Comments on: Doom and Boom on a Resilient Reef: Climate Change, Algal Overgrowth and Coral Recovery http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426 A blog about science, climate change, politics, coral reefs, and the environment Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:38:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Julie Scopélitis http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426&cpage=1#comment-1677 Julie Scopélitis Mon, 18 May 2009 04:25:51 +0000 http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426#comment-1677 oups sorry... Scopélitis, J., Andréfouët, S., Phinn, S., Chabanet, P., Naim, O., Tourrand, C.,Done, T. Changes of coral communities over 35 years: Integrating in situ and remote sensing data on Saint-Leu Reef (la Réunion, Indian Ocean), Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (2009), doi: 10.1016/ j.ecss.2009.04.030 oups sorry…

Scopélitis, J., Andréfouët, S., Phinn, S., Chabanet, P., Naim, O., Tourrand, C.,Done, T. Changes of coral communities over 35 years: Integrating in situ and remote sensing data on Saint-Leu Reef (la Réunion, Indian Ocean), Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (2009), doi: 10.1016/ j.ecss.2009.04.030

]]> By: Julie Scopélitis http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426&cpage=1#comment-1676 Julie Scopélitis Mon, 18 May 2009 03:50:11 +0000 http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426#comment-1676 All those dynamics are very interesting and quite brightening indeed. Another study mentions a local case of phase-shift reversal observed in the Indian Ocean after 5 years of post-cyclone algal dominance. The reasons of this phenomenon still remain unclear for several favorable factors might have been combined. Scopélitis et al., in press. Changes of coral communities over 35 years: Integrating in situ and remote sensing data on Saint-Leu Reef (la Réunion, Indian Ocean). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (2009), doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2009.04.030 (proofed version of the paper will be available soon) Hopefully the aforementioned reversals will remain stable in time. A recent work shows that it was unfortunately not the case at Dairy Bull where recovered corals did not survive the 2005 bleaching. Quinn and Kojis, 2008. The recent collapse of a rapid phase-shift reversal on a Jamaican north coast coral reef after the 2005 bleaching event. Rev.Biol.Trop.(int.J.Trop.Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol 56 (Suppl.1) 149-159, May 2008. All those dynamics are very interesting and quite brightening indeed.

Another study mentions a local case of phase-shift reversal observed in the Indian Ocean after 5 years of post-cyclone algal dominance. The reasons of this phenomenon still remain unclear for several favorable factors might have been combined.
Scopélitis et al., in press. Changes of coral communities over 35 years: Integrating in situ and remote sensing data on
Saint-Leu Reef (la Réunion, Indian Ocean). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (2009), doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2009.04.030
(proofed version of the paper will be available soon)

Hopefully the aforementioned reversals will remain stable in time.

A recent work shows that it was unfortunately not the case at Dairy Bull where recovered corals did not survive the 2005 bleaching.
Quinn and Kojis, 2008. The recent collapse of a rapid phase-shift reversal on a Jamaican north coast coral reef after the 2005 bleaching event. Rev.Biol.Trop.(int.J.Trop.Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol 56 (Suppl.1) 149-159, May 2008.

]]> By: Weekly PLoS ONE News and Blog Round-Up « everyONE - the PLoS ONE community blog http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426&cpage=1#comment-1272 Weekly PLoS ONE News and Blog Round-Up « everyONE - the PLoS ONE community blog Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:07:25 +0000 http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426#comment-1272 [...] to recover rapidly following coral bleaching events. One of the authors, Jez Roff, posted a great write-up of the study on the Climate Shifts [...] [...] to recover rapidly following coral bleaching events. One of the authors, Jez Roff, posted a great write-up of the study on the Climate Shifts [...]

]]> By: Albert Norström http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426&cpage=1#comment-1273 Albert Norström Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:42:57 +0000 http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426#comment-1273 Yes, you're absolutely correct John. I forgot the Dairy Bull case, probably due to the excitement of reading Guillermos paper and firing off a quick response on the blog. Yes, you’re absolutely correct John. I forgot the Dairy Bull case, probably due to the excitement of reading Guillermos paper and firing off a quick response on the blog.

