Key publications
Lange ID, Perry CT, Stuhr M (2022). Recovery trends of reef carbonate budgets at remote coral atolls 6 years post‐bleaching. Limnology and Oceanography
Lange ID, Perry CT (2020). A quick, easy and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates using photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons.
Methods in Ecology and Evolution,
11(6), 714-726.
Abstract:
A quick, easy and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates using photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons
Coral growth rates vary significantly with environmental conditions and are thus important indicators of coral health and reef carbonate production. Despite the importance of this metric, data are sparse for most coral genera and species globally, including for many key reef-building species. Traditional methods to obtain growth rates, such as coral coring or staining with Alizarin are destructive and only work for a limited number of species and morphological growth forms. Emerging approaches, using underwater photogrammetry to create digital models of coral colonies, are providing novel and non-invasive ways to explore colony-scale growth patterns and to address existing knowledge gaps. We developed an easy-to-follow workflow to construct three-dimensional (3D) models from overlapping photographs and to measure linear, radial and vertical extension rates of branching, massive and encrusting corals after aligning colony models from subsequent years. The method presented here was applied to measure extension rates for 46 colonies of nine coral species in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. Proposed image acquisition and software settings produced 3D models of consistently high resolution and detail (precision ≤ 0.2 mm) and variability in growth measurements was small despite manual alignment, clipping and ruler placement (SD ≤ 0.9 mm). Measured extension rates for the Chagos Archipelago are similar to published rates in the Indo-Pacific where comparable data are available, and provide the first published rates for several species. For encrusting corals, the results emphasize the importance of differentiating between radial and vertical growth. Photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons provide a fast, easy, inexpensive and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates for a range of species and morphological growth forms. The simplicity of the presented workflow encourages its repeatability and permits non-specialists to learn photogrammetry with the goal of obtaining linear coral growth rates. Coral growth rates are essential metrics to quantify functional consequences of ongoing community changes on coral reefs and expanded datasets for key coral taxa will aid predictions of geographic variations in coral reef response to increasing global stressors.
Abstract.
Hays GC, Koldewey HJ, Andrzejaczek S, Attrill MJ, Barley S, Bayley DTI, Benkwitt CE, Block B, Schallert RJ, Carlisle AB, et al (2020). A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges. Marine Biology, 167(11).
Lange ID, Perry CT, Alvarez-Filip L (2020). Carbonate budgets as indicators of functional reef “health”: a critical review of data underpinning census-based methods and current knowledge gaps.
Ecological Indicators,
110Abstract:
Carbonate budgets as indicators of functional reef “health”: a critical review of data underpinning census-based methods and current knowledge gaps
The carbonate budget of a reef describes the net rate of carbonate production resulting from various biologically-, physically- and chemically-driven production and erosion processes. Thus, budget state metrics can provide important information on a reef's growth potential and on the capacity of reefs to sustain key geo-ecological services such as habitat provision and coastal protection. Whilst various approaches for estimating carbonate budgets exist, census-based methods have gained recent interest because they quantify the contribution of different functional groups and taxa, and allow assessments of the links between changing reef ecology and budget states. However, the present paucity of supporting data on growth and erosion rates for the majority of coral species and reef-associated taxa represents a constraint on these budget estimates and limits meaningful between-site comparisons. In light of the growing interest in using carbonate budgets as a functional reef “health” assessment tool, this review thus considers our current state of knowledge regarding the geographic coverage of existing reef budget states and the availability of relevant supporting data. We use this to highlight current knowledge gaps, future challenges, and opportunities that emerging techniques may offer. The primary aim of this review is to encourage increased research efforts on budget states and underlying metrics in order to better constrain reef carbonate budget estimates from across a broad range of sites and environments.
Abstract.
Publications by category
Journal articles
Molina-Hernández A, Medellín-Maldonado F, Lange I, Perry C, Alvarez-Filip L (In Press). Coral reef erosion: in situ measurement on different dead coral substrates on a Caribbean reef. Limnology and Oceanography
Husband E, Perry CT, Lange ID (In Press). Estimating rates of coral carbonate production from aerial
3 and archive imagery by applying colony scale conversion metrics. Coral Reefs
Perry C (In Press). Geo-ecological functions provided by coral reef fishes vary among regions and impact reef carbonate cycling regimes. Ecosphere
Taylor BM, Duenas AEK, Lange ID (2022). Decadal changes in parrotfish assemblages around reefs of Guam, Micronesia.
CORAL REEFS Author URL.
Lange ID, Perry CT, Stuhr M (2022). Recovery trends of reef carbonate budgets at remote coral atolls 6 years post‐bleaching. Limnology and Oceanography
Lange ID, Molina-Hernández A, Medellín-Maldonado F, Perry CT, Álvarez-Filip L (2022). Structure-from-motion photogrammetry demonstrates variability in coral growth within colonies and across habitats.
PLOS ONE,
17(11), e0277546-e0277546.
Abstract:
Structure-from-motion photogrammetry demonstrates variability in coral growth within colonies and across habitats
Coral growth is an important metric of coral health and underpins reef-scale functional attributes such as structural complexity and calcium carbonate production. There persists, however, a paucity of growth data for most reef-building regions, especially for coral species whose skeletal architecture prevents the use of traditional methods such as coring and Alizarin staining. We used structure-from-motion photogrammetry to quantify a range of colony-scale growth metrics for six coral species in the Mexican Caribbean and present a newly developed workflow to measure colony volume change over time. Our results provide the first growth metrics for two species that are now major space occupiers on Caribbean reefs, Agaricia agaricites and Agaricia tenuifolia. We also document higher linear extension, volume increase and calcification rates within back reef compared to fore reef environments for four other common species: Orbicella faveolata, Porites astreoides, Siderastrea siderea and Pseudodiploria strigosa. Linear extension rates in our study were lower than those obtained via computed tomography (CT) scans of coral cores from the same sites, as the photogrammetry method averages growth in all dimensions, while the CT method depicts growth only along the main growth axis (upwards). The comparison of direct volume change versus potential volume increase calculated from linear extension emphasizes the importance of assessing whole colony growth to improve calcification estimates. The method presented here provides an approach that can generate accurate calcification estimates alongside a range of other whole-colony growth metrics in a non-invasive way.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Benkwitt CE, McDevitt-Irwin JM, Tietjen KL, Taylor B, Chinkin M, Gunn RL, Palmisciano M, Steyaert M, Wilson B, et al (2021). Wave exposure shapes reef community composition and recovery trajectories at a remote coral atoll.
Coral Reefs,
40(6), 1819-1829.
Abstract:
Wave exposure shapes reef community composition and recovery trajectories at a remote coral atoll
AbstractIn a time of unprecedented ecological change, understanding natural biophysical relationships between reef resilience and physical drivers is of increasing importance. This study evaluates how wave forcing structures coral reef benthic community composition and recovery trajectories after the major 2015/2016 bleaching event in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. Benthic cover and substrate rugosity were quantified from digital imagery at 23 fore reef sites around a small coral atoll (Salomon) in 2020 and compared to data from a similar survey in 2006 and opportunistic surveys in intermediate years. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis show strong separation of community composition between exposed (modelled wave exposure > 1000 J m−3) and sheltered sites (< 1000 J m−3) in 2020. This difference is driven by relatively high cover of Porites sp. other massive corals, encrusting corals, soft corals, rubble and dead table corals at sheltered sites versus high cover of pavement and sponges at exposed sites. Total coral cover and rugosity were also higher at sheltered sites. Adding data from previous years shows benthic community shifts from distinct exposure-driven assemblages and high live coral cover in 2006 towards bare pavement, dead Acropora tables and rubble after the 2015/2016 bleaching event. The subsequent recovery trajectories at sheltered and exposed sites are surprisingly parallel and lead communities towards their respective pre-bleaching communities. These results demonstrate that in the absence of human stressors, community patterns on fore reefs are strongly controlled by wave exposure, even during and after widespread coral loss from bleaching events.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Perry CT (2020). A quick, easy and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates using photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons.
Methods in Ecology and Evolution,
11(6), 714-726.
Abstract:
A quick, easy and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates using photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons
Coral growth rates vary significantly with environmental conditions and are thus important indicators of coral health and reef carbonate production. Despite the importance of this metric, data are sparse for most coral genera and species globally, including for many key reef-building species. Traditional methods to obtain growth rates, such as coral coring or staining with Alizarin are destructive and only work for a limited number of species and morphological growth forms. Emerging approaches, using underwater photogrammetry to create digital models of coral colonies, are providing novel and non-invasive ways to explore colony-scale growth patterns and to address existing knowledge gaps. We developed an easy-to-follow workflow to construct three-dimensional (3D) models from overlapping photographs and to measure linear, radial and vertical extension rates of branching, massive and encrusting corals after aligning colony models from subsequent years. The method presented here was applied to measure extension rates for 46 colonies of nine coral species in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. Proposed image acquisition and software settings produced 3D models of consistently high resolution and detail (precision ≤ 0.2 mm) and variability in growth measurements was small despite manual alignment, clipping and ruler placement (SD ≤ 0.9 mm). Measured extension rates for the Chagos Archipelago are similar to published rates in the Indo-Pacific where comparable data are available, and provide the first published rates for several species. For encrusting corals, the results emphasize the importance of differentiating between radial and vertical growth. Photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons provide a fast, easy, inexpensive and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates for a range of species and morphological growth forms. The simplicity of the presented workflow encourages its repeatability and permits non-specialists to learn photogrammetry with the goal of obtaining linear coral growth rates. Coral growth rates are essential metrics to quantify functional consequences of ongoing community changes on coral reefs and expanded datasets for key coral taxa will aid predictions of geographic variations in coral reef response to increasing global stressors.
Abstract.
Hays GC, Koldewey HJ, Andrzejaczek S, Attrill MJ, Barley S, Bayley DTI, Benkwitt CE, Block B, Schallert RJ, Carlisle AB, et al (2020). A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges. Marine Biology, 167(11).
Perry CT, Morgan KM, Lange ID, Yarlett RT (2020). Bleaching-driven reef community shifts drive pulses of increased reef sediment generation.
Royal Society Open Science,
7(4), 192153-192153.
Abstract:
Bleaching-driven reef community shifts drive pulses of increased reef sediment generation
. The ecological impacts of coral bleaching on reef communities are well documented, but resultant impacts upon reef-derived sediment supply are poorly quantified. This is an important knowledge gap because these biogenic sediments underpin shoreline and reef island maintenance. Here, we explore the impacts of the 2016 bleaching event on sediment generation by two dominant sediment producers (parrotfish and
. Halimeda
. spp.) on southern Maldivian reefs. Our data identifies two pulses of increased sediment generation in the 3 years since bleaching. The first occurred within approximately six months after bleaching as parrotfish biomass and resultant erosion rates increased, probably in response to enhanced food availability. The second pulse occurred 1 to 3 years post-bleaching, after further increases in parrotfish biomass and a major (approx. fourfold) increase in
. Halimeda
. spp. abundance. Total estimated sediment generation from these two producers increased from approximately 0.5 kg CaCO
. 3
. m
. −2
. yr
. −1
. (pre-bleaching; 2016) to approximately 3.7 kg CaCO
. 3
. m
. −2
. yr
. −1
. (post-bleaching; 2019), highlighting the strong links between reef ecology and sediment generation. However, the relevance of this sediment for shoreline maintenance probably diverges with each producer group, with parrotfish-derived sediment a more appropriate size fraction to potentially contribute to local island shorelines.
