Journal article
Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the West Australian coast
PLoS ONE, Vol.8(7), e69863
2013
Abstract
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 10-35°S 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.
Details
- Title
- Dynamic stability of coral reefs on the West Australian coast
- Authors/Creators
- C.W. Speed (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, AustraliaR.C. Babcock (Author/Creator) - CSIRO Oceans and AtmosphereK.P. Bancroft (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, AustraliaL.E. Beckley (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityL.M. Bellchambers (Author/Creator) - Government of Western AustraliaM. Depczynski (Author/Creator) - Australian Institute of Marine ScienceS.N. Field (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, AustraliaK.J. Friedman (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, AustraliaJ.P. Gilmour (Author/Creator) - Australian Institute of Marine ScienceJ.A. Hobbs (Author/Creator)H.T. Kobryn (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityJ.A.Y. Moore (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, AustraliaC.D. Nutt (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, AustraliaG. Shedrawi (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, AustraliaD.P. Thomson (Author/Creator) - CSIRO Oceans and AtmosphereS.K. Wilson (Author/Creator) - Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Marine Science Program, Kensington, Western Australia, Australia
- Publication Details
- PLoS ONE, Vol.8(7), e69863
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science
- Identifiers
- 991005543453707891
- Copyright
- © 2013 Speed et al.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Note
- This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.2 Marine Biology
- 3.2.570 Coral Reef Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology