Edmunds P. J. auteur aut IRD McIlroy S. E. auteur aut IRD Adjeroud Mehdi auteur aut IRD Ang P. auteur aut IRD Bergman J. L. auteur aut IRD Carpenter R. C. auteur aut IRD Coffroth M. A. auteur aut IRD Fujimura A. G. auteur aut IRD Hench J. L. auteur aut IRD Holbrook S. J. auteur aut IRD Leichter J. J. auteur aut IRD Muko S. auteur aut IRD Nakajima Y. auteur aut IRD Nakamura M. auteur aut IRD Paris C. B. auteur aut IRD Schmitt R. J. auteur aut IRD Sutthacheep M. auteur aut IRD Toonen R. J. auteur aut IRD Sakai K. auteur aut IRD Suzuki G. auteur aut IRD Washburn L. auteur aut IRD Wyatt A. S. J. auteur aut IRD Mitarai S. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Populations of marine organisms on coral reef islands (CRI) are connected in space and time by seawater that transports propagules of plants, animals, and algae. Yet, despite this reality, it is often assumed that routine replenishment of populations of marine organisms on CRI is supported by locally-sourced propagules (hereafter, larvae). Following large disturbances, however, distantly-sourced larvae from less disturbed CRI within a regional meta-population are likely to be important for local population recovery, but evaluating the roles of locally-vs. distantly-sourced larvae remains difficult. While larval sources are relatively well-known for some fishes, they remain virtually unknown for most taxa, particularly those associated with the benthos, as exemplified by scleractinian corals. This review focuses on reef recovery and larval connectivity. Using corals as examples, we argue that CRI can serve as natural laboratories in which studies of these issues can enhance understanding of coral reef community dynamics under future disturbance regimes. Rather than focusing on synthesizing empirical data, we focus on the capacity for CRI to realize their potential in this research area, concluding that progress is impeded by the limited breadth, detail, and spatio-temporal concordance specialized marine larvae coral reef scleractinia connectivity resilience ecology ATLANTIQUE PACIFIQUE POLYNESIE FRANCAISE MOOREA JAPON OKINAWA ETATS UNIS ILES VIERGES SAINT JOHN 036 034 5 art. 290 [16 p.] 2018 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075121 10.3389/fmars.2018.00290 [F B010075121] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075121 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers19-02/010075121.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2019-03-06 2019-03-06 fdi:010075121 fre