Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Abstract Coral growth is an important component of reef health and resilience. However, few studies have investigated temporal and/or spatial variation in growth of branching corals, which are important contributors to the structure and function of reef habitats. This study assessed growth (linear e...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Kristen D. Anderson, Neal E. Cantin, Scott F. Heron, Chiara Pisapia, Morgan S. Pratchett
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/95f251c4988b4ba095adef2b1632fd84
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:95f251c4988b4ba095adef2b1632fd84
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:95f251c4988b4ba095adef2b1632fd842021-12-02T11:52:44ZVariation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef10.1038/s41598-017-03085-12045-2322https://doaj.org/article/95f251c4988b4ba095adef2b1632fd842017-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-03085-1https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Coral growth is an important component of reef health and resilience. However, few studies have investigated temporal and/or spatial variation in growth of branching corals, which are important contributors to the structure and function of reef habitats. This study assessed growth (linear extension, density, and calcification) of three branching coral species (Acropora muricata, Pocillopora damicornis and Isopora palifera) at three distinct locations (Lizard Island, Davies/Trunk Reef, and Heron Island) along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Annual growth rates of all species were highest at Lizard Island and declined with increasing latitude, corresponding with differences in temperature. Within locations, however, seasonal variation in growth did not directly correlate with temperature. Between October 2012 and October 2014, the highest growth of A. muricata was in the 2013–14 summer at Lizard Island, which was unusually cool and ~0.5 °C less than the long-term summer average temperature. At locations where temperatures reached or exceeded the long-term summer maxima, coral growth during summer periods was equal to, if not lower than, winter periods. This study shows that temperature has a significant influence on spatiotemporal patterns of branching coral growth, and high summer temperatures in the northern GBR may already be constraining coral growth and reef resilience.Kristen D. AndersonNeal E. CantinScott F. HeronChiara PisapiaMorgan S. PratchettNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Kristen D. Anderson Neal E. Cantin Scott F. Heron Chiara Pisapia Morgan S. Pratchett Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
description	Abstract Coral growth is an important component of reef health and resilience. However, few studies have investigated temporal and/or spatial variation in growth of branching corals, which are important contributors to the structure and function of reef habitats. This study assessed growth (linear extension, density, and calcification) of three branching coral species (Acropora muricata, Pocillopora damicornis and Isopora palifera) at three distinct locations (Lizard Island, Davies/Trunk Reef, and Heron Island) along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Annual growth rates of all species were highest at Lizard Island and declined with increasing latitude, corresponding with differences in temperature. Within locations, however, seasonal variation in growth did not directly correlate with temperature. Between October 2012 and October 2014, the highest growth of A. muricata was in the 2013–14 summer at Lizard Island, which was unusually cool and ~0.5 °C less than the long-term summer average temperature. At locations where temperatures reached or exceeded the long-term summer maxima, coral growth during summer periods was equal to, if not lower than, winter periods. This study shows that temperature has a significant influence on spatiotemporal patterns of branching coral growth, and high summer temperatures in the northern GBR may already be constraining coral growth and reef resilience.
format	article
author	Kristen D. Anderson Neal E. Cantin Scott F. Heron Chiara Pisapia Morgan S. Pratchett
author_facet	Kristen D. Anderson Neal E. Cantin Scott F. Heron Chiara Pisapia Morgan S. Pratchett
author_sort	Kristen D. Anderson
title	Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
title_short	Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
title_full	Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
title_fullStr	Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
title_full_unstemmed	Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
title_sort	variation in growth rates of branching corals along australia’s great barrier reef
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/95f251c4988b4ba095adef2b1632fd84
work_keys_str_mv	AT kristendanderson variationingrowthratesofbranchingcoralsalongaustraliasgreatbarrierreef AT nealecantin variationingrowthratesofbranchingcoralsalongaustraliasgreatbarrierreef AT scottfheron variationingrowthratesofbranchingcoralsalongaustraliasgreatbarrierreef AT chiarapisapia variationingrowthratesofbranchingcoralsalongaustraliasgreatbarrierreef AT morganspratchett variationingrowthratesofbranchingcoralsalongaustraliasgreatbarrierreef
_version_	1718394940256419840

Variation in growth rates of branching corals along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Ejemplares similares