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Acropora abundance and size in the Maldives six years after the 1998 mass mortality: patterns across reef typologies and depths

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2010

Roberta Lasagna*
Affiliation:
DipTeRis, Department for the study of the Territory and its Resources, University of Genoa, CoNISMa Local Research Unit, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Giancarlo Albertelli
Affiliation:
DipTeRis, Department for the study of the Territory and its Resources, University of Genoa, CoNISMa Local Research Unit, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Carla Morri
Affiliation:
DipTeRis, Department for the study of the Territory and its Resources, University of Genoa, CoNISMa Local Research Unit, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Carlo Nike Bianchi
Affiliation:
DipTeRis, Department for the study of the Territory and its Resources, University of Genoa, CoNISMa Local Research Unit, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: R. Lasagna, DipTeRis, Department for the study of the Territory and its Resources, University of Genoa, CoNISMa Local Research Unit, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy email: roberta.lasagna@dipteris.unige.it

Abstract

In 1998, in coincidence with high sea surface temperatures, Maldivian reef corals were severely affected by mass mortality following bleaching. Tabular Acropora corals, formerly abundant in shallow water, were nearly exterminated. Recovery started soon, and in 2004 Maldivian reefs appeared rich in tabular Acropora colonies again, especially at some sites. This study aimed at determining the degree of spatial variability of tabular Acropora abundance and size among reef typologies (ocean versus lagoon reefs) and depth zones (4–6, 10–12 and 16–18 m) 6 years after the mass mortality event. A total of 192 tabular Acropora colonies (Ø > 16 cm) were counted and measured in six sites. Their abundance differed between reef typologies and according to depth zones, with the highest values in deep lagoon reefs. Colony mean size differed only among depth zones, the largest colonies (up to 105 cm) being found in shallow reefs. Assuming a radial extension rate of 10 cm · yr−1, colonies larger than 65 cm can be interpreted as the survivors of the mass mortality of 1998; conversely, they may represent the result of enhanced growth rates in uncrowded situations as those characterizing the coral reefs of the Maldives in 2004.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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