@article{fdi:010066851,
  title = {{H}igh resilience masks underlying sensitivity to algal phase shifts of {P}acific coral reefs},
  author = {{M}umby, {P}. {J}. and {S}teneck, {R}. {S}. and {A}djeroud, {M}ehdi and {A}rnold, {S}. {N}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A} single ecosystem can exhibit great biogeographic and environmental variability. {W}hile a given ecological driver might have a strong impact in one region, it does not necessarily hold that its importance will extend elsewhere. {C}oral reefs provide a striking example in that coral communities have low resilience in the {A}tlantic and remarkable resilience in parts of the species-rich {P}acific. {R}ecent experimental evidence from the {A}tlantic finds that fishing of large herbivorous fish can be a strong driver of coral resilience. {H}ere, we repeat the {A}tlantic experiment in the highly resilient forereef of {M}oorea ({F}rench {P}olynesia), which has repeatedly recovered from disturbances. {A} combination of cages, fish deterrents ({FD}s), and controls allowed us to simulate the consequences of fishing large herbivores on algal assemblages, coral recruitment, and the demographic rates of coral juveniles. {W}e find that the impacts of removing large herbivorous reef fish vary with early coral ontogeny. {R}educed herbivore access led to a modest macroalgal bloom and reduction in coral recruitment. {H}owever, larger juvenile corals (> 1 cm diameter) survived better and grew faster under these conditions because of a reduction in corallivory. {T}o determine the net impact of losing larger herbivorous fish, we combined experimental results with estimated demographic parameters in an individual-based model. {S}imulating coral recovery trajectories for five years, we find that protecting larger reef fish led to better recovery in 66-99% of simulations, depending on underlying assumptions (with the more credible assumptions being associated with greater likelihood of net positive impacts). {W}hile we find that fishing effects are detrimental to corals in both the {A}tlantic and {P}acific systems studied, the nature of the interactions varied markedly. {I}n the identical previously-published study in the {A}tlantic, macroalgae exhibited a rapid bloom and caused a sufficiently large reduction in coral recruitment to force a predicted ecosystem shift to an alternative attractor. {T}he commensurate macroalgal bloom in {M}oorea was weak yet the corals were two orders of magnitude more sensitive to its presence. {W}e do not suggest that a reduction in recruitment in {M}oorea will lead to alternative attractors but the long-term risks of a reduction in recovery rate are cause for concern as rates of coral mortality are projected to increase. {T}he emerging picture is that {P}acific reefs are less likely to experience macroalgal blooms but are surprisingly sensitive to such blooms if they occur.},
  keywords = {{PACIFIQUE} ; {POLYNESIE} {FRANCAISE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{O}ikos},
  volume = {125},
  numero = {5},
  pages = {644--655},
  ISSN = {0030-1299},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1111/oik.02673},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066851},
}