Exposure, vulnerability, and resiliency of French Polynesian coral reefs to environmental disturbances.

ABSTRACT: Preserving coral reef resilience is a major challenge in the Anthropocene, yet recent studies demonstrate failures of reef recovery from disturbance, globally. The wide and vigorous outer-reef system of French Polynesia presents a rare opportunity to assess ecosystem resilience to disturbances at a large-scale equivalent to the size of Europe. In this purpose, we analysed long-term data on coral community dynamics and combine the mixed-effects regression framework with a set of functional response models to evaluate coral recovery trajectories. Analyses of 14 years data across 17 reefs allowed estimating impacts of a cyclone, bleaching event and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak, which generated divergence and asynchrony in coral community trajectory. We evaluated reef resilience by quanti

SUBMITTER: Vercelloni J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6355954 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature