Scleractinian corals, which create complex three-dimensional carbonate structures, are the foundation of coral reef ecosystems. There are a variety of coral growth forms or ‘morphologies’ that have distinct advantages and disadvantages when corals compete for space and light, and when they are exposed to hydrodynamic disturbances. We developed a novel three-dimensional functional-structural model,

Reef-building corals living in extreme environments can provide insight into the negative effects of future climate scenarios. In hot environments, coral communities experience disproportionate thermal stress as they live very near or at their upper thermal limits. This results in a high frequency of bleaching episodes, but it is unknown whether temperature-driven outbreaks of coral disease follow

The potential of increased bioerosion by excavating sponges in future environmental scenarios represents a potential threat to coral reef structure and function. Little is known about prokaryotic associations in excavating sponges despite the fact that evidence indicates they contribute to the sponge growth through their heterotrophic metabolism and may even act as microborers. Here, we provide the

A growing number of studies have provided insights into the diversity of coral-associated bacteria and their function in the coral holobiont. Yet, information about spatial heterogeneity of bacteria within coral colonies is limited. Using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding, we analyzed the bacterial community composition across four distinct locations in each of five wild Acropora loripes colonies. Considerable

Coral ecosystems in the central Mexican Pacific inhabit environmental conditions considered as suboptimal for reef development, such as wide ranges in temperature, low pH, and cyclonic activity. In addition, they are facing increasing nutrient and sediment inputs as a consequence of urban growth and tourism. While the global effects of anthropogenic stressors to coral communities have been described

Some massive coral core slices reveal luminescent bands under ultraviolet light, which have been attributed to terrestrial humic acids in the skeleton. Coral luminescence has therefore been used to reconstruct past climate and hydrological variability. However, it has remained unresolved how closely coral luminescence at sub-annual resolution is related to terrestrial humic acid concentrations. This

Scleractinian corals often reproduce in synchronized spawning events to maximize gamete fertilization and coral larval production. The extent of spawning synchrony and its timing vary among coral taxa and among biogeographic regions. Information is, however, limited, especially for equatorial reefs, hindering the identification of environmental cues that influence gametogenic cycles and spawning. To

In this paper, we investigated the age distribution and dynamics of polyps in the slow-growing and long-lived gorgonian Corallium rubrum (the Mediterranean red coral), applying an a posteriori demographic approach by considering each colony as a population of polyps. In the Mediterranean red coral, new polyps emerge from the coenenchyme in different regions of the colony and their budding rate depends

Increased ocean temperatures from anthropogenic climate change induce coral bleaching, the breakdown of symbioses between corals and photosynthetic dinoflagellates. However, some corals thrive in marginal, warm environments that exceed typical bleaching thresholds. Their survival may be mediated by specific genes within the coral host, association with heat-tolerant algal symbionts, and/or distinct

Coral reefs are of global concern in the face of increasing anthropogenic disturbance. Much research has focused on the negative factors associated with coral reef decline, but few have documented the positive factors in relation to recovering coral reefs. Here, we report a positive quantitative association between sea urchins (diadematids), coral recruitment and coral recovery, recorded along Taiwanese

Globally, many coral reefs have fallen into negative carbonate budget states, where biological erosion exceeds carbonate production. The compounding effects of urbanization and climate change have caused reductions in coral cover and shifts in community composition that may limit the ability of reefs to maintain rates of vertical accretion in line with rising sea levels. Here we report on coral reef

Scleractinian corals provide the three-dimensional structure and function of coral reefs around the globe. These sessile animals are subject to physical injuries from a variety of sources and can completely regenerate damaged tissue as a survival mechanism; however, tissue regeneration rates vary widely within and across taxa. To explore the intraspecific differences in tissue regeneration, circular

There is increasing evidence that non-reef habitats in the seascape surrounding coral reefs are widely used by reef-associated fishes. However, our understanding of seascape use in the Indo-Pacific region is incomplete due to its large geographical range and as a consequence, considerable environmental variation (e.g. tidal regimes). We used remote video cameras to survey reef-associated fishes within

Population irruptions of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) contribute greatly to the degradation of coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific. Effective management of these population irruptions is limited, in part, by incomplete knowledge of their early life history. Importantly, there are very limited data on the distribution and abundance of newly settled crown-of-thorns starfish (0 + starfish

Anthropogenic and natural disturbances have modified coral reef ecosystems over the last decades, ultimately, exerting negative impacts on the persistence of the carbonated matrix and the physical function. In 2014, the Caribbean region saw the onset of a new deadly coral disease, often known as the stony coral tissue loss disease. In summer of 2018, the outbreak was first reported in the Mexican Caribbean

The Hawaiian Islands are at the northern edge of coral reef distributions, and corals found there are exposed to large seasonal temperature changes. Historically, coral bleaching in the Hawaiian Islands was extremely rare and had only occurred in 1996. However, in the summers of both 2014 and 2015, successive bleaching events occurred in Kāne‘ohe Bay, O‘ahu. Seawater temperatures were above 28 °C for

Many life history traits relate to trade-offs among an organism’s energy investments in growth, reproduction, and maintenance, as well as to fundamental physiological processes or body size. Other traits reflect affordances, or possibilities enabled by an investment strategy. In scleractinian corals, growth and reproduction have been studied to a much greater extent than maintenance. Species traits

Herbivory is a key process that controls the abundance and accumulation of algal turf on tropical coral reefs. The capacity of reefs to prevent algal accumulation hinges on the balance between algal production and consumption (i.e., grazing). In this study, we quantify algal turf biomass accumulation and grazing using experimental substrata and herbivore exclusion cages across sites in Kenya that represent

Increasing temperatures on a global scale and locally deteriorating water quality affect coral distribution and health. Mechanisms that convey environmental robustness are poorly understood and have been attributed to the coral host, algal symbionts, and prokaryotic associates. Flexibility of the host’s (bacterial) microbiome has been suggested to contribute to environmental robustness, but the underlying

Characterizations of colony-specific fate are necessary to predict trajectories of coral population change accurately, and a research challenge exists to collect more robust data describing coral demographic rates and the factors that influence them. Colonial, reef-building corals present challenges to the study of demography, given that the size of individual colonies can be decoupled from age, and

The Gran Banco de Buena Esperanza (GBBE) coral reef system in Golfo de Guacanayabo in southeastern Cuba consists of a reticular structure comprising a maze of steep to vertical ridges with planar tops rising 20–25 m from the bay floor. The planar tops of the ridges are densely populated by small colonies of sediment-resistant Scleractinia with fragile, branching colony growth forms. The initiation

In an eastern-Pacific coral assemblage at Devil’s Crown, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, two coral species, Psammocora stellata and Cycloseris (Diaseris) distorta, form dense populations of unattached colonies on sand and rubble substrata. In the Galápagos, living C. (D.) distorta is found only at this single site, whereas populations of P. stellata are found throughout the Archipelago. Six cores dating

There are a wide range of Scleractinian corals that are collected for the global reef aquarium market, often from non-reefal environments. The sustainability of coral harvesting is potentially threatened by increasing anthropogenic disturbances and climate change, though it is unknown to what extent many commonly harvested corals are susceptible to environmental change, or actually bleach during marine

For over three decades, scientists have conducted heat-stress experiments to predict how coral will respond to ocean warming due to global climate change. However, there are often conflicting results in the literature that are difficult to resolve, which we hypothesize are a result of unintended biases, variation in experimental design, and underreporting of critical methodological information. Here

Giant clams live in symbiosis with extracellular dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) in oligotrophic tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Zooxanthellae are found mainly in the colourful outer mantle. They donate photosynthates to the host during insolation, while the host absorbs and supplies them with exogenous nutrients, including inorganic phosphate (Pi). We report for the first time that the fluted

Reefs formed by scleractinian cold-water corals represent unique biodiversity hot spots in the deep sea, preferring aphotic water depths of 200–1000 m. The distribution of the most prominent reef-building species Lophelia pertusa is controlled by various environmental factors including dissolved oxygen concentrations and temperature. Consequently, the expected ocean deoxygenation and warming triggered

The Arabian Peninsula borders the hottest reefs in the world, and corals living in these extreme environments can provide insight into the effects of warming on coral health and disease. Here, we examined coral reef health at 17 sites across three regions along the northeastern Arabian Peninsula (Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Oman Sea) representing a gradient of environmental conditions. The Persian

Increasing incidence of major disturbances is contributing to extensive and widespread coral loss, thereby undermining the biodiversity, structure and function of reef ecosystems. The composition of coral assemblages is already changing due to selective effects of recurrent disturbances, combined with marked differences in the underlying life-history dynamics of corals, which affects their recovery

Organismal elemental stoichiometry is important at all scales of ecological interactions, particularly in symbiosis. Symbiotic partnerships are found extensively in corals, where coral hosts and their photosynthetic dinoflagellate partners trade essential nutrients. Using an ecological stoichiometry framework, we assessed variations in carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations in

Naturally acidified environments, such as those caused by volcanic CO2 venting, reveal how complex coral reef ecosystems may respond to future ocean acidification conditions. Few of these sites have been described worldwide, and only a single such site is known from the Caribbean. Herein, we have characterized an area of volcanic acidification at Mayreau Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Despite

