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Mechanical vulnerability explains size-dependent mortality of reef corals
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dc.contributor.author | Madin, J.S. | |
dc.contributor.author | Baird, A.H. | |
dc.contributor.author | Dornelas, Maria | |
dc.contributor.author | Connolly, S.R. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2014-07-09T11:01:00Z | |
dc.date.available | 2014-07-09T11:01:00Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2014-07-02 | |
dc.identifier | 130772477 | |
dc.identifier | ef0b6612-2e03-40f7-b1a6-11e2f353eb07 | |
dc.identifier | 84903787141 | |
dc.identifier | 000339101100013 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Madin , J S , Baird , A H , Dornelas , M & Connolly , S R 2014 , ' Mechanical vulnerability explains size-dependent mortality of reef corals ' , Ecology Letters , vol. 17 , no. 8 , pp. 1008-1015 . https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12306 | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 1461-023X | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4981 | |
dc.description | JM, AB and SC were supported by fellowships from the Australian Research Council (FT110100609, FT0990652 and DP0880544 respectively). MD was supported by the ERC (BioTIME 250189) and the Scottish Funding Council (MASTS - HR09011). | en |
dc.description.abstract | Understanding life history and demographic variation among species within communities is a central ecological goal. Mortality schedules are especially important in ecosystems where disturbance plays a major role in structuring communities, such as coral reefs. Here, we test whether a trait-based, mechanistic model of mechanical vulnerability in corals can explain mortality schedules. Specifically, we ask whether species that become increasingly vulnerable to hydrodynamic dislodgment as they grow have bathtub-shaped mortality curves, whereas species that remain mechanically stable have decreasing mortality rates with size, as predicted by classical life history theory for reef corals. We find that size-dependent mortality is highly consistent between species with the same growth form and that the shape of size-dependent mortality for each growth form can be explained by mechanical vulnerability. Our findings highlight the feasibility of predicting assemblage-scale mortality patterns on coral reefs with trait-based approaches. | |
dc.format.extent | 8 | |
dc.format.extent | 565055 | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Ecology Letters | en |
dc.subject | Biomechanics | en |
dc.subject | Colonial | en |
dc.subject | Demography | en |
dc.subject | Disturbance | en |
dc.subject | Life history | en |
dc.subject | Mortality | en |
dc.subject | Reef coral | en |
dc.subject | GC Oceanography | en |
dc.subject | BDC | en |
dc.subject.lcc | GC | en |
dc.title | Mechanical vulnerability explains size-dependent mortality of reef corals | en |
dc.type | Journal article | en |
dc.contributor.sponsor | European Research Council | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. Centre for Biological Diversity | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. Fish Behaviour and Biodiversity Research Group | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. School of Biology | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland | en |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1111/ele.12306 | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | en |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 250189 | en |
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