SGER: Local Extinction of Acropora Cervicornis, the Primary Framework Builder of Lagoonal Reefs in Belize

在过去的二十年里，世界各地的珊瑚礁发生了巨大的变化。珊瑚覆盖面已经下降，在许多情况下，肉质大型藻类已经增加。这一变化在加勒比地区尤为明显。飓风、珊瑚白化、疾病、过度捕捞、富营养化、污染、沉积和其他因素都可能涉及，但在大多数情况下，人们对它们的相对重要性知之甚少。全球气候变化可能与这些扰动和压力相互作用并加剧其影响。有些人认为，珊瑚占主导地位和大型藻类占主导地位的情况代表了两种不同的群落状态，每一种都不愿意转换为另一种。最近转向大型藻类占主导地位，似乎是什么是一个独特的自然和人为干扰的结合，可能是前所未有的更新世-全新世历史上的加勒比。随着包括伯利兹在内的珊瑚礁普遍出现白化现象，珊瑚礁系统的主要成员发生了巨大变化。在伯利兹内泻湖，大型框架建筑Acroporids已经失去了其他形式。现在，由于飓风米奇的干扰，这些曾经占主导地位的（最近和过去）形式的虚拟灭绝可能会导致局部灭绝。这项探索性研究的小额赠款将有助于开始解决以下问题。飓风米奇，珊瑚漂白事件后迅速，造成灭绝的鹿角珊瑚在中央泻湖？细叶蘑菇也有严重的死亡率吗？面对大量提供的基质（死珊瑚骨架），绿色棘宫虫能够控制藻类种群吗？飓风米奇打开的空间是否真的会促进A。cervicornis种群（与预期相反），使他们从灭绝的边缘回来？ 这种快速反应资金将使Aronson博士能够解决当前关注的几个问题，包括现代的干扰和不同形式的干扰对珊瑚礁独特变化的贡献。当务之急显然是尽快评估米奇飓风的影响。接下来几个月收集的数据将迅速公布，并作为未来研究的基础。

Aronson9901969 Over the past two decades, coral reefs around the world have changed dramatically. Coral cover has declined, and in many cases fleshy macroalgae have increased. This change has been particularly pronounced in the Caribbean region. Hurricanes, coral bleaching, diseases, overfishing, eutrophication, pollution, sedimentation, and other factors may all be involved, but their relative importance is poorly understood in most situations. Global climate change may interact with and exacerbate the effects of these disturbances and stresses. Some have suggested that the coral-dominated and macroalgal-dominated situations represent alternative community states, each of which is resistant to conversion to the other. The recent switch to macroalgal dominance, caused by what appears to be a unique conjunction of natural and anthropogenic disturbances, may be unprecedented in the Pleistocene-Holocene history of the Caribbean. With the widespread occurrence of bleaching in coral reefs, including Belize, there have been dramatic changes in the dominant members of coral reefs systems. In the Belizean inner lagoon, the large framework building Acroporids have been losing out to other forms. Now with the disturbances of Hurricane Mitch, there is a possibility that virtual extinction of these once dominant (recent and past) forms may achieve local extinction. This Small Grant for Exploratory Research will help to start addressing the following questions. Did Hurricane Mitch, rapidly following the coral bleaching episodes, cause the extinction of Acropora cervicornis in the central lagoon? Did Agaricia tenuifolia also suffer heavy mortality? Will Echinometra viridis be able to control algal populations in the face of massive provision of substratum (dead coral skeletons)? Will space opened by Hurricane Mitch actually promote the recovery of A. cervicornis populations (contrary to expectation), bringing them back from the edge of extinction? This rapid response funding will enable Dr. Aronson to address several issues of current concern, including modem-day extinctions and the contribution of different forms of disturbance to unique changes on coral reefs. The first order of business is clearly to assess Hurricane Mitch's effects as soon as possible. Then the data collected over the next several months will be published rapidly, and will be used as a basis for future research