Hard coral coverage contributes to increasing the structural complexity of coral reefs, provides biological resources and drives biological and ecological interactions among reef organisms. Declines in the structural complexity and coral diversity of tropical reefs, due to the influence of anthropogenic activities, have been reported around the world in recent decades; however, coral reefs on the continental

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is of immense biological, cultural and economic importance, but has also rapidly degraded over the last 30 years. Improved spatial information on reef geomorphic zonation and benthic cover type (including coral type) is critical to support scientific work to understand how the GBR is changing, and to support resource management decisions that enable conservation of the

Accurate delimitation of species and their relationships is a fundamental issue in evolutionary biology and taxonomy and provides essential implications for conservation management. Scleractinian corals are difficult to identify because of their ecophenotypic and geographic variation and their morphological plasticity. Furthermore, phylogenies based on traditional loci are often unresolved at the species

With increasing exposure to local and global stressors associated with a rapidly changing climate, corals adapted to thrive within stressful environments are of particular interest to researchers and managers. A bleaching resilient Porites coral with an unusual appearance was discovered dominating shallow waters (1–2 m) within Honolulu Harbor, Hawai‘i, a heavily sedimented and polluted habitat with

It has long been hypothesized that Western Australian coral reefs are genetically connected to those in Indonesia via long-distance dispersal, and that this connection may influence the timing of annual mass coral spawning on Western Australian coral reefs. This genetic connection has not been tested, and it requires re-evaluation because spawning patterns of Western Australian corals are not as synchronous

This erratum is published as vendor overlooked corrections with misspelt scientific wording of family Siderastreidae.

Comparative lists of species’ extinction risk are increasingly being used to prioritise conservation resources. Extinction risk is most rigorously assessed using quantitative data on species’ population trajectories, but in the absence of such data, assessments often rely on qualitative estimates based on expert opinion of species abundances, distributions and threats. For example, one-third of coral

Bioerosion by reef-dwelling organisms influences net carbonate budgets on reefs worldwide. External bioeroders, such as parrotfish and sea urchins, and internal bioeroders, including sponges and lithophagid bivalves, are major contributors to bioerosion on reefs. Despite their importance, few studies have examined how environmental (e.g., nutrients) or biological drivers (e.g., the actions of other

Increasing ocean temperatures associated with ongoing climate change have resulted in regional reductions in the cover of live coral and increasing concerns that coral reefs will be overgrown by macroalgae. The likelihood of macroalgal overgrowth will, however, depend on the thermal sensitivities of the macroalgae themselves. We exposed recently settled propagules of the common canopy-forming macroalga

Over small spatial scales, coral reefs represent a mosaic of suitable settlement microhabitat patches of varying size for late-stage larval reef fishes. Few studies have specifically examined how variation in patch size influences density of recently settled coral reef fishes (recruits). Using standardized units of coral rubble settlement substrate deployed on sandy bottom, we monitored the concurrent

Ocean acidification and ocean warming constitute major threats to many calcifying reef organisms, including scleractinian corals. The combined effects of these two environmental stressors on the earliest life history stages of reef calcifiers remain poorly studied, particularly for Atlantic corals. Here, we investigate how acidification and warming influence the fertilization success, larval survivorship

Many predators reported to feed on crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS, Acanthaster spp.) are generalist and opportunistic feeders. However, research into predation on CoTS tends to examine these predator–prey interactions in isolation, and it remains unknown whether many potential predators will prey on CoTS when other, potentially more palatable, food sources are available. Assessing predatory responses

In 2016, many tropical corals worldwide were exposed to anomalously high temperatures due to one of the strongest El Niño events ever recorded. Bleaching impacts were reported on 23 islands within three archipelagos of French Polynesia (Tuamotu, Society and Marquesas archipelagos). A detailed study on the effects of elevated temperatures on corals was performed on five islands (Mo’orea, Makemo, Hikueru

Giant clams flourish in nutrient-poor waters of tropical Indo-Pacific because they live in symbiosis with extracellular dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) and receive photosynthates from them. Zooxanthellae have no access to the ambient seawater and are nitrogen-deficient; hence, they need to obtain nitrogen from the host clam. Unlike algae and plants, aquatic animals generally absorb little nitrate (NO3−)

Coral reefs in the Florida Keys have degraded in recent decades, prompting efforts to re-establish populations of staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, to restore structure and ecological function. However, predation on these corals by the corallivorous gastropod, Coralliophila galea, has been a substantial and chronic impediment to restoration efforts. Therefore, we conducted a series of manipulative

Reef-forming corals are under threat globally from climate change, leading to changes in sea temperatures with both hot and cold events recorded and projected to increase in frequency and severity in the future. Tolerance to heat and cold exposure has been found to be mutually exclusive in other marine invertebrates, but it is currently unclear whether a trade-off exists between hot and cold thermal

