Seabirds boost coral reef resilience
Seabirds boost coral reef resilience
Global climate change threatens tropical coral reefs, yet local management can influence resilience. While increasing anthropogenic nutrients reduce coral resistance and recovery, it is unknown how the loss, or restoration, of natural nutrient flows affects reef recovery. Here, we test how natural seabird-derived nutrient subsidies, which are threatened by invasive rats, influence the mechanisms and patterns of reef recovery following an extreme marine heatwave using multiyear field experiments, repeated surveys, and Bayesian modeling. Corals transplanted from rat to seabird islands quickly assimilated seabird-derived nutrients, fully acclimating to new nutrient conditions within 3 years. Increased seabird-derived nutrients, in turn, caused a doubling of coral growth rates both within individuals and across entire reefs. Seabirds were also associated with faster recovery time of Acropora coral cover (<4 years) and more dynamic recovery trajectories of entire benthic communities. We conclude that restoring seabird populations and associated nutrient pathways may foster greater coral reef resilience through enhanced growth and recovery rates of corals.
Animals, Rats, Coral Reefs, Bayes Theorem, Resilience, Psychological, Anthozoa, Birds, Ecosystem
Benkwitt, Cassandra E.
323cfd7d-00a7-4ddd-9c0c-a43466536869
D'Angelo, Cecilia
0d35b03b-684d-43aa-a57a-87212ab07ee1
Dunn, Ruth E.
ff74e894-c0aa-4d3f-874f-7ee8539302a5
Gunn, Rachel L.
9b3d38d4-5496-49cc-bc78-959c3d9a48de
Healing, Samuel
24077b21-b48f-47e9-8700-119b7408651e
Mardones, M. Loreto
58972563-9548-4d03-97df-0dbbd7970009
Wiedenmann, Joerg
ad445af2-680f-4927-90b3-589ac9d538f7
Wilson, Shaun K.
495f13f7-8ddf-4116-9ec6-ed07e716de3c
Graham, Nicholas A.J.
4eda0d3e-7ad0-4d61-8cc8-656c2f666526
8 December 2023
Benkwitt, Cassandra E.
323cfd7d-00a7-4ddd-9c0c-a43466536869
D'Angelo, Cecilia
0d35b03b-684d-43aa-a57a-87212ab07ee1
Dunn, Ruth E.
ff74e894-c0aa-4d3f-874f-7ee8539302a5
Gunn, Rachel L.
9b3d38d4-5496-49cc-bc78-959c3d9a48de
Healing, Samuel
24077b21-b48f-47e9-8700-119b7408651e
Mardones, M. Loreto
58972563-9548-4d03-97df-0dbbd7970009
Wiedenmann, Joerg
ad445af2-680f-4927-90b3-589ac9d538f7
Wilson, Shaun K.
495f13f7-8ddf-4116-9ec6-ed07e716de3c
Graham, Nicholas A.J.
4eda0d3e-7ad0-4d61-8cc8-656c2f666526
Benkwitt, Cassandra E., D'Angelo, Cecilia, Dunn, Ruth E., Gunn, Rachel L., Healing, Samuel, Mardones, M. Loreto, Wiedenmann, Joerg, Wilson, Shaun K. and Graham, Nicholas A.J.
(2023)
Seabirds boost coral reef resilience.
Science Advances, 9 (49), [eadj0390].
(doi:10.1126/sciadv.adj0390).
Abstract
Global climate change threatens tropical coral reefs, yet local management can influence resilience. While increasing anthropogenic nutrients reduce coral resistance and recovery, it is unknown how the loss, or restoration, of natural nutrient flows affects reef recovery. Here, we test how natural seabird-derived nutrient subsidies, which are threatened by invasive rats, influence the mechanisms and patterns of reef recovery following an extreme marine heatwave using multiyear field experiments, repeated surveys, and Bayesian modeling. Corals transplanted from rat to seabird islands quickly assimilated seabird-derived nutrients, fully acclimating to new nutrient conditions within 3 years. Increased seabird-derived nutrients, in turn, caused a doubling of coral growth rates both within individuals and across entire reefs. Seabirds were also associated with faster recovery time of Acropora coral cover (<4 years) and more dynamic recovery trajectories of entire benthic communities. We conclude that restoring seabird populations and associated nutrient pathways may foster greater coral reef resilience through enhanced growth and recovery rates of corals.
Text
sciadv.adj0390
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 3 November 2023
Published date: 8 December 2023
Keywords:
Animals, Rats, Coral Reefs, Bayes Theorem, Resilience, Psychological, Anthozoa, Birds, Ecosystem
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 491788
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/491788
ISSN: 2375-2548
PURE UUID: 6522ccf6-439f-4928-a226-be9971a06fad
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 04 Jul 2024 16:34
Last modified: 12 Jul 2024 01:44
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Cassandra E. Benkwitt
Author:
Ruth E. Dunn
Author:
Rachel L. Gunn
Author:
Samuel Healing
Author:
M. Loreto Mardones
Author:
Shaun K. Wilson
Author:
Nicholas A.J. Graham
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
