Spatial and Temporal Variability during Periods of “Recovery” after Mass Bleaching on Western Atlantic Coral Reefs

Western Atlantic coral reefs were differentially affected by a mass bleaching (discoloration) event in 1987. We periodically assessed the “appearance” of zooxanthellate organisms between December 1987 and June 1988 at nine conspicuously affected sites in the Bahamas, Florida, St. Croix, and Venezuel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	American zoologist 1992-01, Vol.32 (6), p.696-706
Main Authors:	LANG, JUDITH C., LASKER, HOWARD R., GLADFELTER, ELIZABETH H., HALLOCK, PAMELA, JAAP, WALTER C., LOSADA, FREDDY J., MULLER, ROBERT G.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Animal and plant ecology Animal, plant and microbial ecology Biological and medical sciences Bleaching Colors Coral reefs Corals Discoloration Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Keys Life Sciences & Biomedicine Long-Term Dynamics of Coral Reefs Marine ecosystems Mortality Reefs Science & Technology Sea water ecosystems Synecology Taxa Zoology
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Summary:	Western Atlantic coral reefs were differentially affected by a mass bleaching (discoloration) event in 1987. We periodically assessed the “appearance” of zooxanthellate organisms between December 1987 and June 1988 at nine conspicuously affected sites in the Bahamas, Florida, St. Croix, and Venezuela, using a standardized point-count technique. Three to four months after the local initiation of the event, the “bleached” state was still present in one to three of the most abundant reef coral taxa and in a few of the less common species (n = 5 sites). “Recovery” occurred somewhat faster at shallower depths, at least in the Bahamas and Florida. Scleractinian corals which were “prolonged bleachers” had foliaceous or massive, rather than branching, morphologies. “Bleached” points disappeared from the point counts after $6 to $8 months. Long-term field data on spatial and temporal variability in the dynamics of zooxanthellate organisms would help us to understand the ecological consequences of bleaching. More generally, we need to distinguish anthropogenic changes in the structure and functioning of reef ecosystems from those which occur naturally. Point-count techniques are well suited for collaborative studies involving rapid quantification of coloration states and health in reef corals.
ISSN:	1540-7063 0003-1569 1557-7023 2162-4445