RAPID: A comparison of acute heat stress and fish abundance influencing coral survival.

全球气温上升继续将珊瑚礁置于严重危险之中。珊瑚和藻类共生体之间的共生关系在极端温度下被破坏，导致这些保护性藻类细胞被驱逐，这一过程被称为珊瑚漂白。如果没有这些藻类共生体，透明漂白的珊瑚很容易受到紫外线照射的影响，这可能是致命的，但一些珊瑚在极端高温过去后表现出更高的韧性和藻类共生体的恢复能力。提高抗逆性的一个潜在原因可能是与珊瑚相关的珊瑚礁鱼类的积极互动。许多珊瑚鱼直接以珊瑚虫或有害的肉质藻类为食，这些藻类与珊瑚争夺空间和营养。随着这些珊瑚鱼在珊瑚及其周围建立领地，它们有可能通过增加水的流动、营养物质和藻类共生体的粪便沉积，甚至在某些情况下遮挡阳光直射而使珊瑚受益。这项研究利用佛罗里达群岛的一次大规模珊瑚白化事件来调查珊瑚礁鱼-珊瑚协会如何影响珊瑚的生存和从白化中恢复，增加了我们对珊瑚礁鱼类种群对珊瑚在变暖世界中生存的重要性的理解。该项目包括对本科生和研究生的培训，以及将这项研究纳入正在进行的儿童海洋科学STEAM计划。这项研究的结果对珊瑚管理和修复具有重要意义。2023年夏天，佛罗里达南端附近异常温暖的水域在世界第三大珊瑚礁佛罗里达礁区引发了大规模的珊瑚白化事件。食草动物(鹦鹉鱼和豆科鱼类)、珊瑚类(蝴蝶鱼)和较清洁的虾虎鱼在调节珊瑚-大型藻类竞争相互作用方面发挥着关键作用。该项目测试了珊瑚礁-鱼类珊瑚相互作用影响漂白珊瑚的恢复，从而影响珊瑚礁群落结构的假设。佛罗里达群岛中部15个地点的240只珊瑚正在被标记和拍照，以测量它们的白化程度。水下相机部署记录了存在的珊瑚礁鱼类的种类和数量，从而能够量化鱼类的行为和珊瑚结合的时间。正在比较漂白前的观测和漂白事件后四个时间点的数据，以检查鱼-珊瑚组合、非生物因素和单个珊瑚命运之间的关系。这一结果将促进对珊瑚对白化事件的适应能力以及珊瑚鱼在恢复期间所扮演的角色的理解。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Rising global temperatures continue to place coral reefs in severe peril. The symbiotic relationship between corals and their algal symbionts breaks down under extreme temperatures leading to the expulsion of these protective algal cells, a process known as coral bleaching. Without these algal symbionts, transparent bleached corals are vulnerable to elevated UV light exposure which can be lethal, yet some corals show higher resilience and recovery of their algal symbionts after the extreme heat has passed. One potential reason for increased resilience may be positive interactions with reef fishes that associate with corals. Many reef fish graze directly on coral polyps or on harmful fleshy algae that compete with corals for space and nutrients. As these reef fish establish territories on and around coral, they have the potential to benefit corals through increased movement of water, fecal deposition of nutrients and algal symbionts, and in some cases even shading from direct sunlight. This research leverages a mass coral bleaching event in the Florida Keys to investigate how reef fish-coral associations influence coral survival and recovery from bleaching, increasing our understanding of the importance of reef fish populations for survival of corals in a warming world. The project includes training for undergraduate and graduate students and incorporation of the research into an ongoing marine science STEAM program for children. The results of this research have implications for coral management and restoration.Exceptionally warm waters off the southern tip of Florida in summer 2023 initiated a mass coral bleaching event in the Florida Reef Tract, the third largest barrier reef in the world. Herbivores (parrotfishes and damselfishes), corallivores (butterflyfishes), and cleaner gobies play critical roles in modulating coral-macroalgae competitive interactions. This project tests the hypothesis that reef-fish coral interactions influence the recovery of bleached corals, thereby affecting coral reef community structure. A total of 240 individual corals across 15 sites in the middle Florida Keys are being marked and photographed to measure their degree of bleaching. Underwater camera deployments record the species and number of reef fish present, allowing for quantification of fish behaviors and coral association times. Pre-bleaching observations and data from four timepoints following the bleaching event are being compared to examine the relationship between fish-coral associations, abiotic factors, and fate of individual corals. The results will advance understanding of coral resilience to bleaching events and the role of reef fishes during the recovery period.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.