Coral reefs and many of the coral species that construct them are in a state of global decline, and this rapid decline of reef corals has incited worldwide conservation, restoration, and research efforts. One growing area of research involves exploring the value of reef-associated habitats, like mangroves, for the survival of particular coral species and the resilience of nearby reefs.
Mangroves have long been regarded as inhospitable habitat for corals due to their combination of low light levels, low water clarity, and fluctuating water temperatures. However, roughly half of the coral species living on Caribbean reefs have been documented to inhabit mangrove habitats. If mangroves constitute a critical component of the ecological niche for some corals, then they should support viable, self-sustaining populations. If mangroves contribute directly to the resilience of reef coral populations, then corals must be able to exploit both habitat types coping with varying environmental conditions. Despite the growing number of documented mangrove-coral communities, these questions have not been studied.
Here I use two Caribbean coral species from the genus Porites that are known to inhabit both reef and mangrove habitats (P. astreoides and P. divaricata) to explore the contribution of mangrove habitats to coral survival via the following objectives: 1) Characterize the survival, growth, and spatial-distribution of a mangrove-dwelling population of P. divaricata through a multi-year field study; 2) Determine if the population characterized in objective 1 is capable of self-recruitment and map dispersal through a population genomic study using 2bRAD markers; 3) Determine how key phenotypic traits vary between reef and mangrove habitats in P. divaricata and P. astreiodes, using a cross-habitat comparative field-study. Results suggest that mangroves may serve as important habitat for some reef corals due to their ability to support a viable, stable, and healthy coral population that is self-sustaining largely through asexual reproduction. Subsequently, mangrove and reef corals display predictable differences in phenotype, that could help reveal how a “reef coral” can exploit darker mangroves. This work can inform the design of marine protected areas, whereby both mangroves as well as the connection between mangroves and reefs is preserved to facilitate coral survival. / 2024-03-02T00:00:00Z
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/43954 |
| Date | 03 March 2022 |
| Creators | Scavo Lord, Karina |
| Contributors | Finnerty, John R. |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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