Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast.
Monitoring changes in coral cover and composition through space and time can provide insights to reef health and assist the focus of management and conservation efforts. We used a meta-analytical approach to assess coral cover data across latitudes 10-35°S along the west Australian coast, including...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3726730?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818863963652227072 |
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| author | Conrad W Speed Russ C Babcock Kevin P Bancroft Lynnath E Beckley Lynda M Bellchambers Martial Depczynski Stuart N Field Kim J Friedman James P Gilmour Jean-Paul A Hobbs Halina T Kobryn James A Y Moore Christopher D Nutt George Shedrawi Damian P Thomson Shaun K Wilson |
| author_facet | Conrad W Speed Russ C Babcock Kevin P Bancroft Lynnath E Beckley Lynda M Bellchambers Martial Depczynski Stuart N Field Kim J Friedman James P Gilmour Jean-Paul A Hobbs Halina T Kobryn James A Y Moore Christopher D Nutt George Shedrawi Damian P Thomson Shaun K Wilson |
| author_sort | Conrad W Speed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Monitoring changes in coral cover and composition through space and time can provide insights to reef health and assist the focus of management and conservation efforts. We used a meta-analytical approach to assess coral cover data across latitudes 10-35°S along the west Australian coast, including 25 years of data from the Ningaloo region. Current estimates of coral cover ranged between 3 and 44% in coral habitats. Coral communities in the northern regions were dominated by corals from the families Acroporidae and Poritidae, which became less common at higher latitudes. At Ningaloo Reef coral cover has remained relatively stable through time (∼28%), although north-eastern and southern areas have experienced significant declines in overall cover. These declines are likely related to periodic disturbances such as cyclones and thermal anomalies, which were particularly noticeable around 1998/1999 and 2010/2011. Linear mixed effects models (LME) suggest latitude explains 10% of the deviance in coral cover through time at Ningaloo. Acroporidae has decreased in abundance relative to other common families at Ningaloo in the south, which might be related to persistence of more thermally and mechanically tolerant families. We identify regions where quantitative time-series data on coral cover and composition are lacking, particularly in north-western Australia. Standardising routine monitoring methods used by management and research agencies at these, and other locations, would allow a more robust assessment of coral condition and a better basis for conservation of coral reefs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T10:24:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d8ada62291fc43d886203f261f9a9629 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T10:24:07Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-d8ada62291fc43d886203f261f9a96292022-12-21T20:25:57ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0187e6986310.1371/journal.pone.0069863Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast.Conrad W SpeedRuss C BabcockKevin P BancroftLynnath E BeckleyLynda M BellchambersMartial DepczynskiStuart N FieldKim J FriedmanJames P GilmourJean-Paul A HobbsHalina T KobrynJames A Y MooreChristopher D NuttGeorge ShedrawiDamian P ThomsonShaun K WilsonMonitoring changes in coral cover and composition through space and time can provide insights to reef health and assist the focus of management and conservation efforts. We used a meta-analytical approach to assess coral cover data across latitudes 10-35°S along the west Australian coast, including 25 years of data from the Ningaloo region. Current estimates of coral cover ranged between 3 and 44% in coral habitats. Coral communities in the northern regions were dominated by corals from the families Acroporidae and Poritidae, which became less common at higher latitudes. At Ningaloo Reef coral cover has remained relatively stable through time (∼28%), although north-eastern and southern areas have experienced significant declines in overall cover. These declines are likely related to periodic disturbances such as cyclones and thermal anomalies, which were particularly noticeable around 1998/1999 and 2010/2011. Linear mixed effects models (LME) suggest latitude explains 10% of the deviance in coral cover through time at Ningaloo. Acroporidae has decreased in abundance relative to other common families at Ningaloo in the south, which might be related to persistence of more thermally and mechanically tolerant families. We identify regions where quantitative time-series data on coral cover and composition are lacking, particularly in north-western Australia. Standardising routine monitoring methods used by management and research agencies at these, and other locations, would allow a more robust assessment of coral condition and a better basis for conservation of coral reefs.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3726730?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Conrad W Speed Russ C Babcock Kevin P Bancroft Lynnath E Beckley Lynda M Bellchambers Martial Depczynski Stuart N Field Kim J Friedman James P Gilmour Jean-Paul A Hobbs Halina T Kobryn James A Y Moore Christopher D Nutt George Shedrawi Damian P Thomson Shaun K Wilson Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast. PLoS ONE |
| title | Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast. |
| title_full | Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast. |
| title_fullStr | Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast. |
| title_short | Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west Australian coast. |
| title_sort | dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west australian coast |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3726730?pdf=render |
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