Quantifying the response of structural complexity and community composition to environmental change in marine communities

Renata Ferrari; Mitch Bryson; Tom Bridge; Julie Hustache; Stefan B Williams; Maria Byrne; Will Figueira

doi:10.1111/gcb.13197

Quantifying the response of structural complexity and community composition to environmental change in marine communities

Glob Chang Biol. 2016 May;22(5):1965-75. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13197. Epub 2016 Feb 29.

Authors

Renata Ferrari^{1

2}, Mitch Bryson², Tom Bridge^{3

4}, Julie Hustache¹, Stefan B Williams², Maria Byrne^{1

5}, Will Figueira¹

Affiliations

¹ Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
² Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
³ Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia.
⁴ Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville MC, Townsville, Qld, 4810, Australia.
⁵ Schools of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.

PMID: 26679689
DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13197

Abstract

Habitat structural complexity is a key factor shaping marine communities. However, accurate methods for quantifying structural complexity underwater are currently lacking. Loss of structural complexity is linked to ecosystem declines in biodiversity and resilience. We developed new methods using underwater stereo-imagery spanning 4 years (2010-2013) to reconstruct 3D models of coral reef areas and quantified both structural complexity at two spatial resolutions (2.5 and 25 cm) and benthic community composition to characterize changes after an unprecedented thermal anomaly on the west coast of Australia in 2011. Structural complexity increased at both resolutions in quadrats (4 m(2)) that bleached, but not those that did not bleach. Changes in complexity were driven by species-specific responses to warming, highlighting the importance of identifying small-scale dynamics to disentangle ecological responses to disturbance. We demonstrate an effective, repeatable method for quantifying the relationship among community composition, structural complexity and ocean warming, improving predictions of the response of marine ecosystems to environmental change.

Keywords: AUVs; bleaching; coral reefs; ocean warming and acidification; rugosity; stereo-cameras; structural complexity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aquatic Organisms / physiology*
Biodiversity*
Climate Change*
Coral Reefs*
Hot Temperature / adverse effects*
Models, Theoretical
Seasons
Species Specificity
Western Australia