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Population structure change in a temperate reef coral after a quarter of century

TitlePopulation structure change in a temperate reef coral after a quarter of century
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsAzzola, Annalisa, Bianchi Carlo Nike, Morri Carla, Oprandi Alice, Peirano Andrea, and Montefalcone Monica
JournalEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Volume270
Pagination107851
Date PublishedJan-06-2022
ISSN02727714
Keywordscoral, coral reef, endemic species, Ligurian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Mortality, population structure, reproductive potential, temperature effect
Abstract

Seawater warming is affecting corals worldwide. Mass mortality events are increasingly frequent, and the bioconstruction potential of coral reefs is jeopardized. Revisiting sites surveyed in the past may represent a valuable tool to better understand the health state and ongoing trend of coral reefs. In the Mediterranean Sea the only reef-building coral is the endemic species Cladocora caespitosa. Several mortality events of this coral, due to thermal anomalies, have been reported in the last decades. An impressive change occurred in a population of C. caespitosa revisited 25 years after: smaller colonies became the prevalent size class and larger colonies disappeared, highlighting a loss in the bioconstruction potential. Data collected on C. caespitosa colonies in the Eastern Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean) revealed that mortality rate was correlated with colony size, while reproductive potential apparently increased, suggesting hormesis (i.e., enhanced reproductive output under pre-lethal conditions). © 2022

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URLhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S027277142200110X
DOI10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107851
Short TitleEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Citation Key9979