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Updated: Jul 17, 2025
10:39
Multimodal Optical Microscopy Methods Reveal Polyp Tissue Morphology and Structure in Caribbean Reef Building Corals
Published on: September 5, 2014
12.4K
Disturbance intensification is altering the trait composition of Caribbean reefs, locking them into a low functioning
Laura Mudge1,2, John F Bruno3
1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. laura@barefootocean.org.
Scientific Reports
|August 28, 2023
Summary
Climate change is intensifying storms, leading to coral reef decline. While reefs are becoming more resistant, recovery is slowing, locking them into a low-functioning state.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Climate Science
- Ecology
Background:
- Anthropogenic climate change intensifies natural disturbances, impacting species composition and community resilience.
- Coral reefs face increasing threats from intensifying storm regimes and other disturbances.
- Understanding shifts in coral community traits is crucial for predicting ecosystem resilience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how storm frequency and intensity alter coral species composition, resistance, and recovery.
- To assess the long-term effects of regional storm regimes on coral cover and community structure.
- To identify feedback loops that may lead to a low-functioning state in coral reef ecosystems.
Main Methods:
- Compiled regional databases of coral cover and composition (3144 reef locations, 1970–2017).
- Analyzed the path and strength of 10,058 unique cyclonic storm-reef intersections.
- Quantified changes in coral cover, species composition, resistance, and recovery rates over time.
Main Results:
- Total living coral cover declined steadily, with a median annual loss rate of ~0.25%.
- The impact of intensifying Atlantic cyclonic storms on coral cover has decreased, suggesting selection for resistant taxa.
- Storms accelerated the loss of threatened acroporid corals but did not affect resilient 'weedy' corals, increasing their relative cover.
Conclusions:
- Coral reefs are becoming more resistant to disturbances due to the proliferation of weedy species.
- Recovery rates have slowed, trapping communities in a low-functioning state.
- This shift has limited ecological and societal value, highlighting the need for conservation interventions.
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