Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Contrasting patterns of mortality in Polynesian coral reefs following the third global coral bleaching event in 2016

  • Report
  • Published:
Coral Reefs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

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, Marutea and Katiu) and revealed contrasting patterns of coral bleaching responses between Mo’orea (Society Archipelago) and the four islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago. While some reefs from the Tuamotu lost more than half of their coral cover, in Mo’orea, less than 1% mortality was recorded 6 months after bleaching. During the 2016 bleaching event, certain reefs at 12 m depth in the outer reef habitats were not exposed to sufficiently long high-temperature periods (heat stress not exceeding 1.1 °C weeks in Mo’orea) to cause large-scale bleaching-related coral mortality. In contrast, other reefs in the Tuamotu Archipelago had DHW reaching up to 9.2 °C weeks and experienced severe mortality (up to 71%). Our study showed how differential heat stress exposure across reefs of French Polynesia led to different impacts on corals. Until now, Mo’orea reefs have been spared abnormally high temperatures leading to mortality and should be considered an important source of larvae to help maintain reefs on the surrounding islands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adjeroud M (1997) Factors influencing spatial patterns on coral reefs around Moorea, French Polynesia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 159:105–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Adjeroud M, Augustin D, Galzin R, Salvat B (2002) Natural disturbances and interannual variability of coral reef communities on the outer slope of Tiahura (Moorea, French Polynesia): 1991 to 1997. Marine Ecology Progress Series 237:121–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Adjeroud M, Michonneau F, Edmunds P, Chancerelle Y, de Loma T, Penin L, Thibaut L, Vidal-Dupiol J, Salvat B, Galzin R (2009) Recurrent disturbances, recovery trajectories, and resilience of coral assemblages on a South Central Pacific reef. Coral Reefs 28:775–780

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird AH, Marshall PA (2002) Mortality, growth and reproduction in scleractinian corals following bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Ecology Progress Series 237:133–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates D, Maechler M, Bolker B, Walker S (2015) Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4. Journal of Statistical Software 67:1–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Benayahu Y, Loya Y (1977) Space partitioning by stony corals, soft corals and benthic algae on the coral reefs of the northern Gulf of Eilat (Red Sea). Helgoländer Wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen 30:362–382

    Google Scholar 

  • Berthe C, Chancerelle Y, Lecchini D, Hedouin L (2016) First report of a dramatic rapid loss of living coral on the north coast of Western Samoa. Vie Milieu 66:155–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Brainard RE, Oliver T, McPhaden MJ, Cohen A, Venegas R, Heenan A, Vargas-Ángel B, Rotjan R, Mangubhai S, Flint E, Hunter SA (2018) Ecological Impacts of the 2015/16 El Niño in the Central Equatorial Pacific. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 99:S21–S26

    Google Scholar 

  • De’ath G, Fabricius KE, Sweatman H, Puotinen M (2012) The 27-year decline of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef and its causes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109:17995–17999

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Eakin C, Liu G, Gomez A, De La Cour J, Heron S, Skirving W, Geiger E, Marsh B, Tirak K, Strong A (2017) Ding, dong, the witch is dead (?)—Three years of global coral bleaching 2014-2017. Reef Encount 32:33–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Eakin CM, Morgan JA, Heron SF, Smith TB, Liu G, Alvarez-Filip L, Baca B, Bartels E, Bastidas C, Bouchon C, Brandt M, Bruckner AW, Bunkley-Williams L, Cameron A, Causey BD, Chiappone M, Christensen TRL, Crabbe MJC, Day O, de la Guardia E, Díaz-Pulido G, DiResta D, Gil-Agudelo DL, Gilliam DS, Ginsburg RN, Gore S, Guzmán HM, Hendee JC, Hernández-Delgado EA, Husain E, Jeffrey CFG, Jones RJ, Jordán-Dahlgren E, Kaufman LS, Kline DI, Kramer PA, Lang JC, Lirman D, Mallela J, Manfrino C, Maréchal J-P, Marks K, Mihaly J, Miller WJ, Mueller EM, Muller EM, Orozco Toro CA, Oxenford HA, Ponce-Taylor D, Quinn N, Ritchie KB, Rodríguez S, Ramírez AR, Romano S, Samhouri JF, Sánchez JA, Schmahl GP, Shank BV, Skirving WJ, Steiner SCC, Villamizar E, Walsh SM, Walter C, Weil E, Williams EH, Roberson KW, Yusuf Y (2010) Caribbean corals in crisis: record thermal stress, bleaching, and mortality in 2005. PLoS ONE 5:e13969

