Maina, Joseph, McClanahan, T. R., Venus, Valentijn, Ateweberhan, Mebrahtu and Madin, Joshua. (2011) Global gradients of coral exposure to environmental stresses and implications for local management. PLoS One, Vol.6 (No.8). ISSN 1932-6203

Preview

PDF jWRAP_Ateweberhan_journal.pone.0023064.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader Download (1171Kb)

Abstract

Background: The decline of coral reefs globally underscores the need for a spatial assessment of their exposure to multiple environmental stressors to estimate vulnerability and evaluate potential counter-measures. Methodology/Principal Findings: This study combined global spatial gradients of coral exposure to radiation stress factors (temperature, UV light and doldrums), stress-reinforcing factors (sedimentation and eutrophication), and stress-reducing factors (temperature variability and tidal amplitude) to produce a global map of coral exposure and identify areas where exposure depends on factors that can be locally managed. A systems analytical approach was used to define interactions between radiation stress variables, stress reinforcing variables and stress reducing variables. Fuzzy logic and spatial ordinations were employed to quantify coral exposure to these stressors. Globally, corals are exposed to radiation and reinforcing stress, albeit with high spatial variability within regions. Based on ordination of exposure grades, regions group into two clusters. The first cluster was composed of severely exposed regions with high radiation and low reducing stress scores (South East Asia, Micronesia, Eastern Pacific and the central Indian Ocean) or alternatively high reinforcing stress scores (the Middle East and the Western Australia). The second cluster was composed of moderately to highly exposed regions with moderate to high scores in both radiation and reducing factors (Caribbean, Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Central Pacific, Polynesia and the western Indian Ocean) where the GBR was strongly associated with reinforcing stress. Conclusions/Significance: Despite radiation stress being the most dominant stressor, the exposure of coral reefs could be reduced by locally managing chronic human impacts that act to reinforce radiation stress. Future research and management efforts should focus on incorporating the factors that mitigate the effect of coral stressors until long-term carbon reductions are achieved through global negotiations.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- ) > Biological Sciences ( -2010) Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Corals -- Effect of stress on, Coral reef ecology, Coral reef management
Journal or Publication Title:	PLoS One
Publisher:	Public Library of Science
ISSN:	1932-6203
Date:	10 August 2011
Volume:	Vol.6
Number:	No.8
Identification Number:	10.1371/journal.pone.0023064
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Funder:	Macquarie University, Australian Research Council (ARC), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
References:	1. Hughes TP, Connell JH (1999) Multiple Stressors on Coral Reefs: A Long-Term Perspective. Limnology and Oceanography 44: 932–940. 2. Halpern SA, McLeod KL, Rosenberg AA, Crowder LB (2008) Managing for cumulative impacts in ecosystem-based management through ocean zoning. Ocean & Coastal Management 51: 203–211. 3. Sheppard CRC (2003) Predicted recurrences of mass coral mortality in the Indian Ocean. Nature 425: 294–297. 4. Carpenter KE, Abrar M, Aeby G, Aronson RB, Banks S, et al. (2008) One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts. Science 321: 560–563. 5. Veron JEN, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Lenton TM, Lough JM, Obura DO, et al. (2009) The coral reef crisis: The critical importance of 350 ppm CO2. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58: 1428–1436. 6. Hoegh-Guldberg O (1999) Climate change, coral bleaching and the future of the world’s coral reefs. Marine and Freshwater Research 50: 839–866. 7. Donner SD (2009) Coping with Commitment: Projected Thermal Stress on Coral Reefs under Different Future Scenarios. PLoS ONE 4: e5712. 8. McClanahan TR (2002) The near future of coral reefs. Environmental Conservation 29: 460–483. 9. Hughes TP, Baird AH, Bellwood DR, Card M, Connolly SR, et al. (2003) Climate Change, Human Impacts, and the Resilience of Coral Reefs. Science 301: 929–933. 10. Knowlton N, Jackson JBC (2008) Shifting Baselines, Local Impacts, and Global Change on Coral Reefs. PLoS ONE 6: e54. 11. Carilli JE, Norris RD, Black BA, Walsh SM, McField M (2009) Local Stressors Reduce Coral Resilience to Bleaching. PLoS ONE 4: e6324. 12. Wooldridge SA (2009) Water quality and coral bleaching thresholds: Formalising the linkage for the inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58: 745–751. 13. Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Folke C, Nystrom N (2004) Confronting the Coral Reef Crisis. Nature 429: 827–833. 14. Mumby PJ, Hastings A, Edwards HJ (2007) Thresholds and resilience of Caribbean coral reefs. Nature 450: 98–101. 15. Game ET, McDonald-Madden E, Puotinen MJ (2008) Should We Protect the Strong or the Weak? Risk, Resilience, and the Selection of Marine Protected Areas. Conservation Biology 22: 1619–1629. 16. Maina J, Venus V, McClanahan TR, Ateweberhan M (2008) Modelling susceptibility of coral reefs to environmental stress using remote sensing data and GIS models in the western Indian Ocean. Ecological Modelling 212: 180–199. 17. McClanahan TR, Cinner JE, Maina J, Graham NAJ, Daw T, et al. (2008) Conservation action in a changing climate. Conservation Letters 1: 53–59. 18. Baskett ML, Nisbet RM, Kappel CV, Mumby PJ, Gaine SD (2010) Conservation management approaches to protecting the capacity for corals to respond to climate change: a theoretical comparison. Global Change Biology 16: 1229–1246. 19. Baker AC, Glynn PW, Riegl B (2008) Climate change and coral reef bleaching: An ecological assessment of long-term impacts, recovery trends and future outlook. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 80: 435–471. 20. Bellwood DR, Fulton CJ (2008) Sediment-mediated suppression of herbivory on coral reefs: decreasing resilience to rising sea-levels and climate change? Limnology and Oceanography 53: 95–2701. 21. West JM, Salm RV (2003) Resistance and Resilience to Coral Bleaching: Implications for Coral Reef Conservation and Management. Conservation Biology 17: 956–967. 22. Crabbe MJC (2008) Climate change, global warming and coral reefs: Modelling the effects of temperature. Computational Biology and Chemistry 32: 311–314. 23. Selig ER, Casey KS, Bruno JF (2010) New insights into global patterns of ocean temperature anomalies: implications for coral reef health and management. Global Ecology and Biogeography 19: 397–411. 24. Houk P, Musburger C, Wiles P (2010) Water Quality and Herbivory Interactively Drive Coral- Reef Recovery Patterns in American Samoa. PLoS ONE 5: e13913. 25. Hughes TP, Graham NJ, Jackson JC, Mumby PJ, Steneck P (2010) Rising to the challenge of sustaining coral reefresilience. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 11: 633–642. 26. Adger NA (2006) Vulnerability. Global Environmental Change 16: 268–281. 27. Smit B, Wandel J (2006) Adaptation, adaptive capacity and vulnerability. Global Environmental Change 16: 282–292. 28. Meesters EH, Bak RPM, Westmacott S, Ridgley M, Dollar S (1998) A Fuzzy Model to Predict Coral Reef Development under Nutrient and Sediment Stress. Conservation Biology 12: 957–965. 29. Silvert W (1997) Ecological impact classification with fuzzy sets. Ecological Modelling 96: 1–10. 30. Baskett ML, Gaines SD, Nisbet ARM (2009) Symbiont diversity may help coral reefs survive moderate climate change. Ecological Applications 19: 3–17. 31. Zadeh LA (1965) The concept of a linguistic variable and its application to approximate reasoning. Information Science 8: 199–249. 32. Eastman JR (2003) IDRISI Kilimanjaro, Guide to GIS and Image Processing. User’s guide (ver. 14), WorcesterMA: Clark University Press. 33. Mumby PJ, Chisholm JRM, Edwards AJ, Andrefouet S, Jaubert J (2001) Cloudy weather may have saved Society Island reef corals during the 1998 ENSO event. Marine Ecology progress Series 222: 209–216. 34. Anthony KRN, Ridd PV, Orpin AR, Larcombe P, Lough J (2004) Temporal variation of light availability in coastal benthic habitats: effects of clouds, turbidity and tides. Limnology and Oceanography 49: 2201–2211. 35. Anthony KRN, Kerswell AP (2007) Coral mortality following extreme low tides and high solar radiation. Marine Biology 151: 1623–1631. 36. Dunne RP, Brown BE (1996) Penetration of solar UVB radiation in shallow tropical waters and its potential biological effects on coral reefs; results from the central Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea. Marine Ecology progress Series 144: 109–118. 37. Loya Y (1976) Effects of water turbidity and sedimentation on community structure Puerto Rican corals. Bulletin of Marine Science 26: 450–466. 38. Baird AH, Marshall PA (2002) Mortality, growth and reproduction in scleractnian corals following bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Ecology progress Series 237: 133–141. 39. Brown BE, Dunne RP, Goodson MS, Douglas AE (2002) Experience shapes the susceptibility of a reef coral to bleaching. Coral Reefs 21: 119–126. 40. Dunne RP, Brown BE (2001) The influence of solar radiation on bleaching of shallow water reef corals in the Andaman Sea 1993–1998. Coral Reefs 20: 201–210. 41. Fabricius KE (2005) Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Marine Pollution Bulletin 50: 125–146. 42. Darling ES, Cote IM (2008) Quantifying the evidence for ecological synergies. Ecology Letters 11: 1278–1286. 