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1. Post-disturbance recovery dynamics of connected coral subpopulations

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-024-00598-0  

   Torres, Walter I; Holstein, Daniel M; Putnam, Hollie M; Edmunds, Peter J; Puritz, Jonathan B; Toonen, Robert J; Hench, James L (December 2025, Theoretical Ecology)
2. Juvenile corals underpin coral reef carbonate production after disturbance

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15610  

   Carlot, Jérémy; Kayal, Mohsen; Lenihan, Hunter S.; Brandl, Simon J.; Casey, Jordan M.; Adjeroud, Mehdi; Cardini, Ulisse; Merciere, Alexandre; Espiau, Benoit; Barneche, Diego R.; et al (June 2021, Global Change Biology)

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3. Recovery potential of fish and coral populations following ecological disturbance

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4915  

   Asbury, Mollie; Innes‐Gold, Anne_A; Wulstein, Devynn_M; Madin, Elizabeth_M_P; Madin, Joshua_S; McManus, Lisa_C (June 2024, Ecosphere)

   Abstract The health of coral reef benthic and fish communities is implicitly connected, yet typically studied and managed separately. By developing a coupled reef population model that connects coral populations and reef fish biomass through the habitat complexity that corals build and fish live among, we aim to address this gap by holistically quantifying ecological feedbacks and responses to ecological stressors. We explored the impacts of fishing effort in conjunction with three types of ecological disturbances as they propagated through a coral reef ecosystem: (1) a disturbance that disproportionately affected small, bio‐energetically vulnerable colonies, (2) a disturbance that predominantly affected large, mechanically vulnerable colonies, and (3) a disturbance that affected colonies of all sizes randomly. We found that joint coral and fish population recovery was fastest and most complete under events affecting small colonies, followed by recovery from disturbances affecting random sizes, and lastly large‐colony disturbances. These results suggest that the retention versus loss of large coral colonies with high reproductive potential critically influenced population recovery. Low fishing levels maintained fish and coral populations and allowed for recovery after disturbances, whereas high fishing levels prevented recovery due to greater fish‐dependent coral mortality. Finally, we tested various formulations of the relationship between coral size and habitat complexity (i.e., exponential, linear, logarithmic) that constrain fish carrying capacity. All formulations led to similar population projections in most disturbance scenarios, but there were exceptions where the timing and trajectory of recovery differed, such as faster and greater recovery potential when complexity is logarithmic with respect to coral size. These findings suggest that fishing and habitat complexity mediate the recovery of coral reef populations, emphasizing the importance of describing linkages between coral size distribution and reef habitat structure. Furthermore, our results highlight the utility of the coupled‐model framework for understanding and managing the impact of disturbances at ecosystem scales. 

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4. Changing disturbance regimes, material legacies, and stabilizing feedbacks: Dead coral skeletons impair key recovery processes following coral bleaching

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17504  

   Kopecky, Kai_L; Holbrook, Sally_J; Partlow, Emalia; Cunningham, Madeline; Schmitt, Russell_J (September 2024, Global Change Biology)

   Abstract Ecosystem responses to disturbance depend on the nature of the perturbation and the ecological legacies left behind, making it critical to understand how climate‐driven changes in disturbance regimes modify resilience properties of ecosystems. For coral reefs, recent increases in severe marine heat waves now co‐occur with powerful storms, the historic agent of disturbance. While storms kill coral and remove their skeletons, heat waves bleach and kill corals but leave their skeletons intact. Here, we explored how the material legacy of dead coral skeletons modifies two key ecological processes that underpin coral reef resilience: the ability of herbivores to control macroalgae (spatial competitors of corals), and the replenishment of new coral colonies. Our findings, grounded by a major bleaching event at our long‐term study locale, revealed that the presence of structurally complex dead skeletons reduced grazing on turf algae by ~80%. For macroalgae, browsing was reduced by >40% on less preferred (unpalatable) taxa, but only by ~10% on more preferred taxa. This enabled unpalatable macroalgae to reach ~45% cover in 2 years. By contrast, herbivores prevented macroalgae from becoming established on adjacent reefs that lacked skeletons. Manipulation of unpalatable macroalgae revealed that the cover reached after 1 year (~20%) reduced recruitment of corals by 50%. The effect of skeletons on juvenile coral growth was contingent on the timing of settlement relative to the disturbance. If corals settled directly after bleaching (before macroalgae colonized), dead skeletons enhanced colony growth by 34%, but this benefit was lost if corals colonized dead skeletons a year after the disturbance once macroalgae had proliferated. These findings underscore how a material legacy from a changing disturbance regime can alter ecosystem resilience properties by disrupting key trophic and competitive interactions that shape post‐disturbance community dynamics. 

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5. Early life stage bottleneck determines rates of coral recovery following severe disturbance

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4510  

   Speare, Kelly E; Enright, Lauren N; Aplin, Allison; Adam, Thomas C; Edmunds, Peter J; Burkepile, Deron E (January 2025, Ecology)

   Abstract Understanding how foundation species recover from disturbances is key for predicting the future of ecosystems in the Anthropocene. Coral reefs are dynamic ecosystems that can undergo rapid declines in coral abundance following disturbances. Understanding why some reefs recover quickly from these disturbances whereas others recover slowly (or not at all) gives insight into the drivers of community resilience. From 2006 to 2010 coral reefs on the fore reef of Moorea, French Polynesia, experienced severe disturbances that reduced coral cover from ~46% in 2005 to <1% in 2010. Following these disturbances, coral cover increased from 2010 to 2018. Although there was a rapid and widespread recovery of corals, reefs at 17 m depth recovered more slowly than reefs at 10 m depth. We investigated the drivers of different rates of coral recovery between depths from 2010 to 2018 using a combination of time‐series data on coral recruitment, density, growth, and mortality in addition to field experiments testing for the effects of predation. Propagule abundance did not influence recovery, as the density of coral recruits (spat <6 months old) did not differ between depths. However, mortality of juvenile corals (≤5 cm diameter) was higher at 17 m, leading to densities of juvenile corals 3.5 times higher at 10 m than at 17 m depth. Yet, there were no differences in the growth of corals between depths. These results point to an early life stage bottleneck after settlement, resulting in greater mortality at 17 m than at 10 m as the likely driver of differential coral recovery between depths. We used experiments and time‐series data to test mechanisms that could drive different rates of juvenile coral mortality across depths, including differences in predation, competition, and the availability of suitable substratum. The results of these experiments suggested that increased coral mortality at 17 m may have been influenced by higher intensity of fish predation, and higher mortality of corals attached to unfavorable substratum. In contrast, the abundance of macroalgae, a coral competitor, did not explain differences in coral survival. Our work suggests that top‐down processes and substratum quality can create bottlenecks in corals that can drive rates of coral recovery after disturbance. 

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