The world-wide coral reef bleaching cycle and related sources of coral mortality

Williams, Ernest H.; Bunkley-Williams, Lucy

doi:10.5479/si.00775630.335.1

Cited by 237 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…It is unclear whether this is because coral-reef bleaching surveys typically only include corals, or whether X. muta is not regularly affected during these events. Ideally, future bleaching surveys should include all affected and unaffected coral-reef species to gain a better understanding of coral-reef bleaching (Williams and Bunkley Williams 1990). In addition, follow-up surveys of such events are needed to elucidate the effects of bleaching on species other than corals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to corals, commonly affected hosts include hydrozoans, sea anemones, zoanthids, and sponges. Because bleaching effects are observed across many taxa, it has been suggested that the phenomenon be termed 'coral-reef bleaching' (Williams and Bunkley-Williams 1990). While intensively studied for reef-building corals, bleaching is poorly understood for other ecologically important reef species.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coral-zooxanthellae symbiosis has attracted significant attention since reports of large-scale coral-bleaching events first appeared in the 1980s (Williams and Bunkley-Williams 1990). Bleaching is a process in which the host loses coloration due to the loss of symbionts or their photosynthetic pigments.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bleaching of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta in the Florida Keys

McMurray

Blum

Leichter

et al. 2011

Limnology & Oceanography

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The giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta is now the dominant habitat-forming organism on many Caribbean coral reefs and has been observed to undergo cycles of bleaching similar to those seen for reef-building corals. We examined bleaching of X. muta at 15-m, 20-m, and 30-m depths over 2000-2005 on Conch Reef, Key Largo, Florida, to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of bleaching, whether bleaching affected sponge mortality, and whether there was a relationship between bleaching and seawater temperatures. Bleaching increased significantly with depth and was greater in autumn than spring, but the response was not uniform across the sponge population. Bleaching of X. muta did not result in sponge mortality, corroborating the conclusion that cyanobacterial symbionts of the sponge provide little or no benefit to the host. There was greater sponge bleaching with higher minimum daily seawater temperature anomalies within 30 d of surveys in the spring. For both the spring and autumn, there was greater bleaching with a higher number of positive 0.5uC daily anomalies within 14 d before surveys. Anomalously warm seawater temperatures fail to completely explain the variability of the observed bleaching response, however, and additional work would be required to conclusively determine whether a causal relationship between bleaching and temperature exists. As has been described for corals, bleaching of X. muta is likely a complex response that may be affected by multiple factors, including light availability and differences in bleaching susceptibility among Synechococcus symbionts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Bleaching of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta in the Florida Keys

McMurray

Blum

Leichter

et al. 2011

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…They showed that only a few degrees of warming above normal maximum temperatures bleached and killed most corals, and found no behavioural or physiological capacity to adapt to higher temperatures. Subsequent research has refined but not changed their key conclusions [5][6][7][8][9] .…”

Section: Andrew Jackson Chris Inglehearnmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who's doing what in US protein initiative

Cassman

Patrinos

1999

Nature

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“…During the cold-water event of 1977 described above, the Dry Tortugas lost 96% of corals surveyed (Porter, Battey, and Smith 1982). Shinn (1984) specifically attributed the late Holocene reduction of living coral in the middle Williams and Bunkley -Williams 1990;Lang et al 1992;Fitt et al 1993). Because the Acropora species live in relatively shallow water, it is thought that they may be tolerant of, or acclimatized to, warm summertime temperatures.…”

Section: Major Causes Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%