Evidence of extensive reef development and high coral cover in nearshore environments: implications for understanding coral adaptation in turbid settings.

ABSTRACT: Mean coral cover has reportedly declined by over 15% during the last 30 years across the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Here, we present new data that documents widespread reef development within the more poorly studied turbid nearshore areas (<10 m depth), and show that coral cover on these reefs averages 38% (twice that reported on mid- and outer-shelf reefs). Of the surveyed seafloor area, 11% had distinct reef or coral community cover. Although the survey area represents a small subset of the nearshore zone (15.5 km(2)), this reef density is comparable to that measured across the wider GBR shelf (9%). We also show that cross-shelf coral cover declines with distance from the coast (R(2) = 0.596). Identified coral taxa (21 genera) exhibited clear depth-stratification, corresponding cl

SUBMITTER: Morgan KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4949480 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature