Dead but not forgotten: complexity of Acropora palmata colonies increases with greater composition of dead coral.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs are highly biodiverse ecosystems that have declined due to natural and anthropogenic stressors. Researchers often attribute reef ecological processes to corals' complex structure, but effective conservation requires disentangling the contributions of coral versus reef structures. Many studies assessing the relationships between reef structure and ecological dynamics commonly use live coral as a proxy for reef complexity, disregarding the contribution of dead coral skeletons to reef habitat provision or other biogeochemical reef dynamics. This study aimed to assess the contribution of dead coral to reef complexity by examining structural variations in live and dead Acropora palmata colonies. We used photogrammetry to reconstruct digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthomo

SUBMITTER: Engleman A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10576496 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature