Differential Response of Coral Assemblages to Thermal Stress Underscores the Complexity in Predicting Bleaching Susceptibility.

Loke Ming Chou,Kok Ben Toh,Rosa Celia Poquita Du,Karenne Tun,Tiancheng Song,Jinghan Li,Lutfi Afiq-Rosli,Tai Chong Toh,Eugene Goh,Daisuke Taira,Chin Soon Lionel Ng,Aizat Khalis,Hai Xin Loke,Patrick Cabaitan,Chaolun Allen Chen

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159755

Loke Ming Chou, Kok Ben Toh + Show 13 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159755

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Abstract

Coral bleaching events have been predicted to occur more frequently in the coming decades with global warming. The susceptibility of corals to bleaching during thermal stress episodes is dependent on many factors and an understanding of these underlying drivers is crucial for conservation management. In 2013, a mild bleaching episode ensued in response to elevated sea temperature on the sediment-burdened reefs in Singapore. Surveys of seven sites highlighted variable bleaching susceptibility among coral genera–Pachyseris and Podabacia were the most impacted (31% of colonies of both genera bleached). The most susceptible genera such as Acropora and Pocillopora, which were expected to bleach, did not. Susceptibility varied between less than 6% and more than 11% of the corals bleached, at four and three sites respectively. Analysis of four of the most bleached genera revealed that a statistical model that included a combination of the factors (genus, colony size and site) provided a better explanation of the observed bleaching patterns than any single factor alone. This underscored the complexity in predicting the coral susceptibility to future thermal stress events and the importance of monitoring coral bleaching episodes to facilitate more effective management of coral reefs under climate change.

Highlights

Thermal stress events that cause disturbances to natural ecosystems are predicted to occur every ten to twenty years [1,2]
Severe thermal stress leading to major bleaching events has been linked to large-scale coral mortality [5] and a rapid loss of reef ecosystem function [2]
Thermal stress events that are milder can cause bleaching across reefs, albeit on a smaller scale [16]

Summary

Introduction

Thermal stress events that cause disturbances to natural ecosystems are predicted to occur every ten to twenty years [1,2]. Prolonged elevation of sea temperatures exerts tremendous stress on coral reefs, and scleractinian corals are especially susceptible to such impacts. Complexity in Predicting Bleaching Susceptibility in the form of salaries for EG, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section

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