.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Perry CT, Alvarez-Filip L (2020). Carbonate budgets as indicators of functional reef “health”: a critical review of data underpinning census-based methods and current knowledge gaps.
Ecological Indicators,
110Abstract:
Carbonate budgets as indicators of functional reef “health”: a critical review of data underpinning census-based methods and current knowledge gaps
The carbonate budget of a reef describes the net rate of carbonate production resulting from various biologically-, physically- and chemically-driven production and erosion processes. Thus, budget state metrics can provide important information on a reef's growth potential and on the capacity of reefs to sustain key geo-ecological services such as habitat provision and coastal protection. Whilst various approaches for estimating carbonate budgets exist, census-based methods have gained recent interest because they quantify the contribution of different functional groups and taxa, and allow assessments of the links between changing reef ecology and budget states. However, the present paucity of supporting data on growth and erosion rates for the majority of coral species and reef-associated taxa represents a constraint on these budget estimates and limits meaningful between-site comparisons. In light of the growing interest in using carbonate budgets as a functional reef “health” assessment tool, this review thus considers our current state of knowledge regarding the geographic coverage of existing reef budget states and the availability of relevant supporting data. We use this to highlight current knowledge gaps, future challenges, and opportunities that emerging techniques may offer. The primary aim of this review is to encourage increased research efforts on budget states and underlying metrics in order to better constrain reef carbonate budget estimates from across a broad range of sites and environments.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Perry CT, Morgan KM, Roche R, Benkwitt CE, Graham NAJ (2020). Site-Level Variation in Parrotfish Grazing and Bioerosion as a Function of Species-Specific Feeding Metrics.
Diversity,
12(10), 379-379.
Abstract:
Site-Level Variation in Parrotfish Grazing and Bioerosion as a Function of Species-Specific Feeding Metrics
Parrotfish provide important ecological functions on coral reefs, including the provision of new settlement space through grazing and the generation of sediment through bioerosion of reef substrate. Estimating these functions at an ecosystem level depends on accurately quantifying the functional impact of individuals, yet parrotfish feeding metrics are only available for a limited range of sites, species and size classes. We quantified bite rates, proportion of bites leaving scars and scar sizes in situ for the dominant excavator (Cetoscarus ocellatus, Chlorurus strongylocephalus, Ch. sordidus) and scraper species (Scarus rubroviolaceus, S. frenatus, S. niger, S. tricolor, S. scaber, S. psittacus) in the central Indian Ocean. This includes the first record of scar frequencies and sizes for the latter three species. Bite rates varied with species and life phase and decreased with body size. The proportion of bites leaving scars and scar sizes differed among species and increased with body size. Species-level allometric relationships between body size and each of these feeding metrics were used to parameterize annual individual grazing and bioerosion rates which increase non-linearly with body size. Large individuals of C. ocellatus, Ch. strongylocephalus and S. rubroviolaceus can graze 200–400 m2 and erode >500 kg of reef substrate annually. Smaller species graze 1–100 m2 yr−1 and erode 0.2–30 kg yr−1. We used these individual functional rates to quantify community grazing and bioerosion levels at 15 sites across the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago. Although parrotfish density was 2.6 times higher on Maldivian reefs, average grazing (3.9 ± 1.4 m2 m−2 reef yr−1) and bioerosion levels (3.1 ± 1.2 kg m−2 reef yr−1) were about 15% lower than in the Chagos Archipelago (4.5 ± 2.3 and 3.7 ± 3.0, respectively), due to the dominance of small species and individuals in the Maldives (90% <30 cm length). This demonstrates that large-bodied species and individuals contribute disproportionally to both grazing and bioerosion. Across all sites, grazing increased by 66 ± 5 m2 ha−1 and bioerosion by 109 ± 9 kg ha−1 for every kg increase in parrotfish biomass. However, for a given level of parrotfish biomass, grazing and bioerosion levels were higher on Maldivian reefs than in the Chagos Archipelago. This suggests that small-bodied fish assemblages can maintain ecosystem functions, but only if key species are present in sufficiently high numbers.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Perry CT (2019). Bleaching impacts on carbonate production in the Chagos Archipelago: influence of functional coral groups on carbonate budget trajectories.
Coral Reefs,
38(4), 619-624.
Abstract:
Bleaching impacts on carbonate production in the Chagos Archipelago: influence of functional coral groups on carbonate budget trajectories
Reefs in the remote Chagos Archipelago (central Indian Ocean) were severely affected by sea surface temperature warming and coral bleaching in 2015–2016. Here we assess the impacts of this event on community composition and reef carbonate production at twelve fore reefs sites across three atolls. Bleaching caused a 69% decline in coral cover, mostly driven by mortality of tabular Acropora spp. and a 77% decline in mean coral carbonate production (2015: 13.1 ± 4.8; 2018: 3.0 ± 1.2 kg CaCO3 m2 yr−1). Changes were accompanied by a major shift from competitive to stress-tolerant coral taxa, with magnitudes of decline comparable to those reported elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, despite inter-site differences in dominant coral species. These trends differ from those on reefs already dominated by stress-tolerant taxa, which experienced minor declines in production post-warming. The study highlights the potential for different suites of functional coral groups to drive divergent post-bleaching budget responses.
Abstract.
Sánchez-Noguera C, Stuhldreier I, Cortés J, Jiménez C, Morales Á, Wild C, Rixen T (2018). Natural ocean acidification at Papagayo upwelling system (north Pacific Costa Rica): implications for reef development.
Biogeosciences,
15(8), 2349-2360.
Abstract:
Natural ocean acidification at Papagayo upwelling system (north Pacific Costa Rica): implications for reef development
Abstract. Numerous experiments have shown that ocean acidification impedes coral calcification, but knowledge about in situ reef ecosystem response to ocean acidification is still scarce. Bahía Culebra, situated at the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, is a location naturally exposed to acidic conditions due to the Papagayo seasonal upwelling. We measured pH and pCO2 in situ during two non-upwelling seasons (June 2012, May–June 2013), with a high temporal resolution of every 15 and 30 min, respectively, using two Submersible Autonomous Moored Instruments (SAMI-pH, SAMI-CO2). These results were compared with published data from the 2009 upwelling season. Findings revealed that the carbonate system in Bahía Culebra shows a high temporal variability. Incoming offshore waters drive intra- and interseasonal changes. Lowest pH (7.8) and highest pCO2 (658.3 µatm) values measured during a cold-water intrusion event in the non-upwelling season were similar to those minimum values reported from upwelling season (pH = 7.8, pCO2 = 643.5 µatm), unveiling that natural acidification also occurs sporadically in the non-upwelling season. This affects the interaction of photosynthesis, respiration, calcification and carbonate dissolution and the resulting diel cycle of pH and pCO2 in the reefs of Bahía Culebra. During the non-upwelling season, the aragonite saturation state (Ωa) rises to values of > 3.3 and during the upwelling season falls below 2.5. The Ωa threshold values for coral growth were derived from the correlation between measured Ωa and coral linear extension rates which were obtained from the literature and suggest that future ocean acidification will threaten the continued growth of reefs in Bahía Culebra. These data contribute to building a better understanding of the carbonate system dynamics and coral reefs' key response (e.g. coral growth) to natural low-pH conditions, in upwelling areas in the eastern tropical Pacific and beyond.
.
Abstract.
Wizemann A, Nandini SD, Stuhldreier I, Sanchez-Noguera C, Wisshak M, Westphal H, Rixen T, Wild C, Reymond CE (2018). Rapid bioerosion in a tropical upwelling coral reef.
PLOS ONE,
13(9).
Author URL.
Roth F, Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Carvalho S, Wild C (2017). Simulated overfishing and natural eutrophication promote the relative success of a non-indigenous ascidian in coral reefs at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Aquatic Invasions, 12(4), 435-446.
Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Roth F, Jiménez C, Rixen T, Cortés J, Wild C (2015). Dynamics in benthic community composition and influencing factors in an upwelling-exposed coral reef on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
PeerJ,
3, e1434-e1434.
Abstract:
Dynamics in benthic community composition and influencing factors in an upwelling-exposed coral reef on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica
Seasonal upwelling at the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica offers the opportunity to investigate the effects of pronounced changes in key water parameters on fine-scale dynamics of local coral reef communities. This study monitored benthic community composition at Matapalo reef (10.539°N, 85.766°W) by weekly observations of permanent benthic quadrats from April 2013 to April 2014. Monitoring was accompanied by surveys of herbivore abundance and biomass and measurements of water temperature and inorganic nutrient concentrations. Findings revealed that the reef-building coralsPocilloporaspp. exhibited an exceptional rapid increase from 22 to 51% relative benthic cover. By contrast, turf algae cover decreased from 63 to 24%, resulting in a corresponding increase in crustose coralline algae cover. The macroalgaCaulerpa sertularioidescovered up to 15% of the reef in April 2013, disappeared after synchronized gamete release in May, and subsequently exhibited slow regrowth. Parallel monitoring of influencing factors suggest thatC. sertularioidescover was mainly regulated by their reproductive cycle, while that of turf algae was likely controlled by high abundances of herbivores. Upwelling events in February and March 2014 decreased mean daily seawater temperatures by up to 7 °C and increased nutrient concentrations up to 5- (phosphate) and 16-fold (nitrate) compared to mean values during the rest of the year. Changes in benthic community composition did not appear to correspond to the strong environmental changes, but rather shifted from turf algae to hard coral dominance over the entire year of observation. The exceptional high dynamic over the annual observation period encourages further research on the adaptation potential of coral reefs to environmental variability.
Abstract.
Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Rixen T, Cortés J, Morales A, Wild C (2015). Effects of Seasonal Upwelling on Inorganic and Organic Matter Dynamics in the Water Column of Eastern Pacific Coral Reefs. PLOS ONE, 10(11), e0142681-e0142681.
Stuhldreier I, Bastian P, Schönig E, Wild C (2015). Effects of simulated eutrophication and overfishing on algae and invertebrate settlement in a coral reef of Koh Phangan, Gulf of Thailand. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 92(1-2), 35-44.
Roth F, Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Morales-Ramírez Á, Wild C (2015). Effects of simulated overfishing on the succession of benthic algae and invertebrates in an upwelling-influenced coral reef of Pacific Costa Rica. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 468, 55-66.
Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Roth F, Cortés J, Rixen T, Wild C (2015). Upwelling Increases Net Primary Production of Corals and Reef-Wide Gross Primary Production Along the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2
WILD C, RIXEN T, SANCHEZ-NOGUERA C, STUHLDREIER I, JIMENEZ C, MERICO A (2014). Massive coral tissue ablations in reefs of Pacific Costa Rica. Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies, 16(1), 13-14.
Chapters
Lange I, Schoenig E, Khokiattiwong S (2018). Chapter 22: Thailand. In Sheppard C (Ed)
World Seas: an Environmental Evaluation Volume II: the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, Academic Press.
