Bleaching Susceptibility and Resistance of Octocorals and Anemones at the World's Southern-Most Coral Reef.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs are amongst the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth, and while stony corals create the foundational complexity of these ecosystems, octocorals and anemones contribute significantly to their biodiversity and function. Like stony corals, many octocorals contain Symbiodiniaceae endosymbionts and can bleach when temperatures exceed the species' upper thermal limit. Here, we report octocoral bleaching susceptibility and resistance within the subtropical Lord Howe Island coral reef ecosystem during and after marine heatwaves in 2019. Octocoral and anemone surveys were conducted at multiple reef locations within the Lord Howe Island lagoon during, immediately after, and 7 months after the heatwaves. One octocoral species, Cladiella sp. 1, experienced bleaching and mortality, wi

SUBMITTER: Steinberg RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9161773 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature