A new study published by oceanographers from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS) found that remote atoll coral reefs are more resilient than previously thought because of their ability to exchange larvae across the coral systems.
The AIMS news release, published on Phys.org, detailed how coral reefs are suffering from the effects of the climate crisis. Rising global temperatures can cause coral to become stressed and expel the algae that live in their tissues, leaving their white skeletons exposed.
Bleaching, the name for this process, doesn’t kill the coral but leaves it vulnerable to starvation and disease. The new study shows even isolated reefs can self-seed and make a comeback.
Researchers studied isolated atoll coral reefs — ring-shaped coral reefs, islands, or series of islets that surround a lagoon — in the Scott system of reefs off the northwest coast of Australia. The team found that the corals are able to share larvae across the reef system and recover from disturbances over a period of years.
Isolated atoll reefs are more susceptible to damage from incidents like warmer waters and increasingly severe storms because they’re not connected to other reefs, which could share new corals and help recovery.
But the new research shows that these communities are actually able to share larvae within their own systems to allow new growth, and recuperate even after multiple damaging events.
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Authors of the new study wrote, “Our findings highlight the previously overlooked role of local scale dispersal in driving recovery of isolated reef systems and emphasize the importance of targeted local management actions.”
If scientists can enhance and preserve local connectivity among the reefs, the coral systems could retain better health and build resilience. Reef systems are critical for the health of all marine ecosystems, and they help protect shore communities from storms.
Long-distance dispersal could also aid reef recovery, but more data needs to be collected on the subject. Researchers for the study noted, “Substantially more work is required to understand the role of long-distance dispersal (both from and to other reefs).”
The AIMS team used extensive modeling to incorporate ocean currents and other variables into their study. Dr. Camille Grimaldi, an AIMS research scientist, said, “Our study shows that the internal dynamics of a reef system play a key role and influence how effectively a reef can self-seed and recover from disturbances.”
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