TY - JOUR

T1 - Gradients of disturbance and environmental conditions shape coral community structure for south-eastern Indian Ocean reefs

AU - Zinke, Jens

AU - Gilmour, James

AU - Fisher, Rebecca

AU - Poutine, Marji

AU - Maina, Joseph

AU - Darling, Emily

AU - Stat, Michael

AU - Richards, Zoe T.

AU - McClanahan, Timothy R.

AU - Beger, Maria

AU - Moore, Cordelia

AU - Graham, Nicholas Anthony James

AU - Feng, Ming

AU - Hobbs, Jean-Paul A.

AU - Evans, Scott N.

AU - Field, Stuart

AU - Shedrawi, George

AU - Babcock, Russ C.

AU - Wilson, Shaun

N1 - This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: JZinke J, Gilmour JP, Fisher R, et al. Gradients of disturbance and environmental conditions shape coral community structure for south‐eastern Indian Ocean reefs. Divers Distrib. 2018;24:605–620. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12714 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.12714/abstract This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.

PY - 2018/5

Y1 - 2018/5

N2 - AimTo describe, model and assess the relative importance of environmental and climatic factors likely influencing the regional distribution of coral cover and assemblages with contrasting life histories and susceptibilities to bleaching.LocationWe compiled the first comprehensive empirical dataset for coral communities in the south-eastern Indian Ocean (SEIO), incorporating information from 392 sites along the western coast of Australia and offshore atolls/islands across ~19° of latitude.MethodsWe assessed hard coral cover and community composition to genus using point-intercept transects or point-count analysis of digital images taken along transects. We explored spatial variation in environmental conditions and in composition of corals with contrasting life histories. After de-trending the temporal patterns, we assessed the relative importance of environmental metrics to coral cover, life histories and bleaching susceptibility using a full subsets model-selection approach with generalized additive mixed models, accounting for both temporal and among site variation.ResultsThe distribution of temperature, light, the frequency of temperature anomalies and tropical cyclones appear to be drivers of coral community structure. Functional diversity of low- to mid-latitude coral communities may convey some resilience to thermal stress, while higher latitude communities dominated by Competitive and Bleaching-Susceptible taxa may lack this functional resilience. These patterns likely reflect varying historical exposure to cyclones and temperature anomalies.Main conclusionsAs evident in recent years, changing background conditions and regimes of disturbance in coming decades will shift the distribution, functional diversity and resilience of coral reefs throughout the SEIO. The rate and magnitude of environmental change will ultimately determine the future of the tropical reefs and whether the higher latitude reefs provide some refuge from climate change. Our study highlights the need to quantify the distributional properties of key environmental metrics to better understand and predict reef condition through coming decades.

AB - AimTo describe, model and assess the relative importance of environmental and climatic factors likely influencing the regional distribution of coral cover and assemblages with contrasting life histories and susceptibilities to bleaching.LocationWe compiled the first comprehensive empirical dataset for coral communities in the south-eastern Indian Ocean (SEIO), incorporating information from 392 sites along the western coast of Australia and offshore atolls/islands across ~19° of latitude.MethodsWe assessed hard coral cover and community composition to genus using point-intercept transects or point-count analysis of digital images taken along transects. We explored spatial variation in environmental conditions and in composition of corals with contrasting life histories. After de-trending the temporal patterns, we assessed the relative importance of environmental metrics to coral cover, life histories and bleaching susceptibility using a full subsets model-selection approach with generalized additive mixed models, accounting for both temporal and among site variation.ResultsThe distribution of temperature, light, the frequency of temperature anomalies and tropical cyclones appear to be drivers of coral community structure. Functional diversity of low- to mid-latitude coral communities may convey some resilience to thermal stress, while higher latitude communities dominated by Competitive and Bleaching-Susceptible taxa may lack this functional resilience. These patterns likely reflect varying historical exposure to cyclones and temperature anomalies.Main conclusionsAs evident in recent years, changing background conditions and regimes of disturbance in coming decades will shift the distribution, functional diversity and resilience of coral reefs throughout the SEIO. The rate and magnitude of environmental change will ultimately determine the future of the tropical reefs and whether the higher latitude reefs provide some refuge from climate change. Our study highlights the need to quantify the distributional properties of key environmental metrics to better understand and predict reef condition through coming decades.

U2 - 10.1111/ddi.12714

DO - 10.1111/ddi.12714

M3 - Journal article

VL - 24

SP - 605

EP - 620

JO - Diversity and Distributions

JF - Diversity and Distributions

SN - 1366-9516

IS - 5

ER -