Article Summaries | Reef Resilience

Contrasting Patterns of Coral Bleaching Susceptibility in 2010 Suggest an Adaptive Response to Thermal Stress

by reefres | Oct 20, 2014

Guest et al. (2012) examine the bleaching and mortality responses of corals at sites in Southeast Asia with different thermal histories during a large-scale bleaching event in 2010 to explore whether corals have the capacity to adapt to elevated sea temperatures. They...

How Are Our MPAs Doing? Challenges in Assessing Global Patterns in Marine Protected Area Performance

by reefres | Oct 20, 2014

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are established for a variety of reasons including: protecting marine biodiversity and habitats from degradation, replenishing depleted fish populations, regulating tourism and recreation, accommodating conflicting resource uses, and...

Invasive Lionfish in the Marketplace: Challenges and Opportunities

by reefres | Oct 20, 2014

Since the 1980s, invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish have spread throughout the western Atlantic and Caribbean, threatening biodiversity and native reef fish, which are the livelihood of local cultures and economies. During the 66th annual meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean...

Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, Executive Summary

by reefres | Aug 4, 2014

Since the early 1980s Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses of corals. Impacts from human population growth, overfishing, coastal pollution, global warming and invasive species have resulted in decrease of coral populations, increases of seaweeds,...

Designing Marine Reserves for Fisheries Management, Biodiversity Conservation, and Climate Change Adaptation

by reefres | Jul 9, 2014

Coral reef ecosystem goods and services, such as fisheries, are threatened by local and global stressors. Effectively designed and managed marine reserve networks (areas closed to all extractive uses) can reduce local threats and build resilience of coral reefs. This...

The Effectiveness of Coral Reefs for Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction and Adaptation

by reefres | Jul 8, 2014

A global meta-analysis revealed that coral reefs reduce wave energy on coastlines by 97% on average, with the reef crest responsible for attenuating 86% of the energy. Coral reef restoration projects were found to cost significantly less, $1290 USD per meter (median...

Experiment Mimics Fishing on Parrotfish: Insights on Coral Reef Recovery and Alternative Attractors

by reefres | Jul 8, 2014

Alternative stable states and phase shifts of coral- to algae- dominated systems has been observed on Caribbean coral reefs with little or no signs of recovery. To better understand the mechanism by which depletion of herbivores leads to a loss of coral, large...

Time Preferences and the Management of Coral Reef Fisheries

by reefres | Jul 8, 2014

To better understand resource use patterns in Curaçao and Bonaire in the southeast Caribbean, the authors conducted a socioeconomic study of the time preferences and marine management preferences of local SCUBA divers and fishers. Through interviews with 197 divers...

Chronic Nutrient Enrichment Increases Prevalence and Severity of Coral Disease and Bleaching

by reefres | Jul 7, 2014

After exposing test plots in the Florida Keys, USA to increased nutrients (at levels equivalent to nutrient input from onshore sources), researchers found that increased nutrient levels led to increased prevalence and severity of coral diseases and coral bleaching....

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Wary? Effect of Repeated Culling on the Behaviour of an Invasive Predator

by Cherie Wagner | May 19, 2014

Researchers in the Bahamas found that lionfish on culled reefs altered their behavior. They were less active and hid deeper during the day, when culling took place. This led them to hunt more often during dawn and dusk, which is also when their prey are more active....

Global Conservation Outcomes Depend on Marine Protected Areas With Five Key Features

by Cherie Wagner | May 19, 2014

Dr. Graham Edgar and his 24 co-authors stirred up the marine conservation world with their recent article in which they review 87 MPAs at 964 sites (in 40 countries) around the world using data generated by the authors and trained recreational divers. Their overall...

Monitoring Herbivorous Fishes as Indicators of Coral Reef Resilience in American Samoa

by Cherie Wagner | May 19, 2014

The authors explored the facilitation of herbivore functional groups (large excavators/bioeroders and scrapers/small excavators, parrotfishes in both cases) in coral and crustose coralline algae settlement, growth, and survival. They also investigated whether pooling...