Abstract:
Chapter 22: Thailand
Abstract.
Publications by year
In Press
Molina-Hernández A, Medellín-Maldonado F, Lange I, Perry C, Alvarez-Filip L (In Press). Coral reef erosion: in situ measurement on different dead coral substrates on a Caribbean reef. Limnology and Oceanography
Husband E, Perry CT, Lange ID (In Press). Estimating rates of coral carbonate production from aerial
3 and archive imagery by applying colony scale conversion metrics. Coral Reefs
Perry C (In Press). Geo-ecological functions provided by coral reef fishes vary among regions and impact reef carbonate cycling regimes. Ecosphere
2022
Taylor BM, Duenas AEK, Lange ID (2022). Decadal changes in parrotfish assemblages around reefs of Guam, Micronesia.
CORAL REEFS Author URL.
Perry C, Salter M, Lange I, Kochan D, Harborne A, Graham N (2022). Geo-ecological functions provided by coral reef fishes vary among regions and impact. reef carbonate cycling regimes - supporting data.
Lange ID, Perry CT, Stuhr M (2022). Recovery trends of reef carbonate budgets at remote coral atolls 6 years post‐bleaching. Limnology and Oceanography
Lange I, Perry C, Stuhr M (2022). Recovery trends of reef carbonate budgets at remote coral atolls six years post-bleaching (dataset).
Abstract:
Recovery trends of reef carbonate budgets at remote coral atolls six years post-bleaching (dataset)
Coral bleaching events and resultant changes in benthic community composition and population size structure can diminish the important geo-ecological functions reefs provide, including habitat provision and carbonate production to support reef accretion. Net reef carbonate budgets, the balance between carbonate production and erosion processes, are thus important functional indicators of reef health. This study quantifies changes in coral community composition and colony size structures, and the resultant reef carbonate budget trajectories after the 2015/2016 bleaching event in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. ReefBudget surveys were conducted at 12 sites across three atolls in 2015, 2018 and 2021, with calculations of biological carbonate production and erosion supported by locally obtained calcification and bioerosion rates. Carbonate budgets (in G = kg CaCO3 m-2 yr-1) shifted from net positive states in 2015 (mean±SD: 3.8±2.6 G) to net negative states in 2018 (-2.4±1.4 G) in response to bleaching-driven mass coral mortality. By 2021, all sites were on a trajectory of recovery, but net budgets differed significantly between atolls (-2.0±1.7 to 2.2±1.4 G). At Salomon atoll, the 3-fold faster recovery of carbonate production and return to positive reef budget states only six years post-bleaching was associated with the persistence of high structural complexity and the rapid recovery of fast growing tabular Acropora spp. Inter-atoll differences in colony size distributions furthermore illustrate that coral identity and size class are more important predictors of reef functions and post-disturbance recovery speed than coral cover alone.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Molina-Hernández A, Medellín-Maldonado F, Perry CT, Álvarez-Filip L (2022). Structure-from-motion photogrammetry demonstrates variability in coral growth within colonies and across habitats.
PLOS ONE,
17(11), e0277546-e0277546.
Abstract:
Structure-from-motion photogrammetry demonstrates variability in coral growth within colonies and across habitats
Coral growth is an important metric of coral health and underpins reef-scale functional attributes such as structural complexity and calcium carbonate production. There persists, however, a paucity of growth data for most reef-building regions, especially for coral species whose skeletal architecture prevents the use of traditional methods such as coring and Alizarin staining. We used structure-from-motion photogrammetry to quantify a range of colony-scale growth metrics for six coral species in the Mexican Caribbean and present a newly developed workflow to measure colony volume change over time. Our results provide the first growth metrics for two species that are now major space occupiers on Caribbean reefs, Agaricia agaricites and Agaricia tenuifolia. We also document higher linear extension, volume increase and calcification rates within back reef compared to fore reef environments for four other common species: Orbicella faveolata, Porites astreoides, Siderastrea siderea and Pseudodiploria strigosa. Linear extension rates in our study were lower than those obtained via computed tomography (CT) scans of coral cores from the same sites, as the photogrammetry method averages growth in all dimensions, while the CT method depicts growth only along the main growth axis (upwards). The comparison of direct volume change versus potential volume increase calculated from linear extension emphasizes the importance of assessing whole colony growth to improve calcification estimates. The method presented here provides an approach that can generate accurate calcification estimates alongside a range of other whole-colony growth metrics in a non-invasive way.
Abstract.
Lange I (2022). Structure-from-motion photogrammetry demonstrates variability in coral growth within colonies and across habitats (dataset).
Abstract:
Structure-from-motion photogrammetry demonstrates variability in coral growth within colonies and across habitats (dataset)
Coral growth is an important metric of coral health and underpins reef-scale functional attributes such as structural complexity and calcium carbonate production. There persists, however, a paucity of growth data for most reef-building regions, especially for coral species whose skeletal architecture prevents the use of traditional methods such as coring and Alizarin staining. We used structure-from-motion photogrammetry to quantify a range of colony-scale growth metrics for six coral species in the Mexican Caribbean and present a newly developed workflow to measure colony volume change over time. Our results provide the first growth metrics for two species that are now major space occupiers on Caribbean reefs, Agaricia agaricites and Agaricia tenuifolia. We also document higher linear extension, volume increase and calcification rates within back reef compared to fore reef environments for four other common species: Orbicella faveolata, Porites astreoides, Siderastrea siderea and Pseudodiploria strigosa. Linear extension rates in our study were lower than those obtained via computed tomography (CT) scans of coral cores from the same sites, as the photogrammetry method averages growth in all dimensions, while the CT method depicts growth only along the main growth axis (upwards). The comparison of direct volume change versus potential volume increase calculated from linear extension emphasizes the importance of assessing whole colony growth to improve calcification estimates. The method presented here provides an approach that can generate accurate calcification estimates alongside a range of other whole-colony growth metrics in a non-invasive way.
