Intraspecific Variation in Growth Rates is a Poor Predictor of Fitness for Reef Corals

Abstract

Given the losses of coral on present-day reefs, and a poor prognosis for recovery, it is important to understand the factors promoting coral success. Identification of “winning” corals provides insight into the phenotypes that might populate future reefs, and it creates the opportunity for restoration by propagating “winning” colonies. On reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, annual growth of coral recruits over 20 years was a poor predictor of success, suggesting that the pace of environmental change exceeds the capacity for beneficial response by existing genotypes. It may be better for the environment (rather than humans) to pick winning corals. These photographs illustrate the article “Intraspecific variation in growth rate is a poor predictor of fitness for reef corals” by P. J. Edmunds, published in Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1912