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Calcification of coral assemblages in the eastern Pacific: reshuffling calcification scenarios under climate change

Calcification of coral assemblages in the eastern Pacific: reshuffling calcification scenarios under climate change
Calcification of coral assemblages in the eastern Pacific: reshuffling calcification scenarios under climate change

The rearrangement of coral assemblages may produce significant changes in coral community calcification, yet it is not understood how the modification of community structure in depauperate areas under climate change scenarios may affect reef functionality. Observed coral community calcification (OCC) was calculated using coral cover data from 126 sites across the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP). To assess the effect that species assemblages exert on potential coral community calcification (PCC) of ETP reefs, we implemented a novel permutation approach for this purpose. We contrasted OCC across the ETP against the PCC of hypothetical monospecific and maximum ecological evenness (ME) ETP reefs and monogeneric Indo-Pacific (IP) and Caribbean (C) reefs. Average coral cover (21 ± 23%; mean ± SD) and OCC (8.23 ± 11.32 kg m−2 yr−1; mean ± SD) in the ETP were not related to species richness but to Pocillopora abundance and calcification. For any level of coral abundance or species richness, the permutation model indicates that PCC depends on community structure: the PCC of Pocillopora monospecific reefs reaches its maximum; PCC drops to half of its potential when ME is attained; and PCC reaches its minimum when slow-growing species turn dominant. A dynamic model with changing community structure based on the differential species tolerance to climate change showed a similar pattern as the permutation model. ETP Pocillopora reefs have lower PCC than IP Acropora, IP Pocillopora and C Acropora. Massive taxa are more tolerant to climate change and could replace branching taxa if environmental pressure trends in the ETP continue, meaning an ∼85% drop in PCC.

Carbonate production, Coral cover, Coral ecology, Mathematical modelling, Species turnover
1470-160X
726-734
Cabral-Tena, Rafael A.
6222c77d-4841-4f6e-bd31-4ecb0c13dc19
López-Pérez, Andrés
bf245d85-0fc8-4727-ba06-921fd1c4cae1
Reyes-Bonilla, Héctor
c4a73635-dbe7-4839-aae2-e14ae95ff14c
Calderon-Aguilera, Luis E.
0a64df94-4bc2-4766-972f-82368c575ce3
Norzagaray-López, Carlos O.
a4ce64bc-5014-46dd-b873-4899c9e22a88
Rodríguez-Zaragoza, Fabián A.
d811e212-e0b8-4997-b279-c86a25729626
Cupul-Magaña, Amilcar
bd906470-5c72-47ce-9036-ff1169fcac88
Rodríguez-Troncoso, Alma P.
25820d07-1d7a-4085-bb03-990afe845bc5
Ayala-Bocos, Arturo
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Cabral-Tena, Rafael A.
6222c77d-4841-4f6e-bd31-4ecb0c13dc19
López-Pérez, Andrés
bf245d85-0fc8-4727-ba06-921fd1c4cae1
Reyes-Bonilla, Héctor
c4a73635-dbe7-4839-aae2-e14ae95ff14c
Calderon-Aguilera, Luis E.
0a64df94-4bc2-4766-972f-82368c575ce3
Norzagaray-López, Carlos O.
a4ce64bc-5014-46dd-b873-4899c9e22a88
Rodríguez-Zaragoza, Fabián A.
d811e212-e0b8-4997-b279-c86a25729626
Cupul-Magaña, Amilcar
bd906470-5c72-47ce-9036-ff1169fcac88
Rodríguez-Troncoso, Alma P.
25820d07-1d7a-4085-bb03-990afe845bc5
Ayala-Bocos, Arturo
45e0eaaa-020b-42f7-ae36-d78b4120579b

Cabral-Tena, Rafael A., López-Pérez, Andrés, Reyes-Bonilla, Héctor, Calderon-Aguilera, Luis E., Norzagaray-López, Carlos O., Rodríguez-Zaragoza, Fabián A., Cupul-Magaña, Amilcar, Rodríguez-Troncoso, Alma P. and Ayala-Bocos, Arturo (2018) Calcification of coral assemblages in the eastern Pacific: reshuffling calcification scenarios under climate change. Ecological Indicators, 95 (Part 1), 726-734. (doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.08.021).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The rearrangement of coral assemblages may produce significant changes in coral community calcification, yet it is not understood how the modification of community structure in depauperate areas under climate change scenarios may affect reef functionality. Observed coral community calcification (OCC) was calculated using coral cover data from 126 sites across the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP). To assess the effect that species assemblages exert on potential coral community calcification (PCC) of ETP reefs, we implemented a novel permutation approach for this purpose. We contrasted OCC across the ETP against the PCC of hypothetical monospecific and maximum ecological evenness (ME) ETP reefs and monogeneric Indo-Pacific (IP) and Caribbean (C) reefs. Average coral cover (21 ± 23%; mean ± SD) and OCC (8.23 ± 11.32 kg m−2 yr−1; mean ± SD) in the ETP were not related to species richness but to Pocillopora abundance and calcification. For any level of coral abundance or species richness, the permutation model indicates that PCC depends on community structure: the PCC of Pocillopora monospecific reefs reaches its maximum; PCC drops to half of its potential when ME is attained; and PCC reaches its minimum when slow-growing species turn dominant. A dynamic model with changing community structure based on the differential species tolerance to climate change showed a similar pattern as the permutation model. ETP Pocillopora reefs have lower PCC than IP Acropora, IP Pocillopora and C Acropora. Massive taxa are more tolerant to climate change and could replace branching taxa if environmental pressure trends in the ETP continue, meaning an ∼85% drop in PCC.

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Cabral_Tena_et_al._MS_community_calcific - Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 12 August 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 August 2018
Published date: 1 December 2018
Keywords: Carbonate production, Coral cover, Coral ecology, Mathematical modelling, Species turnover

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 425401
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/425401
ISSN: 1470-160X
PURE UUID: c251c300-b9ce-4256-996f-1aa07e4965a1

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Date deposited: 17 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 04:14

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Contributors

Author: Rafael A. Cabral-Tena
Author: Andrés López-Pérez
Author: Héctor Reyes-Bonilla
Author: Luis E. Calderon-Aguilera
Author: Carlos O. Norzagaray-López
Author: Fabián A. Rodríguez-Zaragoza
Author: Amilcar Cupul-Magaña
Author: Alma P. Rodríguez-Troncoso
Author: Arturo Ayala-Bocos

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