Abstract.
2021
Lange ID, Benkwitt CE, McDevitt-Irwin JM, Tietjen KL, Taylor B, Chinkin M, Gunn RL, Palmisciano M, Steyaert M, Wilson B, et al (2021). Wave exposure shapes reef community composition and recovery trajectories at a remote coral atoll.
Coral Reefs,
40(6), 1819-1829.
Abstract:
Wave exposure shapes reef community composition and recovery trajectories at a remote coral atoll
AbstractIn a time of unprecedented ecological change, understanding natural biophysical relationships between reef resilience and physical drivers is of increasing importance. This study evaluates how wave forcing structures coral reef benthic community composition and recovery trajectories after the major 2015/2016 bleaching event in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. Benthic cover and substrate rugosity were quantified from digital imagery at 23 fore reef sites around a small coral atoll (Salomon) in 2020 and compared to data from a similar survey in 2006 and opportunistic surveys in intermediate years. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis show strong separation of community composition between exposed (modelled wave exposure > 1000 J m−3) and sheltered sites (< 1000 J m−3) in 2020. This difference is driven by relatively high cover of Porites sp. other massive corals, encrusting corals, soft corals, rubble and dead table corals at sheltered sites versus high cover of pavement and sponges at exposed sites. Total coral cover and rugosity were also higher at sheltered sites. Adding data from previous years shows benthic community shifts from distinct exposure-driven assemblages and high live coral cover in 2006 towards bare pavement, dead Acropora tables and rubble after the 2015/2016 bleaching event. The subsequent recovery trajectories at sheltered and exposed sites are surprisingly parallel and lead communities towards their respective pre-bleaching communities. These results demonstrate that in the absence of human stressors, community patterns on fore reefs are strongly controlled by wave exposure, even during and after widespread coral loss from bleaching events.
Abstract.
2020
Lange ID, Perry CT (2020). A quick, easy and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates using photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons.
Methods in Ecology and Evolution,
11(6), 714-726.
Abstract:
A quick, easy and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates using photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons
Coral growth rates vary significantly with environmental conditions and are thus important indicators of coral health and reef carbonate production. Despite the importance of this metric, data are sparse for most coral genera and species globally, including for many key reef-building species. Traditional methods to obtain growth rates, such as coral coring or staining with Alizarin are destructive and only work for a limited number of species and morphological growth forms. Emerging approaches, using underwater photogrammetry to create digital models of coral colonies, are providing novel and non-invasive ways to explore colony-scale growth patterns and to address existing knowledge gaps. We developed an easy-to-follow workflow to construct three-dimensional (3D) models from overlapping photographs and to measure linear, radial and vertical extension rates of branching, massive and encrusting corals after aligning colony models from subsequent years. The method presented here was applied to measure extension rates for 46 colonies of nine coral species in the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. Proposed image acquisition and software settings produced 3D models of consistently high resolution and detail (precision ≤ 0.2 mm) and variability in growth measurements was small despite manual alignment, clipping and ruler placement (SD ≤ 0.9 mm). Measured extension rates for the Chagos Archipelago are similar to published rates in the Indo-Pacific where comparable data are available, and provide the first published rates for several species. For encrusting corals, the results emphasize the importance of differentiating between radial and vertical growth. Photogrammetry and 3D model comparisons provide a fast, easy, inexpensive and non-invasive method to quantify coral growth rates for a range of species and morphological growth forms. The simplicity of the presented workflow encourages its repeatability and permits non-specialists to learn photogrammetry with the goal of obtaining linear coral growth rates. Coral growth rates are essential metrics to quantify functional consequences of ongoing community changes on coral reefs and expanded datasets for key coral taxa will aid predictions of geographic variations in coral reef response to increasing global stressors.
Abstract.
Hays GC, Koldewey HJ, Andrzejaczek S, Attrill MJ, Barley S, Bayley DTI, Benkwitt CE, Block B, Schallert RJ, Carlisle AB, et al (2020). A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges. Marine Biology, 167(11).
Perry CT, Morgan KM, Lange ID, Yarlett RT (2020). Bleaching-driven reef community shifts drive pulses of increased reef sediment generation.
Royal Society Open Science,
7(4), 192153-192153.
Abstract:
Bleaching-driven reef community shifts drive pulses of increased reef sediment generation
. The ecological impacts of coral bleaching on reef communities are well documented, but resultant impacts upon reef-derived sediment supply are poorly quantified. This is an important knowledge gap because these biogenic sediments underpin shoreline and reef island maintenance. Here, we explore the impacts of the 2016 bleaching event on sediment generation by two dominant sediment producers (parrotfish and
. Halimeda
. spp.) on southern Maldivian reefs. Our data identifies two pulses of increased sediment generation in the 3 years since bleaching. The first occurred within approximately six months after bleaching as parrotfish biomass and resultant erosion rates increased, probably in response to enhanced food availability. The second pulse occurred 1 to 3 years post-bleaching, after further increases in parrotfish biomass and a major (approx. fourfold) increase in
. Halimeda
. spp. abundance. Total estimated sediment generation from these two producers increased from approximately 0.5 kg CaCO
. 3
. m
. −2
. yr
. −1
. (pre-bleaching; 2016) to approximately 3.7 kg CaCO
. 3
. m
. −2
. yr
. −1
. (post-bleaching; 2019), highlighting the strong links between reef ecology and sediment generation. However, the relevance of this sediment for shoreline maintenance probably diverges with each producer group, with parrotfish-derived sediment a more appropriate size fraction to potentially contribute to local island shorelines.
