Abstract
A comparison of the community structure of juvenile hermatypic corals of 2 to 37 m depth at the fringing reefs of Curaçao between 1975 and 2005 shows a decline of 54.7% in juvenile coral abundance and a shift in species composition. Agaricia species and Helioseris cucullata, the most common juveniles in 1975, showed the largest decline in juvenile abundance (a 9 and 120 fold decrease in density respectively) with Helioseris cucullata being nearly extirpated locally. In 2005, Porites astreoides contributed most colonies to the juvenile coral community, increasing from 8.2% (in 1975) to 19.9% of the total juvenile community. Between 1975 and 2005, juveniles of brooding species decreased in relative abundance while the abundance of juveniles of broadcast spawning species increased or remained the same. These data illustrate the magnitude of the changes that have occurred in only three decades in the composition of juvenile coral communities.
Highlights
Over the past 30 years, coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined from approximately 50% to
Both in Curaçao [3], and across the Caribbean [4,5,6], coral cover decline has been attributed to the combination of habitat degradation, sedimentation, and eutrophication that result from local industrial activity and near-shore residential and tourist developments
While the decline in coral cover has been documented for reef systems around the world [7], other changes to coral community structure are less well documented, largely due the absence of long-term studies and relevant historic information
Summary
Over the past 30 years, coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined from approximately 50% to. Variability in recruitment across several decades (i.e., between 1963 and 1992) has been quantified in the Pacific (Great Barrier Reef: [15]; Hawaii: [17]) but a decline in recruitment rates following changes in adult abundance was not observed. On the Great Barrier Reef local recruitment rates depended primarily on the availability of open space [15], whereas in Hawaii they depended on adult cover in the preceding year [17]. Such seemingly conflicting observations can be explained by differences in the open/closed nature of the study system under consideration [18]. Uniquely detailed historical ecological data on juvenile corals, we quantify the changes that have occurred in the abundance and composition of Caribbean juvenile coral communities over a thirty year period
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