Caught in the Middle: Combined Impacts of Shark Removal and Coral Loss on the Fish Communities of Coral Reefs

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

Researchers used long-term monitored reefs off the coast of north-western Australia to understand how fishing changed shark communities in coral reef ecosystems. Two uninhabitated areas with atoll-like reefs with differing management regimes, closed marine protected...

Mass Coral Bleaching in 2010 in the Southern Caribbean

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

The authors, Alemu and Clement, monitored the bleaching response at 3 sites across Tobago during a bleaching event in 2010. The purpose was to find nodes of reef resilience in Tobago by identifying taxa resilient to bleaching. This will assist local coral reef...

Opposite Latitudinal Gradients in Projected Ocean Acidification and Bleaching Impacts on Coral Reefs

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

A new Google Earth tool contains the most recent projections of coral bleaching and ocean acidification for all coral reef areas. The projections are based on climate models from the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report. Using this tool, managers can go to areas of interest...

Modelling Coral Reef Futures to Inform Management: Can Reducing Local-Scale Stressors Conserve Reefs under Climate Change?

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

A lack of understanding of the impacts of multiple stressors on coral reefs in a changing climate and the most effective management strategies was addressed in a recent paper using a simulation model. Researchers validated the model at four sites in Bolinao, the...

Catch Rates, Composition and Fish Size from Reefs Managed with Periodically-Harvested Closures

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

Can periodically-harvested closures provide benefits to small-scale multi-species fisheries? This is the question the researchers, Cohen and Alexander sought to test in the Solomon Islands. They found that 6 of 8 finfish species harvested from closures were larger...

Managing Resilience to Reverse Phase Shifts in Coral Reefs

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

In this article, the authors advocate for managing resilience of degrading ecosystems to reverse phase shifts from a macro-algal state back to a coral state, however they assert that it is unlikely that coral reefs will ever return to a pristine state. They suggest...

Global Assessment of the Status of Coral Reef Herbivorous Fishes: Evidence for Fishing Effects

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

The authors conducted a large-scale synthesis of data to assess the global status of herbivorous fish. They found much higher biomass (2 times higher) in un-fished areas, and also much higher biomass in certain regions (central Pacific) compared to the Caribbean. They...

The 2nd Annual Coral Reef Conservation and Management Conference

by reefres | Apr 2, 2014

This document provides a written summary of the talks presented. The summaries are organized chronologically with a paragraph describing each speaker. Powerpoint slides of the presentations are not available to the general public. Please contact the speakers...

Contrasting Patterns of Coral Bleaching Susceptibility in 2010 Suggest an Adaptive Response to Thermal Stress

How Are Our MPAs Doing? Challenges in Assessing Global Patterns in Marine Protected Area Performance

Invasive Lionfish in the Marketplace: Challenges and Opportunities

Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, Executive Summary

Designing Marine Reserves for Fisheries Management, Biodiversity Conservation, and Climate Change Adaptation

The Effectiveness of Coral Reefs for Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction and Adaptation

Experiment Mimics Fishing on Parrotfish: Insights on Coral Reef Recovery and Alternative Attractors

Time Preferences and the Management of Coral Reef Fisheries

Chronic Nutrient Enrichment Increases Prevalence and Severity of Coral Disease and Bleaching

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Wary? Effect of Repeated Culling on the Behaviour of an Invasive Predator

Global Conservation Outcomes Depend on Marine Protected Areas With Five Key Features

Monitoring Herbivorous Fishes as Indicators of Coral Reef Resilience in American Samoa

Caught in the Middle: Combined Impacts of Shark Removal and Coral Loss on the Fish Communities of Coral Reefs

Mass Coral Bleaching in 2010 in the Southern Caribbean

Opposite Latitudinal Gradients in Projected Ocean Acidification and Bleaching Impacts on Coral Reefs

Modelling Coral Reef Futures to Inform Management: Can Reducing Local-Scale Stressors Conserve Reefs under Climate Change?

Catch Rates, Composition and Fish Size from Reefs Managed with Periodically-Harvested Closures

Managing Resilience to Reverse Phase Shifts in Coral Reefs

Global Assessment of the Status of Coral Reef Herbivorous Fishes: Evidence for Fishing Effects

The 2nd Annual Coral Reef Conservation and Management Conference

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