43. Dunne RP (2010) Synergy or antagonism - interactions between stressors on coral reefs. Coral Reefs 29: 145–152. 44. McClanahan TR, Ateweberhan M, Sebastian CR, Graham NAJ, Wilson SK, et al. (2007) Predictability of coral bleaching from synoptic satellite and in situ temperature observations. Coral Reefs 26: 695–701. 45. Bruno JF, Selig ER, Casey KS, Page CA, Willis BL, et al. (2007) Thermal stress and coral cover as drivers of coral disease outbreaks. PLoS Biology 5: e124. 46. Williams GJ, Aeby GS, Cowie ROM, Davy SK (2010) Predictive Modeling of Coral Disease Distribution within a Reef System. PLoS ONE 5: e9264. 47. Qian SS, King RS, Richardson CJ (2003) Two statistical methods for the detection of environmental thresholds. Ecological Modelling 166: 87–97. 48. Burrough P, McDonnell R (2005) Principles of Geographical Information Systems. New York: Oxford University Press. 49. Kilpatrick KA, Podesta GP, Evans R (2001) Overview of the NOAA/NASA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Pathfinder algorithm for sea surface temperature and associated matchup database. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 106: 9179–9197. 50. Wang H, Hladik CM, Huang W, Milla K, Edmiston L, et al. (2010) Detecting the spatial and temporal variability of chlorophyll-a concentration and total suspended solids in Apalachicola Bay, Florida using MODIS imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing 3: 439–453. 51. Zhao D, Xing X, Liu Y, Yang J, Wang L (2010) The relation of chlorophyll-a concentration with the reflectance peak near 700 nm in algae-dominated waters and sensitivity of fluorescence algorithms for detecting algal bloom. International Journal of Remote Sensing 31: 39–48. 52. Morel A, Prieur L (1977) Analysis of Variations in Ocean Color. Limnology and Oceanography 22: 709–722. 53. Morel A, Be´langer S (2006) Improved detection of turbid waters from ocean colour sensors information. Remote Sensing of Environment 102: 237–249. 54. Boss E, Zaneveld JRV (2003) The Effect of Bottom Substrate on Inherent Optical Properties: Evidence of Biogeochemical Processes. Limnology and Oceanography 48: 346–354. 55. Mumby PJ, Skirving W, Strong AE, Hardy JT, LeDrew EF, et al. (2004) Remote sensing of coral reefs and their physical environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin 48: 219. 56. Schroeder T, Behnert I, Schaale M, Fischer J, Doerffer R (2007) Atmospheric correction algorithm for MERIS above case-2 waters. International Journal of Remote Sensing 28: 1469–1486. 57. Zhang HM, Bates JJ, Reynolds RW (2006) Assessment of composite global sampling: Sea surface wind speed. Geophysical Research Letters 33: L17714. 58. Zhang HM, Reynolds RW, Lumpkin R, Molinari R, Arzayus K, et al. (2009) An integrated global observing system for sea surface temperature using satellites and in situ data: Research to operations. Bullettin of American Meteorological Society 90: 31–38. 59. Le Provost C, Lyard F, Molines JM, Genco ML, Rabilloud F (1998) A hydrodynamic ocean tide model improved by assimilating a satellite altimeterderived data set. Geophysical Research Letters 103: 5513–5529. 60. Lyard F, Lefevre F, Letellier T, Francis O (2006) Modelling the global ocean tides: modern insights from FES2004. Ocean Dynamics 56: 394–415. 61. Herman JR, Krotkov NA, Celarier E, Larko D, Labow G (1999) Distribution of UV radiation at the Earth’s surface from TOMS-measured UV-backscattered radiances. Geophysical Research Letters 104: 12,059–12,076. 62. Vasilkov A, Krotkov N, Herman J, McClain CR, Arrigo K, et al. (2001) Global mapping of underwater UV irradiances and DNA-weighted exposures using Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor data products. Geophysical Research Letters 106: 27,205–27,219. 63. McKinlay AF, Diffey BL (1987) A reference action spectrum for ultraviolet induced erythema in human skin, in: WR. Passchier, BFM. Bosnjakovic, eds. Human Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation:Risks and Regulations, Elsevier, Amsterdam. 64. Dunne RP (2008) The use of remotely sensed solar radiation data in modeling suscepti bility of coral reefs to environmental stress: Comment on Maina et al. [Ecol. Model. 212 (2008) 280-199]. Ecological modeling 218: 188–191. 65. Vasilkov AP, Herman JR, Ahmad Z, Kahru M, Mitchell BG (2005) Assessment of the ultraviolet radiation field in ocean waters from space-based measurements and full radiative-transfer calculations. Applied Optics 44: 2863–2869. 66. Liu X, Newchurch MJ, Kim JH (2003) Occurrence of ozone anomalies over cloudy areas in TOMS version-7 level-2 data. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 3: 187–223. 67. Parinet B, Lhote A, Legube B (2004) Principal component analysis: an appropriate tool for water quality evaluation and management-application to a tropical lake system. Ecological Modelling 178: 295–311. 