Abstract Despite living in oligotrophic tropical waters, giant clams can grow to large sizes because they live in symbiosis with extracellular phototrophic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) and receive photosynthates from them. The physical presence of zooxanthellae in five organs (colorful outer mantle, whitish inner mantle, ctenidium, hepatopancreas and foot muscle) of Tridacna squamosa had been confirmed

Abstract While scleractinian coral populations continue to diminish throughout the Caribbean, gorgonian corals are showing signs of resilience and in some areas are thriving. Despite their prominence on reefs, gorgonian species are notoriously difficult to field identify and as such have been underrepresented in most monitoring efforts. However, with reports of increased resistance to elevated temperatures

Abstract Characterizing deep-sea coral biodiversity is essential to evaluate the current state of deep-sea ecosystems and to assess vulnerability to anthropogenic threats such as offshore drilling and ocean acidification. Thousands of deep-sea coral records from the past 6 decades are compiled in the publicly accessible NOAA database, but few large-scale analyses of deep-sea coral biodiversity through

Abstract Predator–prey interactions are critical in ecological communities, but it is increasingly clear that a predator’s effect goes beyond eating prey. Fear of predators may also alter the behaviour, physiology, and morphology of prey as they try to reduce risk. Such ‘non-consumptive effects’ (NCEs) may have important demographic effects on prey populations. The study of NCEs has recently grown

Abstract Poleward expatriation of tropical marine organisms is occurring globally, linked to climate change via strengthening of Western Boundary Currents (WBCs). In summer 2016, there was an unprecedented (in 18 years of monitoring) influx of coral-reef fish juveniles (“vagrants”) in temperate SE Australia. However, a large climate change-linked storm event (“East Coast low”) in June 2016 wiped out

Abstract Widespread coral bleaching occurred in the central Red Sea in 2010 and 2015. During both events, a cross-shelf and depth gradient of bleaching severity was identified within the Thuwal reef system, central Red Sea, Saudi Arabia. While bleaching and survival of coral taxa were monitored, neither in situ reef temperatures nor coral-associated algal communities (family Symbiodiniaceae) were characterized

Abstract Herbivorous fishes consume algae on coral reefs, and this ecological function is pivotal in helping reefs to resist and recover from disturbance. Although numerous studies have differentiated between those fishes that graze on low-profile algae and those that browse on larger fleshy macroalgae, little is known about the feeding behaviours of some herbivorous fishes (e.g. rabbitfishes, Siganidae)

Abstract Small-scale structural complexity shapes how consumers and primary producers interact, which can influence ecosystem trajectories. Coral reefs are some of the most structurally complex ecosystems, though their complexity is threatened owing to anthropogenic influences. Some reefs shift towards macroalgal dominance following mass coral mortality, which can hinder the recovery of corals because

Abstract The capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services is directly related to their three-dimensional structural complexity. This parameter is also correlated with total fish biomass, reef resilience to external stresses and the dissipation of wave energy. However, information on structural complexity (i.e., reef rugosity) has not always been assessed in historical monitoring programs,

Abstract Iron (Fe) is essential to the physiology and growth of marine phytoplankton. It remains unclear how important iron is to the functional ecology of symbiotic dinoflagellates in the family Symbiodiniaceae, and whether limitations in iron ultimately affect the health and productivity of coral hosts, especially during episodes of ocean warming. Five Symbiodiniaceae species (spanning three genera)

Abstract Due to difficulties with surveying, cryptobenthic fishes are understudied, which limits assessments of their extinction risk. Using a novel survey method (a combination of underwater visual census and underwater biofluorescence census), we surveyed the densities of two gorgonian seafan-associated pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti and H. denise) in 63 sites across Indonesia. Densities

Abstract Macroalgal beds have been suggested to be an important settlement habitat for a diversity of reef fishes, yet few studies have considered how the composition or structure of macroalgal beds may influence fish settlement. The aim of this study was to investigate how the physical characteristics of Sargassum beds, a common macroalga on inshore coral reefs, influence the abundance of recently-settled

Abstract With shallow coral reefs suffering from an ongoing rapid decline in many regions of the world, the interest in studies on mesophotic coral ecosystems (30–150 m) is growing rapidly. While most photoacclimation responses in corals were documented within the upper 30 m of reefs, in the present study we transplanted fragments of a strictly mesophotic species from the Red Sea, Euphyllia paradivisa

Abstract Elevated temperatures and nutrients are degrading coral reef ecosystems, but the understanding of how early life stages of reef corals respond to these stressors remains limited. Here, we test the impact of temperature (mean ~ 27 °C vs. ~ 29 °C) and nitrate and phosphate enrichment (ambient, + 5 µM nitrate, + 1 µM phosphate and combined + 5 µM nitrate with 1 µM phosphate) on coral larvae using