Adjeroud Mehdi, Mauguit Q., Penin L. (2015). The size-structure of corals with contrasting life-histories : a multi-scale analysis across environmental conditions. Marine Environmental Research, 112 (A), p. 131-139. ISSN 0141-1136.
Titre du document
The size-structure of corals with contrasting life-histories : a multi-scale analysis across environmental conditions
Marine Environmental Research, 2015,
112 (A), p. 131-139 ISSN 0141-1136
We report variation in the size-structure of three coral taxa in the Society Islands (French Polynesia) using a hierarchical sampling design that integrates the regional (among three islands: Moorea, Raiatea, Tahiti), island (among three locations around each island), and local levels (among three depths: 6, 12, 18 m, at each location). All coral taxa exhibited strong heterogeneity in their size-structure, with marked variation among depths, locations, and islands. Porites spp. and Acropora globiceps populations at 6 m depth were dominated by smaller size classes compared to other depths. Regional-scale variation was particularly evident for Pocillopora meandrina and A. globiceps, with a higher proportion of smaller colonies found at Raiatea, probably as a result of recent cyclones followed by higher recruitment rates. Porites spp. populations were characterized by a preponderance of larger colonies, and greater size ranges compared to the other two taxa.