]]> By: John Bruno http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426&cpage=1#comment-1275 John Bruno Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:37:54 +0000 http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426#comment-1275 I think our Dairy Bull Jamaica story (Idjadi et al 2006) is indeed an example of a phase shift reversal. After being largely replaced by macroalgae in the 1980s and 1990, coral cover rebounded to about 55% by 2004. We don't know what coral cover was at that site before the phase shift. It could have been higher, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was indeed 50-70% ish. Since Caribbean reefs lack plating coral species, coral cover is rarely higher than that. In the Dairy Bull case, herbivory, namely the return of Diadema (urchins), was an important factor driving the reversal, at least in reducing macroalgal biomass. Although I doubt that urchins played much of a role the coral recovery. I think our Dairy Bull Jamaica story (Idjadi et al 2006) is indeed an example of a phase shift reversal. After being largely replaced by macroalgae in the 1980s and 1990, coral cover rebounded to about 55% by 2004. We don’t know what coral cover was at that site before the phase shift. It could have been higher, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was indeed 50-70% ish. Since Caribbean reefs lack plating coral species, coral cover is rarely higher than that. In the Dairy Bull case, herbivory, namely the return of Diadema (urchins), was an important factor driving the reversal, at least in reducing macroalgal biomass. Although I doubt that urchins played much of a role the coral recovery.

]]> By: Albert Norström http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426&cpage=1#comment-1274 Albert Norström Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:30:50 +0000 http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426#comment-1274 This is great and a pretty amazing story. As far as I know this is the first "complete" reversal of a phase shift - all other oft-cited cases do not include a full recovery to pre-shift coral cover! It reminds me of a paper (that should be getting more attention) from 2006 by Stimson and Conklin (Potential reversal of a phase shift: the rapid decrease in the cover of the invasive green macroalga Dictyosphaeria cavernosa Forsskål on coral reefs in Kāne‘ohe Bay, Oahu, Hawai‘i. Coral Reefs 27 (4): 717-726) - where decades of constant high abundances of macroalgae on the reef slopes og Kaneohe Bay declined dramatically throughout the bay during a few months of 2006. The decrease was the result of an unusually protracted cloudy, rainy period in March 2006, which reduced irradiance and caused the alga to lose weight. Again, two cases of rapid macroalgal decline on reefs that have undergone phase shifts without any (recorded) influence of the classic driver of herbivory. This is great and a pretty amazing story. As far as I know this is the first “complete” reversal of a phase shift – all other oft-cited cases do not include a full recovery to pre-shift coral cover! It reminds me of a paper (that should be getting more attention) from 2006 by Stimson and Conklin (Potential reversal of a phase shift: the rapid decrease in the cover of the invasive green macroalga Dictyosphaeria cavernosa Forsskål on coral reefs in Kāne‘ohe Bay, Oahu, Hawai‘i. Coral Reefs 27 (4): 717-726) – where decades of constant high abundances of macroalgae on the reef slopes og Kaneohe Bay declined dramatically throughout the bay during a few months of 2006. The decrease was the result of an unusually protracted cloudy, rainy period in March 2006, which reduced irradiance and caused the alga to lose weight.

Again, two cases of rapid macroalgal decline on reefs that have undergone phase shifts without any (recorded) influence of the classic driver of herbivory.

]]> By: JB http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426&cpage=1#comment-1276 JB Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:28:41 +0000 http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=1426#comment-1276 Great paper in PLoS One! Congratulations to Guillermo and his coauthors. I have to admit, this and several other good news papers about reef recovery are brightening my personal outlook about the future of reefs. Great paper in PLoS One! Congratulations to Guillermo and his coauthors.

I have to admit, this and several other good news papers about reef recovery are brightening my personal outlook about the future of reefs.

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