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Assessing evidence of phase shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance on coral reefs
Author(s) -
Bruno John F.,
Sweatman Hugh,
Precht William F.,
Selig Elizabeth R.,
Schutte Virginia G. W.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/08-1781.1
Subject(s) - reef , coral reef , environmental issues with coral reefs , resilience of coral reefs , coral , coral reef organizations , dominance (genetics) , aquaculture of coral , coral reef protection , ecology , benthic zone , oceanography , fringing reef , fishery , biology , geography , geology , biochemistry , gene
Many marine scientists have concluded that coral reefs are moving toward or are locked into a seaweed‐dominated state. However, because there have been no regional‐ or global‐scale analyses of such coral reef “phase shifts,” the magnitude of this phenomenon was unknown. We analyzed 3581 quantitative surveys of 1851 reefs performed between 1996 and 2006 to determine the frequency, geographical extent, and degree of macroalgal dominance of coral reefs and of coral to macroalgal phase shifts around the world. Our results indicate that the replacement of corals by macroalgae as the dominant benthic functional group is less common and less geographically extensive than assumed. Although we found evidence of moderate local increases in macroalgal cover, particularly in the Caribbean, only 4% of reefs were dominated by macroalgae (i.e., >50% cover). Across the Indo‐Pacific, where regional averages of macroalgal cover were 9–12%, macroalgae only dominated 1% of the surveyed reefs. Between 1996 and 2006, phase shift severity decreased in the Caribbean, did not change in the Florida Keys and Indo‐Pacific, and increased slightly on the Great Barrier Reef due to moderate coral loss. Coral reef ecosystems appear to be more resistant to macroalgal blooms than assumed, which has important implications for reef management.