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Eakin CM, Sweatman HPA, Brainard RE (2019) The 2014–2017 global-scale coral bleaching event : insights and impacts. Coral Reefs 38:539–545

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds P, Leichter J, Adjeroud M (2010) Landscape-scale variation in coral recruitment in Moorea, French Polynesia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 414:75–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Furby KA, Smith JE, Sandin SA (2017) Porites superfusa mortality and recovery from a bleaching event at Palmyra Atoll, USA. PeerJ 5:e3204

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • GBRMPA (2017) Final report: 2016 coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef, GBRMPA, Townsville, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

  • Glynn PW (1996) Coral reef bleaching: facts, hypotheses and implications. Glob Chang Biol 2:495–509

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest JR, Baird AH, Maynard JA, Muttaqin E, Edwards AJ, Campbell SJ, Yewdall K, Affendi YA, Chou LM (2012) Contrasting patterns of coral bleaching susceptibility in 2010 suggest an adaptive response to thermal stress. PLoS ONE 7:e33353

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Guest JR, Low J, Tun K, Wilson B, Ng C, Raingeard D, Ulstrup KE (2016) Coral community response to bleaching on a highly disturbed reef. Sci Rep 6:20717

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hill J, Wilkinson C (2004) Methods for ecological monitoring of coral reefs: a resource for managers. Version 1. Townsville, Australia

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O (1999a) Climate change, coral bleaching and the future of the world’s coral reefs. Marine & Freshwater Research 50:839–866

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O (1999b) Climate Change, coral bleaching and the future of the world’ s coral reefs. Marine & Freshwater Research 50:839–856

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Salvat B (1995) Periodic mass-bleaching and elevated sea temperatures: bleaching of outer reef slope communities in Moorea, French Polynesia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 121:181–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes TP, Baird AH, Bellwood DR, Card M, Connolly SR, Folke C, Grosberg R, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jackson JBC, Kleypas J, Lough JM, Marshall P, Nyström M, Palumbi SR, Pandolfi JM, Rosen B, Roughgarden J (2003) Climate change, human impacts, and the resilience of coral reefs. Science 301:929–933

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes TP, Kerry J, Álvarez-Noriega M, Álvarez-Romero J, Anderson K, Baird A, Babcock R, Beger M, Bellwood D, Berkelmans R, Bridge T, Butler I, Byrne M, Cantin N, Comeau S, Connolly S, Cumming G, Dalton S, Diaz-Pulido G, Eakin CM, Figueira W, Gilmour J, Harrison H, Heron S, Hoey AS, Hobbs J-P, Hoogenboom M, Kennedy E, Kuo C-Y, Lough J, Lowe R, Liu G, Malcolm McCulloch HM, McWilliam M, Pandolfi J, Pears R, Pratchett M, Schoepf V, Simpson T, Skirving W, Sommer B, Torda G, Wachenfeld D, Willis B, Wilson S (2017) Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals. Nature 543:373–377

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jokiel PL, Brown EK, Friedlander A, Rodgers SK, Smith WR (2004) Hawaii Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: spatial patterns and temporal dynamics in reef coral communities. Pacific Sci 58:159–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Kayal M, Vercelloni J, Lison de Loma T, Bosserelle P, Chancerelle Y, Geoffroy S, Stievenart C, Michonneau F, Penin L, Planes S, Adjeroud M (2012) Predator crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) outbreak, mass mortality of corals, and cascading effects on reef fish and benthic communities. PLoS ONE 7:e47363

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • L’Heureux ML, Takahashi K, Watkins AB, Barnston AG, Becker EJ, Di Liberto TE, Gamble F, Gottschalck J, Halpert MS, Huang B, Mosquera-Vásquez K, Wittenberg AT (2016) Observing and predicting the 2015–16 El Niño. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 98:1363–1382

