School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2DG, UK.
School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2DG, UK.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2020 May;154:111075. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111075. Epub 2020 Apr 10.
The global decline of reef corals has been driven largely by several marine heatwaves. This has greatly reduced coral cover but has reduced coral diversity also. While there is a lack of data in most locations to detect coral species losses, reefs of the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean, have long term monitoring data extending back to the late 1970s. Severe declines in cover have occurred since the 1970s, with regional extinctions of some species and key species assemblages. There is a severe decline in coral settlement, along with a substantial loss of habitat quality which has reduced the habitat available for settlement. This is a clear precursor to positive feedback. Regional species extinctions here occur mainly when total coral cover is <10% of pre-warming levels. Climate models predict more frequent and more severe marine heatwaves, and even if this ecosystem recovers it will contain fewer species.
全球范围内的珊瑚礁衰退主要是由几次海洋热浪驱动的。这极大地减少了珊瑚的覆盖范围，但也减少了珊瑚的多样性。虽然大多数地区缺乏数据来检测珊瑚物种的损失，但位于印度洋中部的查戈斯群岛的珊瑚礁拥有可追溯到 20 世纪 70 年代末的长期监测数据。自 20 世纪 70 年代以来，珊瑚礁的覆盖范围已经严重减少，一些物种和关键物种组合已经区域性灭绝。珊瑚定居率严重下降，同时栖息地质量大幅丧失，减少了可用于定居的栖息地。这是正反馈的明显前兆。这里的区域物种灭绝主要发生在总珊瑚覆盖率<10%的情况下，低于变暖前的水平。气候模型预测海洋热浪将更加频繁和剧烈，即使这个生态系统得以恢复，其物种也会减少。