68. Li A, Wang A, Liang S, Zhoua W (2006) Eco-environmental vulnerability evaluation in mountainous region using remote sensing and GIS-A case study in the upper reaches of Minjiang River, China. Ecological Modelling 192: 175–187. 69. An P, Moon WM, Rencz A (1991) Application of fuzzy set theory to integrated mineral exploration. Canadian Journal of Exploration Geophysics 27: 1–11. 70. Ateweberhan M, McClanahan TR (2010) Relationship between historical seasurface temperature variability and climate change-induced coral mortality in the western Indian Ocean. Marine Pollution Bulletin 60: 964–970. 71. Legendre P, Legendre L (1998) Numerical ecology, second English ed Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam. 72. Coles SL, Brown BE (2003) Coral bleaching - Capacity for acclimatization and adaptation. Advances in Marine Biology 46: 183–223. 73. McClanahan TR, Ateweberhan M, Omukoto J, Pearson L (2009) Recent seawater temperature histories, status, and predictions for Madagascar’s coral reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 380: 117–128. 74. Mora M (2008) A clear human footprint in the coral reefs of the Caribbean. Proceedings of Royal Society B 275: 767–773. 75. Palumbi SR (2005) Germ theory for ailing corals. Nature 434: 713–714. 76. Carreiro-Silva M, McClanahan TR, Kiene WE (2009) Effects of inorganic nutrients and organic matter on microbial euendolithic community composition and microbioerosion rates. Marine Ecology Progress Series 392: 1–15. 77. Yentsch CS, Yentsch CM, Cullen JJ, Lapointe B, Phinney DA, et al. (2002) Sunlight and water transparency: cornerstones in coral research. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 268: 171–183. 78. Wooldridge SA, Done TJ (2009) Improved water quality can ameliorate effects of climate change on corals. Ecological Applications 19: 1492–1499. 79. McClanahan TR, Obura DO (1997) Sedimentation effects on shallow coral communities in Kenya. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 209: 103–122. 80. Fleitmann D, Dunbar RB, McCulloch M, et al. (2007) East Africa soil erosion recorded in a 300 year old coral colony from Kenya. Geophysical Research Letters 34: L04401. doi: 04410.01029/02006GLO028525. 81. Rakotoarison HF (2003) Evaluation Economique des Be´ne´fices Hydrologiques du Programme Environment III a Madagascar. Me´moire de fin d’Etudes. Universite´ d’Antananarivo, Madagascar. 82. Albietz JM (2006) Watershed protection for ecosystem services in the Makira Forest Area, Madagascar: a preliminary biophysical assessment. Unpublished paper prepared for Wildlife Conservation Society, Antananarivo, Madagascar. 83. Furnas M (2003) Catchments and corals: Terrestrial runoff to the Great Barrier Reef. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland. 84. McKergow LA, Prosser PI, Hughes AO, Brodie J (2005) Sources of sediment to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Marine Pollution Bulletin 51: 200–211. 85. Cooper TF, Uthicke S, Humphrey C, Fabricius KE (2007) Gradients in water column nutrients, sediment parameters, irradiance and coral reef development in the Whitsunday Region, central Great Barrier Reef Estuarine. Coastal and Shelf Science 74: 458–470. 86. Devlin MJ, Brodie J (2005) Terrestrial discharge into the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: nutrient behaviour in coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin 5: 9–22. 87. Sheppard CRC (1999) Coral decline and weather patterns over 20 years in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean. Ambio 28: 472–478. 88. Sheppard CRC, Harris A, Sheppard ALS (2008) Archipelago-wide coral recovery patterns since 1998 in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 362: 109–117. 89. Schutte VGW, Selig ER, Bruno JF (2010) Regional spatio-temporal trends in Caribbean coral reef benthic communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 402: 115–1222. 90. Aronson RB, Macintyre IG, Precht WF, Murdoch TJT, Wapnick CM (2002) The expanding scale of species turnover events on coral reefs in Belize. Ecological Monographs 72: 233–249. 91. Gibson J, Mcfield M, Wells S (1998) Coral reef management in Belize: an approach through Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Ocean & Coastal Management 39: 229–244. 92. McClanahan TR, Muthiga NA (1998) An ecological shift in a remote coral atoll of Belize over 25 years. Environmental Conservation 25: 122–130. 93. McClanahan TR, Sala E, Stickels PA, Cokos BA, Baker AC, et al. (2003) Interaction between nutrients and herbivory in controlling algal communities and coral condition on Glover’s Reef, Belize. Marine Ecology Progress Series 261: 135–147. 94. Anthony KRN, Hoogenboom MO, Maynard JA, Grottoli AG, Middlebrook R (2009) Energetics
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/37165

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item