Coral Gardens Reef, Belize: A refugium in the face of Caribbean-wide Acropora spp. coral decline.

ABSTRACT: Caribbean Acropora spp. corals have undergone a decline in cover since the second half of the twentieth century. Loss of these architecturally complex and fast-growing corals has resulted in significant, cascading changes to the character, diversity, and available eco-spaces of Caribbean reefs. Few thriving Acropora spp. populations exist today in the Caribbean and western North Atlantic seas, and our limited ability to access data from reefs assessed via long-term monitoring efforts means that reef scientists are challenged to determine resilience and longevity of existing Acropora spp. reefs. Here we used multiple dating methods to measure reef longevity and determine whether Coral Gardens Reef, Belize, is a refuge for Acropora cervicornis against the backdrop of wider Caribbean decline.

SUBMITTER: Greer L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7526931 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature