Thermal refuges and refugia for stony corals in the eastern tropical Pacific
Smith, T.B.; Maté, J.L.; Gyory, J. (2016). Thermal refuges and refugia for stony corals in the eastern tropical Pacific, in: Glynn, P.W. et al. (2017). Coral reefs of the eastern tropical Pacific: Persistence and loss in a dynamic environment. Coral Reefs of the World, 8: pp. 501-515. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7499-4_17
In: Glynn, P.W.; Manzello, D.P.; Enochs, I.C. (Ed.) (2017). Coral reefs of the eastern tropical Pacific: Persistence and loss in a dynamic environment. Coral Reefs of the World, 8. Springer Science+Business Media: Dordrecht. ISBN 978-94-017-7498-7; e-ISBN 978-94-017-7499-4. xxv, 657 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7499-4, more
In: Coral Reefs of the World. Springer: Dordrecht. ISSN 2213-719X, more
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| Keywords |
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| Author keywords |
El Niño-Southern Oscillation; Coral bleaching; Extinction |
| Authors | | Top |
- Smith, T.B.
- Maté, J.L.
- Gyory, J.
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| Abstract |
Refugia could provide the essential conditions for coral and coral reef persistence in the marginal eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) by allowing corals to avoid extinction after disturbance events and by maintaining populations that can rapidly recolonize disturbed habitats. The low diversity and restricted ranges of ETP corals make them vulnerable to seawater warming caused by positive phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (El Niño). However, at spatial scales ranging from individual colonies (<10 m) to regions, (>100 km) there are areas or habitats that avoid stress or support corals that are more resistant to stress or with the capacity to recover rapidly. These habitats may form a network of refugia that ensures coral persistence through severe disturbance. This chapter explores evidence for the existence of refugia at multiple spatial and temporal scales across the ETP, with recent examples showing refugia may be common and perhaps even necessary for many species to survive the highly fluctuating environment in this eastern Pacific tropical ocean basin. |
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