Recovery of an Isolated Coral Reef System Following Severe Disturbance

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1232310
• Publication Date: 2013-04-04T18:43:18Z
• Authors: James P. Gilmour; Luke D. Smith; Andrew J. Heyward; Andrew H. Baird; Morgan S. Pratchett
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 570; Conservation of Natural Resources; 03 medical and health sciences; Coral Reefs; Reproduction; Temperature; Animals; Western Australia; 14. Life underwater; Anthozoa

Reef Repair

Coral reefs suffer mass mortality because of coral bleaching, disease, and tropical storms, but we know much more about when, where, and how rapidly these ecosystems have collapsed than we do about their recovery.

Gilmour et al.

(p. 69 ; see the Perspective by

Polidoro and Carpenter

) studied a highly isolated coral reef before and after a climate-induced mass mortality event that killed 70 to 90% of the reef corals. The initial recovery of coral cover involved growth and survival of remnant colonies, which was followed by increases in larval recruitment. Thus, in the absence of chronic disturbance, even isolated reefs can recover from catastrophic disturbance.