Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of coral assemblages and the processes structuring those patterns is fundamental to managing reef assemblages. Cross-shelf marine systems exhibit pronounced and persistent gradients in environmental conditions; however, these gradients are not always reliable predictors of coral distribution or the degree of stress that corals are experiencing. This study used information from government, industry and scientific datasets spanning 1980–2017, to explore temporal trends in coral cover in the geographically complex system of the Dampier Archipelago, northwest Australia. Coral composition at 15 sites surveyed in 2017 was also modelled against environmental and spatial variables (including turbidity, degree heat weeks, wave exposure, and distance to land/mainland/isobath) to assess their relative importance in structuring coral assemblages. High spatial and temporal heterogeneity was observed in coral cover and recovery trajectories, with reefs located an intermediate distance from the shore maintaining high cover over the past 20 years. The abundance of some prominent genera in 2017 (Acropora, Porites, and Turbinaria spp.) decreased with the distance from the mainland, suggesting that inshore processes play an important role in dictating the distribution of these genera. The atypical distributions of these key reef-building corals and spatial heterogeneity of historical recovery trajectories highlight the risks in making assumptions regarding cross-shelf patterns in geographically complex systems.

Details

Title
Cross-shelf Heterogeneity of Coral Assemblages in Northwest Australia
Author
Moustaka, Molly 1 ; Mohring, Margaret B 1 ; Holmes, Thomas 2 ; Evans, Richard D 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Thomson, Damian 3 ; Nutt, Christopher 4 ; Stoddart, Jim 5 ; Wilson, Shaun K 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Marine Science Program, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia 
 Marine Science Program, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia; Oceans Institute, the University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia 
 CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, University of Western Australia M097, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia 
 Regional and Fire Management Services (Kimberley District), Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Broome, WA 6725, Australia 
 Oceans Institute, the University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia 
First page
15
Publication year
2019
Publication date
2019
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
14242818
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2548367212
Copyright
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.