Legacy effects of anthropogenic disturbances modulate dynamics in the world's coral reefs

Rapidly changing conditions alter disturbance patterns, highlighting the need to better understand how the transition from pulse disturbances to more persistent stress will impact ecosystem dynamics. We conducted a global analysis of the impacts of 11 types of disturbances on reef integrity using th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global change biology 2023-06, Vol.29 (12), p.3285-3303
Main Authors: González‐Barrios, F. Javier, Estrada‐Saldívar, Nuria, Pérez‐Cervantes, Esmeralda, Secaira‐Fajardo, Fernando, Álvarez‐Filip, Lorenzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anthozoa - physiology
Anthropogenic Effects
Anthropogenic factors
Biogeography
climate change
Coral Reefs
cumulative stress
cyclone
Cyclones
Cyclonic Storms
Damage assessment
Disturbance
Disturbances
Dynamics
Ecological effects
ecological memory
Ecosystem
Ecosystem disturbance
Ecosystem dynamics
Emissions
Environmental impact
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Human influences
initial ecosystem state
Temperature effects
Thermal stress
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Summary:Rapidly changing conditions alter disturbance patterns, highlighting the need to better understand how the transition from pulse disturbances to more persistent stress will impact ecosystem dynamics. We conducted a global analysis of the impacts of 11 types of disturbances on reef integrity using the rate of change of coral cover as a measure of damage. Then, we evaluated how the magnitude of the damage due to thermal stress, cyclones, and diseases varied among tropical Atlantic and Indo‐Pacific reefs and whether the cumulative impact of thermal stress and cyclones was able to modulate the responses of reefs to future events. We found that reef damage largely depends on the condition of a reef before a disturbance, disturbance intensity, and biogeographic region, regardless of the type of disturbance. Changes in coral cover after thermal stress events were largely influenced by the cumulative stress of past disturbances and did not depend on disturbance intensity or initial coral cover, which suggests that an ecological memory is present within coral communities. In contrast, the effect of cyclones (and likely other physical impacts) was primarily modulated by the initial reef condition and did not appear to be influenced by previous impacts. Our findings also underscore that coral reefs can recover if stressful conditions decrease, yet the lack of action to reduce anthropogenic impacts and greenhouse gas emissions continues to trigger reef degradation. We uphold that evidence‐based strategies can guide managers to make better decisions to prepare for future disturbances. Understanding how disturbances affect ecosystems' integrity is critical for implementing successful management responses. In this global‐scale study, we found that, in coral reefs, the impact of disturbances largely depends on the initial condition regardless of the disturbance type. However, the type of disturbance seems to modulate how reefs will respond to future events. The rate of coral cover loss decreases after consecutive bleaching events. In contrast, previous impacts did not influence the effect of cyclones (and likely other physical impacts) on rates of coral cover decline. We highlight that reefs can recover if stressful conditions decrease.
ISSN:1354-1013
1365-2486
DOI:10.1111/gcb.16686