Science News

Mass coral death damages reef fish assemblages

New research reveals a decrease in reef fish species richness
following mass coral bleaching events.

Author: Cecilia Sun

Date: October 30, 2019
Source: Global Change Biology
Summary: Ocean heat waves are not only killing coral reefs but also harming the
depending reef fish assemblages. These fish populations must reorganize
in response to mass coral bleaching events, causing negative effects on
its diversity and assembly, according to research in the journal Global
Change Biology. The research shows that shifts in species richness are
related to coral reef’s capability to recover to their healthy state.

FULL STORY
Ocean heat waves are not only killing coral reefs but also harming the depending
reef fish assemblages. These fish populations must reorganize in response to
mass coral bleaching events, causing negative effects on its diversity and
assembly, according to research in the journal Global Change Biology. The
research shows that shifts in species richness are related to coral reef’s
capability to recover to their healthy state.

(Image soured from CBS News, www.cbsnews.com/news/great-barrier-reef-dying-climate-

change-caused-decrease-in-new-coral-study-says/.)
Warming temperatures, due to climate change, causes various shifts in marine ecosystems.
Coral reefs are among those ecosystems that are suffering substantial consequences.
According to a 2019 study published in the journal Nature, “baby coral in Australia's Great
Barrier Reef has declined by 89% due to mass bleaching in 2016 and 2017” (Lewis, 2019).

Corals, like fish and other marine life, are animals. Reef structures are an assembly of
thousands of small animals called polyps. Over time, the polyps die and build on top of the
leftover skeletons, until they form a large enough structure, called a reef. Corals thrive in
shallow waters, where the algae that live on the corals’ outer skeleton, can photosynthesize.
The algae are also what give corals its vibrant colors.

(Image soured from E&E News, https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060889837/

search?keyword=coral+reefs).

Increases in temperature can take form in marine heatwaves. When they spread over an area
dense with coral growth, the corals become stressed and expel the symbiotic species of algae
that live on their outer skeletons. This process is referred to as coral bleaching because when
the algae are no longer present, the corals lose their main source of food and are left with its
colorless skeleton. To the human eye, the corals look white, as shown in the first image.
If the heatwave passes over quickly and temperatures return to normal, corals can recover and
reabsorb the algae. Meanwhile, dependent fish species will repopulate. However, if the
conditions remain hostile, the corals can die within a couple of days and began to decay.
When this happens, the once lively ecosystem abundant with color and animals become stale
and empty.

A recent study, published in the journal Current Biology, summarizes with a series of
photographs, the progression of coral death. In 2016, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)
experienced the most serious marine heatwave ever recorded in the region. This event caused
31% of GBR reefs to experience 8-degree heating weeks, which is the threshold for coral
mortality. In the images below, the progression of coral degradation is undeniably visible. In a
month and a half, the once alive ecosystem, rich in biodiversity, has become a dark
graveyard.

(Image sourced from Current Biology, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/

S0960982219308048).

Corals reefs also play an important role in a larger ecosystem that supports thousands of
species (CBS). They often provide a habitat for different species of fish, seahorses, crabs, and
other small animals. When the reefs die out, the dependent fish species are forced to adapt, if
they are able.

A new 2019 study published in the journal, Global Change Biology, confirms that “transient
marine heatwaves are causing coral bleaching and profoundly altering habitat structure.” More
importantly, due to the difficulties in coral recovery after mass bleaching events, “spatial
isolation coupled with strong habitat dependence of fish species implies that turnover and local
extinctions are more significant mechanisms.”

The researchers creates a model that represents changes and recovery patterns of fish
populations following mass bleaching events. The model is developed from a 23-year study of
21 different Seychelles reef sites. Seychelles is a country in the Indian Ocean, comprised of
more than 115 islands (Google Maps). It’s abundant beaches and coral reef sites make a
fitting location for this study.

The data examines the temporal change in three aspects. First, diversity in species richness,
which refers to the numbers of species in a biological community (“Species Richness”).
Second, diversity in compositional dissimilarity, which is measures how different the species
are from each other. And third, species biomass, which refers to the mass of one or more
species in a given environment.

The results of the study show that shifts in species richness and compositional dissimilarity are
related to the reef’s ability to recover from traumatic bleaching events. If the reef recovers
quickly, the two different aspects of the dependent fish population will recover as well, with
increases in species richness and compositional dissimilarity. If the reef is slow to recover or
dies, then “fish community compositions [will] homogenize over time, meaning a significant
drop in species richness and compositional dissimilarity.”

Coral reefs are home to thousands of unique marine species. Marine heatwaves and rising
ocean temperatures due to climate change present an immense threat to the vulnerable reef
structures. The Great Barrier Reef, for example, has suffered four prior mass bleaching events:
1998, 2002, 2016, and 2017. Unfortunately, “time periods between future bleaching events are
expected to continue to shrink as global warming intensifies” (Lewis, 2019).

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Journal References

1. Leggat, W., Camp, E., Suggett, D., Heron, S., Fordyce, A., Gardner, S., . . . Ainsworth, T.
(2019). Rapid coral decay is associated with marine heatwave mortality events on
reefs. Current Biology : Cb, 29(16), 2723-2730. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.077
2. Robinson, J. P. W., Wilson, S. K., Jennings, S., & Graham, N. A. J. (2019). Thermal stress
induces persistently altered coral reef fish assemblages. Global Change Biology, 25(8),
2739–2750. https://doi-org.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/10.1111/gcb.14704

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Additional References

1. Harvey, C. (2019, August 9). SCIENCE: Ocean heat waves a killer of coral reefs. Retrieved
from https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060889837/search?keyword=coral
+reefs
2. Lewis, S. (2019, August 23). Climate change has caused an 89% decrease in new coral in
the Great Barrier Reef, study finds. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/
great-barrier-reef-dying-climate-change-caused-decrease-in-new-coral-study-says/
3. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/maps/place/Seychelles/@-
7.0687721,46.689949,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x225c21fd70bead3b:0x32d3d0a
0d349daf7!8m2!3d-4.679574!4d55.491977
4. Species richness. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/species-
richness