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Phase shifts, herbivory, and the resilience of coral reefs to climate change

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-16, 21:14 authored by Hughes, TP, Rodrigues, MJ, Bellwood, DR, Ceccarelli, D, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, McCook, L, Moltschaniwskyj, NA, Pratchett, MS, Steneck, RS, Willis, B
Many coral reefs worldwide have undergone phase shifts to alternate, degraded assemblages because of the combined effects of overfishing, declining water quality, and the direct and indirect impacts of climate change [1-9]. Here, we experimentally manipulated the density of large herbivorous fishes to test their influence on the resilience of coral assemblages in the aftermath of regional-scale bleaching in 1998, the largest coral mortality event recorded to date. The experiment was undertaken on the Great Barrier Reef, within a no-fishing reserve where coral abundances and diversity had been sharply reduced by bleaching [10]. In control areas, where fishes were abundant, algal abundance remained low, whereas coral cover almost doubled (to 20%) over a 3 year period, primarily because of recruitment of species that had been locally extirpated by bleaching. In contrast, exclusion of large herbivorous fishes caused a dramatic explosion of macroalgae, which suppressed the fecundity, recruitment, and survival of corals. Consequently, management of fish stocks is a key component in preventing phase shifts and managing reef resilience. Importantly, local stewardship of fishing effort is a tractable goal for conservation of reefs, and this local action can also provide some insurance against larger-scale disturbances such as mass bleaching, which are impractical to manage directly. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

History

Publication title

Current Biology

Volume

17

Issue

4

Pagination

360-365

ISSN

0960-9822

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Cell Press

Place of publication

Cambridge, USA

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Social impacts of climate change and variability

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