    Google Scholar 

  • LaJeunesse TC, Parkinson JE, Gabrielson PW, Jeong HJ, Reimer JD, Voolstra CR, Santos SR (2018) Systematic revision of Symbiodiniaceae highlights the antiquity and diversity of coral endosymbionts. Current Biology 28:2570–2580.e6

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamy T, Galzin R, Kulbicki M, Lison de Loma T, Claudet J (2016) Three decades of recurrent declines and recoveries in corals belie ongoing change in fish assemblages. Coral Reefs 35:293–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Lesser MP, Farrell JH (2004) Exposure to solar radiation increases damage to both host tissues and algal symbionts of corals during thermal stress. Coral Reefs 23:367–377

    Google Scholar 

  • Lirman D, Formel N, Schopmeyer S, Ault JS, Smith SG, Gilliam D, Riegl B (2014) Percent recent mortality (PRM) of stony corals as an ecological indicator of coral reef condition. Ecol Indic 44:120–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu G, Skirving WJ, Geiger EF, La Cour JLD, Ben L, Heron SF, Tirak KV, Strong AE, Eakin CM (2017) NOAA Coral Reef Watch’ s 5km Satellite Coral Bleaching Heat Stress Monitoring Product Suite Version 3 and Four-Month Outlook Version 4. Reef Encount 32:39–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu G, Eakin CM, Chen M, Kumar A, De La Cour JL, Heron SF, Geiger EF, Skirving WJ, Tirak KV, Strong AE (2018) Predicting heat stress to inform reef management: NOAA coral reef watch’s 4-month coral bleaching outlook. Front Mar Sci 5:57

    Google Scholar 

  • Loya Y, Sakai K, Yamazato K, Nakano Y, Sambali H, van Woesik R (2001) Coral bleaching: the winners and the losers. Ecology Letters 4:122–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall PA, Baird AH (2000) Bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reef: differential susceptibilities among taxa. Coral Reefs 19:155–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Maturi E, Harris A, Mittaz J, Sapper J, Wick G, Zhu X, Dash P, Koner P (2017) A new high-resolution sea surface temperature blended analysis. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 98:1015–1026

    Google Scholar 

  • Minton D, Amimoto R, Friedlander A, Stamoulis K, Conklin E (2015) Baseline biological surveys of ‘A’alapapa reef, O’ahu, Hawai’i 2014–2015. TNC Technical Report prepared for the Lanikai Beach and Park Foundation. 58 pp

  • Mumby P, Chisholm J, Edwards A, Clark C, Roark E, Andrefouet S, Jaubert J (2001) Unprecedented bleaching-induced mortality in Porites spp. at Rangiroa atoll. French Polynesia. Mar Biol 139:183–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Muscatine L (1990) The role of symbiotic algae in carbon and energy flux in reef corals. In: Dubinsky Z (ed) Coral reefs. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 75–87

    Google Scholar 

  • NOAA Coral Reef Watch. 2018, updated daily. NOAA Coral Reef Watch Version 3.1 Daily Global 5-km Satellite Coral Bleaching Degree Heating Week Product, Jun. 3, 2013–Jun. 2, 2014. College Park, Maryland, USA: NOAA Coral Reef Watch. Data set accessed 2018-09-01 at https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/hdf/index.php

  • Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Friendly M, Kindt R, Legendre P, McGlinn D, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos P, Stevens MHH, Szoecs E, Wagner H (2018) Community Ecology Package

  • Penin L, Adjeroud M, Schrimm M, Stanton Lenihan H (2007) High spatial variability in coral bleaching around Moorea (French Polynesia): patterns across locations and water depths. C R Biol 330:171–181

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Penin L, Vidal-Dupiol J, Adjeroud M (2009) Bleaching events: Are spatial and taxonomic patterns consistent among years? A case study around Moorea, French Polynesia. XIth Pacific Sci Inter-Congress, Tahiti, French Polyn Abstr Vol p 193

  • Penin L, Vidal-Dupiol J, Adjeroud M (2013) Response of coral assemblages to thermal stress: are bleaching intensity and spatial patterns consistent between events? Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 185:5031–5042

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Putchim L (2017) Long-term changes in the susceptibility of corals to thermal Long-term changes in the susceptibility of corals to thermal stress around Phuket. PeerJ Prepr, Thailand

