Premium
Marine reserves help coastal ecosystems cope with extreme weather
Author(s) -
Olds Andrew D.,
Pitt Kylie A.,
Maxwell Paul S.,
Babcock Russell C.,
Rissik David,
Connolly Rod M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.12606
Subject(s) - resilience of coral reefs , coral reef , marine reserve , reef , ecosystem , ecological resilience , flooding (psychology) , environmental science , marine ecosystem , nature reserve , ecology , climate change , flood myth , environmental issues with coral reefs , coral reef organizations , geography , environmental resource management , coral reef protection , habitat , biology , psychology , archaeology , psychotherapist
Natural ecosystems have experienced widespread degradation due to human activities. Consequently, enhancing resilience has become a primary objective for conservation. Nature reserves are a favored management tool, but we need clearer empirical tests of whether they can impart resilience. Catastrophic flooding in early 2011 impacted coastal ecosystems across eastern Australia. We demonstrate that marine reserves enhanced the capacity of coral reefs to withstand flood impacts. Reserve reefs resisted the impact of perturbation, whilst fished reefs did not. Changes on fished reefs were correlated with the magnitude of flood impact, whereas variation on reserve reefs was related to ecological variables. Herbivory and coral recruitment are critical ecological processes that underpin reef resilience, and were greater in reserves and further enhanced on reserve reefs near mangroves. The capacity of reserves to mitigate external disturbances and promote ecological resilience will be critical to resisting an increased frequency of climate‐related disturbance.