly with distance from Stone Town, in that, the most homogenous reefs dominated by massive and submassive species (Porites lobata and P. rus) occurred the closest to Stone Town.

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Biodiversity Assessment and Environmental Monitoring in Freshwater and Marine Biomes using Ecoacoustics

Risch

Parks

2017

Ecoacoustics

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The importance of structural complexity in coral reef ecosystems

Cited by 715 publications

References 94 publications

Rapid adaptive responses to climate change in corals

Rapid adaptive responses to climate change in corals

Calcium Carbonate Production, Coral Cover and Diversity along a Distance Gradient from Stone Town: A Case Study from Zanzibar, Tanzania

Biodiversity Assessment and Environmental Monitoring in Freshwater and Marine Biomes using Ecoacoustics

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