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dc.contributor.authorBaird, Andrew H.
dc.contributor.authorAlvarez-Noriega, Mariana
dc.contributor.authorCumbo, Vivian R.
dc.contributor.authorConnolly, Sean R.
dc.contributor.authorDornelas, Maria
dc.contributor.authorMadin, Joshua S.
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-15T00:36:47Z
dc.date.available2019-11-15T00:36:47Z
dc.date.issued2018-11-15
dc.identifier257352167
dc.identifier2d5ec481-2e5f-4b63-a191-345033b20df8
dc.identifier000450352900003
dc.identifier85056836189
dc.identifier000450352900003
dc.identifier.citationBaird , A H , Alvarez-Noriega , M , Cumbo , V R , Connolly , S R , Dornelas , M & Madin , J S 2018 , ' Effects of tropical storms on the demography of reef corals ' , Marine Ecology Progress Series , vol. 606 , pp. 29-38 . https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12760en
dc.identifier.issn0171-8630
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/18931
dc.descriptionFunding was provided by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CE140100020), a Future Fellowship (A.H.B.), an Australian Professorial Fellowship (S.R.C.) and the Templeton Foundation (grant no. 60501, ‘Putting the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis to the Test’). M.D. is grateful to the Scottish Funding Council (MASTS, grant reference HR09011) and the European Research Council (grant BioTIME).en
dc.description.abstractDisturbances, such as cyclones, have a major effect on the structure and dynamics of coral reef assemblages. However, the effect of cyclones on demographic traits, such as fecundity, has rarely been quantified, and direct estimates of mortality at the species level are rare. Here, we document the effect of Severe Tropical Cyclone Nathan on the demography of corals on the reef crest at Trimodal Reef in the northern Great Barrier Reef. Mortality rates based on tagged colonies were very high, ranging from 85.2% in Goniastrea retiformis to 100% in 6 Acropora species, 3 to 40 times higher than averages rates in the 5 yr preceding Cyclone Nathan. Fecundity was lower in 3 out of the 4 species examined following the cyclone, and egg carbon content was reduced by 58-63% in the 2 species examined. These results suggest that energy normally invested in reproduction was diverted to other processes such as injury repair and demonstrate that cyclones have important sub-lethal effects in addition to high rates of whole colony mortality. Coral cover was reduced from 34.9 ± 3.9% (mean ± SE) to 3.4 ± 1.5%, with reductions in the cover of all taxa except those with predominantly massive morphologies such as the Poritidae. A projected increase in the frequency of tropical storms as a result of global warming, combined with an increase in the frequency and scale of coral bleaching, suggest a fundamental shift in mortality regimes on reefs which has the potential to threaten their long-term persistence.
dc.format.extent10
dc.format.extent1244554
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofMarine Ecology Progress Seriesen
dc.subjectCoral reefsen
dc.subjectClimate changeen
dc.subjectDemographyen
dc.subjectDisturbanceen
dc.subjectRecoveryen
dc.subjectQH301 Biologyen
dc.subjectNDASen
dc.subjectSDG 13 - Climate Actionen
dc.subject.lccQH301en
dc.titleEffects of tropical storms on the demography of reef coralsen
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.contributor.sponsorEuropean Research Councilen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. School of Biologyen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Centre for Biological Diversityen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Fish Behaviour and Biodiversity Research Groupen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotlanden
dc.identifier.doi10.3354/meps12760
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.date.embargoedUntil2019-11-15
dc.identifier.grantnumber250189en


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