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

不断上升的全球气温继续使珊瑚礁处于严重的危险之中。在极端温度下，珊瑚和它们的共生藻类之间的共生关系破裂，导致这些具有保护作用的藻类细胞被驱逐，这一过程被称为珊瑚白化。没有这些藻类共生体，透明的白化珊瑚很容易受到高强度的紫外线照射，这可能是致命的，然而一些珊瑚在极端高温过去后显示出更高的恢复能力和藻类共生体的恢复。恢复力增强的一个潜在原因可能是与与珊瑚有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。当这些珊瑚鱼在珊瑚上和周围建立领地时，它们有可能通过增加水的流动、粪便中营养物质和藻类共生体的沉积，在某些情况下甚至遮阳，使珊瑚受益。本研究利用佛罗里达群岛的大规模珊瑚白化事件来调查珊瑚鱼-珊瑚关系如何影响珊瑚的生存和从白化中恢复，增加了我们对珊瑚鱼种群在变暖世界中对珊瑚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，并将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的管理和恢复具有启示意义。2023年夏天，佛罗里达南端异常温暖的海水引发了世界第三大堡礁——佛罗里达珊瑚礁地带的大规模珊瑚白化事件。植食动物（鹦嘴鱼和豆娘鱼）、珊瑚动物（蝴蝶鱼）和清洁虾虎鱼在调节珊瑚-巨藻竞争相互作用中起关键作用。本项目检验了珊瑚礁-鱼类-珊瑚相互作用影响白化珊瑚恢复从而影响珊瑚礁群落结构的假设。在佛罗里达群岛中部的15个地点，共有240个珊瑚被标记和拍照，以测量它们的白化程度。水下摄像机的部署记录了存在的珊瑚鱼的种类和数量，从而可以量化鱼类的行为和珊瑚的结合时间。漂白前的观察结果和漂白事件后四个时间点的数据进行比较，以研究鱼-珊瑚关系、非生物因素和单个珊瑚命运之间的关系。研究结果将促进对珊瑚对白化事件的恢复能力和珊瑚礁鱼类在恢复期间的作用的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.