Genet-specific spawning patterns in Acropora palmata
The broadcast spawning elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, requires outcrossing among different genets for effective fertilization. Hence, a low density of genets in parts of its range emphasizes the need for precise synchrony among neighboring genets as spe...
Thermal stress exposure, bleaching response, and mortality in the threatened coral &ITAcropora palmata&IT
Demographic data for Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, and in situ water temperature data from seven upper Florida Keys (USA) reefs revealed three warm thermal stress events between 2010 and 2016. During a mild bleaching event in 2011, up to 59% of colonie...
Genotype and local environment dynamically influence growth, disturbance response and survivorship in the threatened coral, Acropora cervicornis
The relationship between the coral genotype and the environment is an important area of research in degraded coral reef ecosystems. We used a reciprocal outplanting experiment with 930 corals representing ten genotypes on each of eight reefs to investigat...
Enhanced macroboring and depressed calcification drive net dissolution at high-CO2 coral reefs
Ocean acidification (OA) impacts the physiology of diverse marine taxa; among them corals that create complex reef framework structures. Biological processes operating on coral reef frameworks remain largely unknown from naturally high-carbon-dioxide (CO2...
Micro-CT analysis of the Caribbean octocoral Eunicea flexuosa subjected to elevated pCO(2)
Rising anthropogenic carbon dioxide has resulted in a drop in ocean pH, a phenomenon known as ocean acidification (OA). These acidified waters have many ramifications for diverse marine biota, especially those species which precipitate calcium carbonate s...
Acclimatization to high-variance habitats does not enhance physiological tolerance of two key Caribbean corals to future temperature and pH
Corals are acclimatized to populate dynamic habitats that neighbour coral reefs. Habitats such as seagrass beds exhibit broad diel changes in temperature and pH that routinely expose corals to conditions predicted for reefs over the next 50-100 years. How...
Taking the metabolic pulse of the world's coral reefs
Worldwide, coral reef ecosystems are experiencing increasing pressure from a variety of anthropogenic perturbations including ocean warming and acidification, increased sedimentation, eutrophication, and overfishing, which could shift reefs to a condition...
Marked annual coral bleaching resilience of an inshore patch reef in the Florida Keys: A nugget of hope, aberrance, or last man standing?
Annual coral bleaching events, which are predicted to occur as early as the next decade in the Florida Keys, are expected to cause catastrophic coral mortality. Despite this, there is little field data on how Caribbean coral communities respond to annual ...
A framework for identifying and characterising coral reef “oases” against a backdrop of degradation
Human activities have led to widespread ecological decline; however, the severity of degradation is spatially heterogeneous due to some locations resisting, escaping, or rebounding from disturbances. We developed a framework for identifying oases within c...
The influence of diel carbonate chemistry fluctuations on the calcification rate of Acropora cervicornis under present day and future acidification conditions
Genet-specific spawning patterns in Acropora palmata