.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Perry CT, Alvarez-Filip L (2020). Carbonate budgets as indicators of functional reef “health”: a critical review of data underpinning census-based methods and current knowledge gaps.
Ecological Indicators,
110Abstract:
Carbonate budgets as indicators of functional reef “health”: a critical review of data underpinning census-based methods and current knowledge gaps
The carbonate budget of a reef describes the net rate of carbonate production resulting from various biologically-, physically- and chemically-driven production and erosion processes. Thus, budget state metrics can provide important information on a reef's growth potential and on the capacity of reefs to sustain key geo-ecological services such as habitat provision and coastal protection. Whilst various approaches for estimating carbonate budgets exist, census-based methods have gained recent interest because they quantify the contribution of different functional groups and taxa, and allow assessments of the links between changing reef ecology and budget states. However, the present paucity of supporting data on growth and erosion rates for the majority of coral species and reef-associated taxa represents a constraint on these budget estimates and limits meaningful between-site comparisons. In light of the growing interest in using carbonate budgets as a functional reef “health” assessment tool, this review thus considers our current state of knowledge regarding the geographic coverage of existing reef budget states and the availability of relevant supporting data. We use this to highlight current knowledge gaps, future challenges, and opportunities that emerging techniques may offer. The primary aim of this review is to encourage increased research efforts on budget states and underlying metrics in order to better constrain reef carbonate budget estimates from across a broad range of sites and environments.
Abstract.
Lange ID, Perry CT, Morgan KM, Roche R, Benkwitt CE, Graham NAJ (2020). Site-Level Variation in Parrotfish Grazing and Bioerosion as a Function of Species-Specific Feeding Metrics.
Diversity,
12(10), 379-379.
Abstract:
Site-Level Variation in Parrotfish Grazing and Bioerosion as a Function of Species-Specific Feeding Metrics
Parrotfish provide important ecological functions on coral reefs, including the provision of new settlement space through grazing and the generation of sediment through bioerosion of reef substrate. Estimating these functions at an ecosystem level depends on accurately quantifying the functional impact of individuals, yet parrotfish feeding metrics are only available for a limited range of sites, species and size classes. We quantified bite rates, proportion of bites leaving scars and scar sizes in situ for the dominant excavator (Cetoscarus ocellatus, Chlorurus strongylocephalus, Ch. sordidus) and scraper species (Scarus rubroviolaceus, S. frenatus, S. niger, S. tricolor, S. scaber, S. psittacus) in the central Indian Ocean. This includes the first record of scar frequencies and sizes for the latter three species. Bite rates varied with species and life phase and decreased with body size. The proportion of bites leaving scars and scar sizes differed among species and increased with body size. Species-level allometric relationships between body size and each of these feeding metrics were used to parameterize annual individual grazing and bioerosion rates which increase non-linearly with body size. Large individuals of C. ocellatus, Ch. strongylocephalus and S. rubroviolaceus can graze 200–400 m2 and erode >500 kg of reef substrate annually. Smaller species graze 1–100 m2 yr−1 and erode 0.2–30 kg yr−1. We used these individual functional rates to quantify community grazing and bioerosion levels at 15 sites across the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago. Although parrotfish density was 2.6 times higher on Maldivian reefs, average grazing (3.9 ± 1.4 m2 m−2 reef yr−1) and bioerosion levels (3.1 ± 1.2 kg m−2 reef yr−1) were about 15% lower than in the Chagos Archipelago (4.5 ± 2.3 and 3.7 ± 3.0, respectively), due to the dominance of small species and individuals in the Maldives (90% <30 cm length). This demonstrates that large-bodied species and individuals contribute disproportionally to both grazing and bioerosion. Across all sites, grazing increased by 66 ± 5 m2 ha−1 and bioerosion by 109 ± 9 kg ha−1 for every kg increase in parrotfish biomass. However, for a given level of parrotfish biomass, grazing and bioerosion levels were higher on Maldivian reefs than in the Chagos Archipelago. This suggests that small-bodied fish assemblages can maintain ecosystem functions, but only if key species are present in sufficiently high numbers.
Abstract.
2019
Lange ID, Perry CT (2019). Bleaching impacts on carbonate production in the Chagos Archipelago: influence of functional coral groups on carbonate budget trajectories.
Coral Reefs,
38(4), 619-624.
Abstract:
Bleaching impacts on carbonate production in the Chagos Archipelago: influence of functional coral groups on carbonate budget trajectories
Reefs in the remote Chagos Archipelago (central Indian Ocean) were severely affected by sea surface temperature warming and coral bleaching in 2015–2016. Here we assess the impacts of this event on community composition and reef carbonate production at twelve fore reefs sites across three atolls. Bleaching caused a 69% decline in coral cover, mostly driven by mortality of tabular Acropora spp. and a 77% decline in mean coral carbonate production (2015: 13.1 ± 4.8; 2018: 3.0 ± 1.2 kg CaCO3 m2 yr−1). Changes were accompanied by a major shift from competitive to stress-tolerant coral taxa, with magnitudes of decline comparable to those reported elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, despite inter-site differences in dominant coral species. These trends differ from those on reefs already dominated by stress-tolerant taxa, which experienced minor declines in production post-warming. The study highlights the potential for different suites of functional coral groups to drive divergent post-bleaching budget responses.
Abstract.
2018
Lange I, Schoenig E, Khokiattiwong S (2018). Chapter 22: Thailand. In Sheppard C (Ed)
World Seas: an Environmental Evaluation Volume II: the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, Academic Press.
Abstract:
Chapter 22: Thailand
Abstract.