    Google Scholar 

  • Roff G, Bejarano S, Bozec YM, Nugues M, Steneck RS, Mumby PJ (2014) Porites and the Phoenix effect: unprecedented recovery after a mass coral bleaching event at Rangiroa atoll, French Polynesia. Marine Biology 161:1385–1393

    Google Scholar 

  • Rouzé H, Lecellier G, Langlade MJ, Planes S, Berteaux-lecellier V (2015) Fringing reefs exposed to different levels of eutrophication and sedimentation can support similar benthic communities. Marine Pollution Bulletin 15:212–221

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakai K, Singh T, Iguchi A (2019) Bleaching and post-bleaching mortality of Acropora corals on a heat-susceptible reef in 2016. Peer J 7:e8138

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salvat B (1993) The 1991 bleaching event in the Society Islands, French Polynesia. 73

  • Skirving WJ, Heron SF, Marsh BL, Liu G, La Cour JLD, Geiger EF, Eakin CM (2019) The relentless march of mass coral bleaching : a global perspective of changing heat stress. Coral Reefs 38:547–557

    Google Scholar 

  • Stimson JS (1978) Mode and timing of reproduction in some common hermatypic corals of Hawaii and Enewetak. Marine Biology 184:173–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Trapon ML, Pratchett MS, Penin L (2011) Comparative effects of different disturbances in coral reef habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia. J Mar Biol Article ID: 807625

  • Tsounis G, Edmunds PJ (2016) The potential for self-seeding by the coral Pocillopora spp. in Moorea, French Polynesia. PeerJ 4:e2544

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • van Hooidonk R, Maynard J, Tamelander J, Gove J, Ahmadia G, Raymundo L, Williams G, Heron SF, Planes S (2016) Local-scale projections of coral reef futures and implications of the Paris Agreement. Sci Rep 6:39666

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank V. Liao, B. Le Bouille, D. Guillemeney, and the staff of Maupiti Diving, Y. Verdez and N. Massoud, for information on coral bleaching in French Polynesia. We thank the Service de l’Observation SO Corail for providing information relating to coral bleaching. We acknowledge the Tara Expeditions Foundation for the opportunity to conduct this study onboard the Tara. We are grateful to the Tara team and sponsors for their support during the first Tuamotu leg of the Tara Pacific Expedition 2016–2018. This project was funded by the Ministère de l’Outre Mer for a project entitled “AQUA-CORAL” and the Ministère de l’Environnement and the Labex CORAIL for a project entitled “ARCOS.”

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Université Paris, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Mo’orea, French Polynesia

    Laetitia Hédouin, Héloïse Rouzé, Cécile Berthe, Gonzalo Perez-Rosales, Yannick Chancerelle, Franck Lerouvreur, Maggy M. Nugues, Gilles Siu & Serge Planes

  2. Laboratoire d’Excellence « CORAIL », Papetoai, French Polynesia

    Laetitia Hédouin, Héloïse Rouzé, Cécile Berthe, Gonzalo Perez-Rosales, Yannick Chancerelle, Franck Lerouvreur, Maggy M. Nugues, Gilles Siu & Serge Planes

  3. Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Motobu, Okinawa, Japan

    Héloïse Rouzé

  4. IRD, Univ. Brest, Ifremer, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), IUEM, 29280, Plouzane, France

    Elodie Martinez

  5. Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Ecogéochimie des Envrionnements Benthiques, LECOB, 66500, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France

    Pierre E. Galand

  6. Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand

    Xavier Pochon

  7. Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Xavier Pochon

  8. School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Darling Marine Center, Walpole, ME, USA

    Robert Steneck

Authors
  1. Laetitia Hédouin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Héloïse Rouzé
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cécile Berthe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gonzalo Perez-Rosales
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Elodie Martinez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yannick Chancerelle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Pierre E. Galand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Franck Lerouvreur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Maggy M. Nugues
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Xavier Pochon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Gilles Siu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Robert Steneck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Serge Planes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laetitia Hédouin.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Topic Editor C. Mark Eakin

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hédouin, L., Rouzé, H., Berthe, C. et al. Contrasting patterns of mortality in Polynesian coral reefs following the third global coral bleaching event in 2016. Coral Reefs 39, 939–952 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-020-01914-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-020-01914-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation