Adjeroud Mehdi auteur aut IRD Mauguit Q. auteur aut IRD Penin L. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access 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. specialized Coral reefs Scleractinian corals Population structure Size-frequency distribution Spatial patterns Environmental constraints Society islands SOCIETE ILES MOOREA TAHITI RAIATEA 036 112 A 131-139 2015 0141-1136 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066036 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.10.004 0141-1136 [F B010066036] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066036 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2016/01/010066036.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2016-02-02 2017-08-23 fdi:010066036 fre