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Álvarez-Noriega M, Madin JS, Baird AH, Dornelas M, Connolly SR. Disturbance-Induced Changes in Population Size Structure Promote Coral Biodiversity. Am Nat 2023; 202:604-615. [PMID: 37963122 DOI: 10.1086/726738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
AbstractReef-building coral assemblages are typically species rich, yet the processes maintaining high biodiversity remain poorly understood. Disturbance has long been thought to promote coral species coexistence by reducing the strength of competition (i.e., the intermediate disturbance hypothesis [IDH]). However, such disturbance-induced effects are insufficient to inhibit competitive exclusion. Nevertheless, there are other mechanisms by which disturbance and, more generally, environmental variation can favor coexistence. Here, we develop a size-structured, stochastic coral competition model calibrated with field data from two common colony morphologies to investigate the effects of hydrodynamic disturbance on community dynamics. We show that fluctuations in wave action can promote coral species coexistence but that this occurs via interspecific differences in size-dependent mortality rather than solely via stochastic fluctuations in competition (i.e., free space availability). While this mechanism differs from that originally envisioned in the IDH, it is nonetheless a mechanism by which intermediate levels of disturbance do promote coexistence. Given the sensitivity of coexistence to disturbance frequency and intensity, anthropogenic changes in disturbance regimes are likely to affect coral assemblages in ways that are not predictable from single-population models.
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2
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McWilliam M, Dornelas M, Álvarez-Noriega M, Baird AH, Connolly SR, Madin JS. Net effects of life-history traits explain persistent differences in abundance among similar species. Ecology 2023; 104:e3863. [PMID: 36056537 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Life-history traits are promising tools to predict species commonness and rarity because they influence a population's fitness in a given environment. Yet, species with similar traits can have vastly different abundances, challenging the prospect of robust trait-based predictions. Using long-term demographic monitoring, we show that coral populations with similar morphological and life-history traits show persistent (decade-long) differences in abundance. Morphological groups predicted species positions along two, well known life-history axes (the fast-slow continuum and size-specific fecundity). However, integral projection models revealed that density-independent population growth (λ) was more variable within morphological groups, and was consistently higher in dominant species relative to rare species. Within-group λ differences projected large abundance differences among similar species in short timeframes, and were generated by small but compounding variation in growth, survival, and reproduction. Our study shows that easily measured morphological traits predict demographic strategies, yet small life-history differences can accumulate into large differences in λ and abundance among similar species. Quantifying the net effects of multiple traits on population dynamics is therefore essential to anticipate species commonness and rarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike McWilliam
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Maria Dornelas
- Centre for Biological Diversity, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Mariana Álvarez-Noriega
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew H Baird
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Joshua S Madin
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, USA
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3
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Carturan BS, Parrott L, Pither J. Functional Richness and Resilience in Coral Reef Communities. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.780406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the Anthropocene the functional diversity of coral communities is changing rapidly, putting the resilience of many coral reef ecosystems in jeopardy. A better understanding of the relationship between coral functional diversity and reef resilience could reveal practical ways to achieve increased resilience. However, manipulating coral diversity experimentally is challenging, and consequently the links between coral functional diversity, resilience, and ecosystem functioning remain obscure. We used an ecologically detailed agent-based model to conduct a virtual experiment in which functional diversity was manipulated over the entire trait space of scleractinian corals. Using an imputed trait dataset of 798 coral species and eight key functional traits, we assembled 245 functionally distinct coral communities, which we subjected to a cyclone and bleaching event. We then measured four different aspects of their resilience and quantified for each measure the respective effect of (i) the functional richness (FRic), and (ii) community-weighted means (CWM) of four types of trait: effect, resistance, recovery, and competitive. FRic represents the volume occupied by a community in the functional space, while CWM indicates the location of the communities’ centroid in the functional space. We found a significant and positive effect of FRic on three measures of resilience: communities with higher FRic recovered surface cover faster and had more rugosity and cover 10 years after the disturbances. In contrast, the resistance of the coral community—i.e., the capacity to maintain surface cover when subjected to the disturbances—was independent of FRic and was determined primarily by the CWM of resistance traits. By analyzing community dynamics and functional trade-offs, we show that FRic increases resilience via the selection and the insurance effects due to the presence of competitive species in the functional space, i.e., those highly dominant species that contribute the most to the complexity of the habitat and recover quickly from disturbances. Building from the results of our experiment and the trait correlation analysis, we discuss the potential for FRic to serve as a proxy measure of resilience and we present a strategy that can provide direction to on-going reef restoration efforts, and pave the way for sustaining coral communities in a context of rapid global change.
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Kayal M, Adjeroud M. The war of corals: patterns, drivers and implications of changing coral competitive performances across reef environments. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220003. [PMID: 35719881 PMCID: PMC9198512 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Amidst global environmental changes, predicting species' responses to future environments is a critical challenge for preserving biodiversity and associated human benefits. We explored the original idea that coral competitive performances, the ability of corals to preempt ecological space on the reef through territorial warfare, serve as indicators of species' ecological niches and environmental windows, and therefore, responses to future environments. Our surveys indicated that coral performances varied with taxonomic identity, size and position along environmental gradients, highlighting complex interplays between life-history, warfare-strategy and niche segregation. Our results forewarn that growing alterations of coastal environments may trigger shifts in coral dominance, with the decline of major reef-building taxa like acroporids, and emphasize the importance of limiting human impacts for coastal resilience. Our empirical approach untangles the complexity of species' battle-like interactions and can help identify winners and losers in various communities caught in the interplay between ecological niches, environmental windows and global changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Kayal
- ENTROPIE, IRD, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Université de la Réunion, Noumea, New Caledonia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence ‘CORAIL’, Paris, France
| | - Mehdi Adjeroud
- Laboratoire d'Excellence ‘CORAIL’, Paris, France
- ENTROPIE, IRD, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Université de la Réunion, Perpignan, France
- PSL Université Paris, USR 3278 CRIOBE - EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, Perpignan, France
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Hill CEL, Lymperaki MM, Hoeksema BW. A centuries-old manmade reef in the Caribbean does not substitute natural reefs in terms of species assemblages and interspecific competition. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 169:112576. [PMID: 34119961 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
With increasing maritime activities in the proximity of coral reefs, a growing number of manmade structures are becoming available for coral colonisation. Yet, little is known about the sessile community composition of such artificial reefs in comparison with that of natural coral reefs. Here, we compared the diversity of corals and their competitors for substrate space between a centuries-old manmade structure and the nearest natural reef at St. Eustatius, eastern Caribbean. The artificial reef had a significantly lower species richness and fewer competitive interactions than the natural reef. The artificial reef was dominated by a cover of crustose coralline algae and zoantharians, instead of turf algae and fire corals on the natural reef. Significant differences in species composition were also found between exposed and sheltered sites on both reefs. Our study indicates that even a centuries-old manmade reef cannot serve as a surrogate for natural reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia E L Hill
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Myrsini M Lymperaki
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bert W Hoeksema
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Andrade Rodriguez N, Moya A, Jones R, Miller DJ, Cooke IR. The Significance of Genotypic Diversity in Coral Competitive Interaction: A Transcriptomic Perspective. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.659360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Competitive interactions shape coral assemblages and govern the dynamics of coral ecosystems. Although competition is an ecological concept, the outcomes of competitive interactions are ultimately determined by patterns of gene expression. These patterns are subject to genotypic variation on both sides of any interaction. Such variation is typically treated as “noise”, but it is sometimes possible to identify patterns within it that reveal important hidden factors in an experiment. To incorporate genotypic variation into the investigation of coral competitive interactions, we used RNA-sequencing to study changes in gene expression in a hard coral (Porites cylindrica) resulting from non-contact competition experiment with a soft coral (Lobophytum pauciflorum). Hard coral genotype explained the largest proportion of variation between samples; however, it was also possible to detect gene expression changes in 76 transcripts resulting from interaction with the soft coral. In addition, we found a group of 20 short secreted proteins that were expressed as a coordinated unit in three interacting Porites-Lobophytum pairs. The presence of this secretion response was idiosyncratic in that it could not be predicted based on polyp behaviour, or the genotype of hard or soft coral alone. This study illustrates the significance of individual variation as a determinant of competitive behaviour, and also provides some intriguing glimpses into the molecular mechanisms employed by hard corals competing at a distance.
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Mottl O, Yombai J, Novotný V, Leponce M, Weiblen GD, Klimeš P. Inter‐specific aggression generates ant mosaics in canopies of primary tropical rainforest. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Mottl
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Bergen Bergen Norway
| | - Jacob Yombai
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Vojtěch Novotný
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Univ. of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Maurice Leponce
- Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Inst. of Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Univ. Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium
| | - George D. Weiblen
- Bell Museum and Dept of Plant and Microbial Biology, Univ. of Minnesota Saint Paul MN USA
| | - Petr Klimeš
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
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Guibert I, Lecellier G, Torda G, Pochon X, Berteaux-Lecellier V. Metabarcoding reveals distinct microbiotypes in the giant clam Tridacna maxima. MICROBIOME 2020; 8:57. [PMID: 32317019 PMCID: PMC7175534 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-020-00835-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Giant clams and scleractinian (reef-building) corals are keystone species of coral reef ecosystems. The basis of their ecological success is a complex and fine-tuned symbiotic relationship with microbes. While the effect of environmental change on the composition of the coral microbiome has been heavily studied, we know very little about the composition and sensitivity of the microbiome associated with clams. Here, we explore the influence of increasing temperature on the microbial community (bacteria and dinoflagellates from the family Symbiodiniaceae) harbored by giant clams, maintained either in isolation or exposed to other reef species. We created artificial benthic assemblages using two coral species (Pocillopora damicornis and Acropora cytherea) and one giant clam species (Tridacna maxima) and studied the microbial community in the latter using metagenomics. RESULTS Our results led to three major conclusions. First, the health status of giant clams depended on the composition of the benthic species assemblages. Second, we discovered distinct microbiotypes in the studied T. maxima population, one of which was disproportionately dominated by Vibrionaceae and directly linked to clam mortality. Third, neither the increase in water temperature nor the composition of the benthic assemblage had a significant effect on the composition of the Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities of T. maxima. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, our results suggest that at least three microbiotypes naturally exist in the studied clam populations, regardless of water temperature. These microbiotypes plausibly provide similar functions to the clam host via alternate molecular pathways as well as microbiotype-specific functions. This redundancy in functions among microbiotypes together with their specificities provides hope that giant clam populations can tolerate some levels of environmental variation such as increased temperature. Importantly, the composition of the benthic assemblage could make clams susceptible to infections by Vibrionaceae, especially when water temperature increases. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isis Guibert
- Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
- UMR250/9220 ENTROPIE IRD-CNRS-UR, Promenade Roger-Laroque, Sorbonne Université, Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia France
- USR3278 PSL CRIOBE CNRS-EPHE-UPVD, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | - Gael Lecellier
- UMR250/9220 ENTROPIE IRD-CNRS-UR, Promenade Roger-Laroque, Sorbonne Université, Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia France
- UVSQ, Université de Paris-Saclay, 45 Avenue des Etats-Unis, Versailles Cedex, France
| | - Gergely Torda
- ARC, Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, QLD, Townsville, 4811 Australia
| | - Xavier Pochon
- Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson, 7042 New Zealand
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 349, Warkworth, 0941 New Zealand
| | - Véronique Berteaux-Lecellier
- UMR250/9220 ENTROPIE IRD-CNRS-UR, Promenade Roger-Laroque, Sorbonne Université, Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia France
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Roberts TE, Keith SA, Rahbek C, Bridge TCL, Caley MJ, Baird AH. Testing biodiversity theory using species richness of reef-building corals across a depth gradient. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190493. [PMID: 31662067 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural environmental gradients encompass systematic variation in abiotic factors that can be exploited to test competing explanations of biodiversity patterns. The species-energy (SE) hypothesis attempts to explain species richness gradients as a function of energy availability. However, limited empirical support for SE is often attributed to idiosyncratic, local-scale processes distorting the underlying SE relationship. Meanwhile, studies are also often confounded by factors such as sampling biases, dispersal boundaries and unclear definitions of energy availability. Here, we used spatially structured observations of 8460 colonies of photo-symbiotic reef-building corals and a null-model to test whether energy can explain observed coral species richness over depth. Species richness was left-skewed, hump-shaped and unrelated to energy availability. While local-scale processes were evident, their influence on species richness was insufficient to reconcile observations with model predictions. Therefore, energy availability, either in isolation or in combination with local deterministic processes, was unable to explain coral species richness across depth. Our results demonstrate that local-scale processes do not necessarily explain deviations in species richness from theoretical models, and that the use of idiosyncratic small-scale factors to explain large-scale ecological patterns requires the utmost caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Edward Roberts
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia
| | - Sally A Keith
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Tom C L Bridge
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.,Queensland Museum Network, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia
| | - M Julian Caley
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew H Baird
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
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Roberts TE, Bridge TCL, Caley MJ, Madin JS, Baird AH. Resolving the depth zonation paradox in reef-building corals. Ecology 2019; 100:e02761. [PMID: 31125422 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Changes in abundance across a natural environmental gradient provide important insights into a species' realized ecological niche. In reef-building corals, a species' niche is often defined using its depth range. However, most reef-building coral species occur over a broad depth range, a fact that is incompatible with the strong zonation found in coral assemblages across depth. We resolve this paradox by modeling the abundance distributions of 110 coral species across a 45 m depth gradient to show that most are in fact depth specialists and reveal that depth range alone is incapable of capturing a species' depth use. We then highlight the significance of our results by demonstrating how depth range greatly overestimates the potential number of species with a refuge at depth from global warming. Our findings illustrate both the limitations of the simple metric of depth range and the ecological insights that can be gained by moving beyond it.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Edward Roberts
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellent for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.,AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - Tom C L Bridge
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellent for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.,Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Museum of Tropical Queensland, Queensland Museum Network, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - M Julian Caley
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, 4001, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS), Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Joshua S Madin
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii Manoa, Kaneohe, Hawaii, 96744, USA
| | - Andrew H Baird
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellent for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
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