Location, location, location: Proximity to the mainland determines how coral reef communities resp...
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_706131_en.htmlLocation, location, location: Proximity to the mainland determines how coral reef communities respond to major environmental disturbances
Severe weather and environmental disturbances, such as cyclones or thermal coral bleaching, affect specific areas of coral reefs differently, new research has shown.
The research studied three specific areas of the GBR the inner reefs closest to the mainland, middle-shelf reefs, and outer-shelf reefs, where the continental shelf drops off into the Coral Sea. Surveys of fish and coral reef habitat were made both five years before and six months after two severe cyclones and a mass coral bleaching event.
While each region was impacted by the disturbances, the research showed that the number of seaweed-eating fish increased on the middle and outer shelf areas, but not in the areas closest to the coast.
The paper
Cross-shelf Differences in the Response of Herbivorous Fish Assemblages to Severe Environmental Disturbances is the featured cover article in the forthcoming issue of the journal Diversity.
Date: 22 February 2019