Sánchez-Noguera C, Stuhldreier I, Cortés J, Jiménez C, Morales Á, Wild C, Rixen T (2018). Natural ocean acidification at Papagayo upwelling system (north Pacific Costa Rica): implications for reef development.
Biogeosciences,
15(8), 2349-2360.
Abstract:
Natural ocean acidification at Papagayo upwelling system (north Pacific Costa Rica): implications for reef development
Abstract. Numerous experiments have shown that ocean acidification impedes coral calcification, but knowledge about in situ reef ecosystem response to ocean acidification is still scarce. Bahía Culebra, situated at the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, is a location naturally exposed to acidic conditions due to the Papagayo seasonal upwelling. We measured pH and pCO2 in situ during two non-upwelling seasons (June 2012, May–June 2013), with a high temporal resolution of every 15 and 30 min, respectively, using two Submersible Autonomous Moored Instruments (SAMI-pH, SAMI-CO2). These results were compared with published data from the 2009 upwelling season. Findings revealed that the carbonate system in Bahía Culebra shows a high temporal variability. Incoming offshore waters drive intra- and interseasonal changes. Lowest pH (7.8) and highest pCO2 (658.3 µatm) values measured during a cold-water intrusion event in the non-upwelling season were similar to those minimum values reported from upwelling season (pH = 7.8, pCO2 = 643.5 µatm), unveiling that natural acidification also occurs sporadically in the non-upwelling season. This affects the interaction of photosynthesis, respiration, calcification and carbonate dissolution and the resulting diel cycle of pH and pCO2 in the reefs of Bahía Culebra. During the non-upwelling season, the aragonite saturation state (Ωa) rises to values of > 3.3 and during the upwelling season falls below 2.5. The Ωa threshold values for coral growth were derived from the correlation between measured Ωa and coral linear extension rates which were obtained from the literature and suggest that future ocean acidification will threaten the continued growth of reefs in Bahía Culebra. These data contribute to building a better understanding of the carbonate system dynamics and coral reefs' key response (e.g. coral growth) to natural low-pH conditions, in upwelling areas in the eastern tropical Pacific and beyond.
.
Abstract.
Wizemann A, Nandini SD, Stuhldreier I, Sanchez-Noguera C, Wisshak M, Westphal H, Rixen T, Wild C, Reymond CE (2018). Rapid bioerosion in a tropical upwelling coral reef.
PLOS ONE,
13(9).
Author URL.
2017
Roth F, Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Carvalho S, Wild C (2017). Simulated overfishing and natural eutrophication promote the relative success of a non-indigenous ascidian in coral reefs at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Aquatic Invasions, 12(4), 435-446.
2015
Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Roth F, Jiménez C, Rixen T, Cortés J, Wild C (2015). Dynamics in benthic community composition and influencing factors in an upwelling-exposed coral reef on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
PeerJ,
3, e1434-e1434.
Abstract:
Dynamics in benthic community composition and influencing factors in an upwelling-exposed coral reef on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica
Seasonal upwelling at the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica offers the opportunity to investigate the effects of pronounced changes in key water parameters on fine-scale dynamics of local coral reef communities. This study monitored benthic community composition at Matapalo reef (10.539°N, 85.766°W) by weekly observations of permanent benthic quadrats from April 2013 to April 2014. Monitoring was accompanied by surveys of herbivore abundance and biomass and measurements of water temperature and inorganic nutrient concentrations. Findings revealed that the reef-building coralsPocilloporaspp. exhibited an exceptional rapid increase from 22 to 51% relative benthic cover. By contrast, turf algae cover decreased from 63 to 24%, resulting in a corresponding increase in crustose coralline algae cover. The macroalgaCaulerpa sertularioidescovered up to 15% of the reef in April 2013, disappeared after synchronized gamete release in May, and subsequently exhibited slow regrowth. Parallel monitoring of influencing factors suggest thatC. sertularioidescover was mainly regulated by their reproductive cycle, while that of turf algae was likely controlled by high abundances of herbivores. Upwelling events in February and March 2014 decreased mean daily seawater temperatures by up to 7 °C and increased nutrient concentrations up to 5- (phosphate) and 16-fold (nitrate) compared to mean values during the rest of the year. Changes in benthic community composition did not appear to correspond to the strong environmental changes, but rather shifted from turf algae to hard coral dominance over the entire year of observation. The exceptional high dynamic over the annual observation period encourages further research on the adaptation potential of coral reefs to environmental variability.
Abstract.
Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Rixen T, Cortés J, Morales A, Wild C (2015). Effects of Seasonal Upwelling on Inorganic and Organic Matter Dynamics in the Water Column of Eastern Pacific Coral Reefs. PLOS ONE, 10(11), e0142681-e0142681.
Stuhldreier I, Bastian P, Schönig E, Wild C (2015). Effects of simulated eutrophication and overfishing on algae and invertebrate settlement in a coral reef of Koh Phangan, Gulf of Thailand. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 92(1-2), 35-44.
Roth F, Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Morales-Ramírez Á, Wild C (2015). Effects of simulated overfishing on the succession of benthic algae and invertebrates in an upwelling-influenced coral reef of Pacific Costa Rica. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 468, 55-66.
Stuhldreier I, Sánchez-Noguera C, Roth F, Cortés J, Rixen T, Wild C (2015). Upwelling Increases Net Primary Production of Corals and Reef-Wide Gross Primary Production Along the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2
2014
WILD C, RIXEN T, SANCHEZ-NOGUERA C, STUHLDREIER I, JIMENEZ C, MERICO A (2014). Massive coral tissue ablations in reefs of Pacific Costa Rica. Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies, 16(1), 13-14.