Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast
Monitoring changes in coral cover and composition through space and time can provide insights to reef health and assist the focus of management and conservation efforts. We used a meta-analytical approach to assess coral cover data across latitudes 10–35uS along the west Australian coast, including...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Public Library of Science
2013
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| Online Access: | http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069863#pone-0069863-g005 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44213 |
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| author | Speed, C. Babcock, R. Bancroft, K. Beckley, L. Bellchambers, L. Depczynski, M. Field, S. Friedman, K. Gilmour, J. Hobbs, Jean-Paul Kobryn, H. Moore, J. Nutt, C. Shedrawi, G. Thomson, D. wilson, S. |
| author_facet | Speed, C. Babcock, R. Bancroft, K. Beckley, L. Bellchambers, L. Depczynski, M. Field, S. Friedman, K. Gilmour, J. Hobbs, Jean-Paul Kobryn, H. Moore, J. Nutt, C. Shedrawi, G. Thomson, D. wilson, S. |
| author_sort | Speed, C. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Monitoring changes in coral cover and composition through space and time can provide insights to reef health and assist the focus of management and conservation efforts. We used a meta-analytical approach to assess coral cover data across latitudes 10–35uS along the west Australian coast, including 25 years of data from the Ningaloo region. Current estimates of coral cover ranged between 3 and 44% in coral habitats. Coral communities in the northern regions were dominated by corals from the families Acroporidae and Poritidae, which became less common at higher latitudes. At Ningaloo Reef coral cover has remained relatively stable through time (,28%), although north-eastern and southern areas have experienced significant declines in overall cover. These declines are likely related to periodic disturbances such as cyclones and thermal anomalies, which were particularly noticeable around 1998/1999 and 2010/2011. Linear mixed effects models (LME) suggest latitude explains 10% of the deviance in coral cover through time at Ningaloo. Acroporidae has decreased in abundance relative to other common families at Ningaloo in the south, which might be related to persistence of more thermally and mechanically tolerant families. We identify regions where quantitative time-series data on coral cover and composition are lacking, particularly in north-western Australia. Standardising routine monitoring methods used by management and research agencies at these, and other locations, would allow a more robust assessment of coral condition and a better basis for conservation of coral reefs. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:20:04Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-44213 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:20:04Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-442132017-02-28T01:48:37Z Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast Speed, C. Babcock, R. Bancroft, K. Beckley, L. Bellchambers, L. Depczynski, M. Field, S. Friedman, K. Gilmour, J. Hobbs, Jean-Paul Kobryn, H. Moore, J. Nutt, C. Shedrawi, G. Thomson, D. wilson, S. coral reef environmental monitoring seashore nonhuman article Acroporidae Poritidae temperature acclimatization Australia latitude population abundance hurricane species habitat Monitoring changes in coral cover and composition through space and time can provide insights to reef health and assist the focus of management and conservation efforts. We used a meta-analytical approach to assess coral cover data across latitudes 10–35uS along the west Australian coast, including 25 years of data from the Ningaloo region. Current estimates of coral cover ranged between 3 and 44% in coral habitats. Coral communities in the northern regions were dominated by corals from the families Acroporidae and Poritidae, which became less common at higher latitudes. At Ningaloo Reef coral cover has remained relatively stable through time (,28%), although north-eastern and southern areas have experienced significant declines in overall cover. These declines are likely related to periodic disturbances such as cyclones and thermal anomalies, which were particularly noticeable around 1998/1999 and 2010/2011. Linear mixed effects models (LME) suggest latitude explains 10% of the deviance in coral cover through time at Ningaloo. Acroporidae has decreased in abundance relative to other common families at Ningaloo in the south, which might be related to persistence of more thermally and mechanically tolerant families. We identify regions where quantitative time-series data on coral cover and composition are lacking, particularly in north-western Australia. Standardising routine monitoring methods used by management and research agencies at these, and other locations, would allow a more robust assessment of coral condition and a better basis for conservation of coral reefs. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44213 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069863#pone-0069863-g005 Public Library of Science restricted |
| spellingShingle | coral reef environmental monitoring seashore nonhuman article Acroporidae Poritidae temperature acclimatization Australia latitude population abundance hurricane species habitat Speed, C. Babcock, R. Bancroft, K. Beckley, L. Bellchambers, L. Depczynski, M. Field, S. Friedman, K. Gilmour, J. Hobbs, Jean-Paul Kobryn, H. Moore, J. Nutt, C. Shedrawi, G. Thomson, D. wilson, S. Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast |
| title | Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast |
| title_full | Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast |
| title_fullStr | Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast |
| title_short | Dynamic Stability of Coral Reefs on the West Australian Coast |
| title_sort | dynamic stability of coral reefs on the west australian coast |
| topic | coral reef environmental monitoring seashore nonhuman article Acroporidae Poritidae temperature acclimatization Australia latitude population abundance hurricane species habitat |
| url | http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069863#pone-0069863-g005 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44213 |