Exploring the health and environmental drivers of coral reef bright spots

珊瑚礁是生物多样性热点，为生活在热带沿海社区的数百万人提供了关键的社会效益(Costanza etal ., 2014, Glob。Env。改变)。然而，由于直接（如污染、沿海开发）和间接（如海洋温度上升、海平面上升）的威胁，世界各地的珊瑚礁正在经历迅速退化。尽管出现了这种快速下降的全球趋势，但考虑到它们所处的环境和社会经济条件，一些被称为“亮点”或“绿洲”的珊瑚礁似乎比预期的要好得多（Cinner等人，2016年，Nature； Guest等人，2018年，J. App. Ecol）。了解使一些珊瑚礁系统能够行动并保持“亮点”的驱动因素，对于提高对未来环境变化的珊瑚礁恢复力的预测，以及如何最好地保护珊瑚礁环境的知识都很重要。这个博士项目将通过调查洪都拉斯特拉湾的珊瑚礁，为我们对珊瑚礁“亮点”的了解做出令人兴奋的贡献，这可能是加勒比地区最健康的珊瑚礁之一，活的硬珊瑚覆盖率为60% （Bodmer等人，2021年，科学报告）。学生将会探讨现时的生态、地貌和未来的珊瑚礁生长轨迹之间的联系。该项目亦包括收集环境数据，以探讨珊瑚组合组织的驱动因素。最后，特拉的珊瑚礁似乎不太可能是该地区唯一的“亮点”，因此您将使用环境数据来探索位于中美洲堡礁系统的其他“亮点”的潜力。因此，学生将获得生态栖息地测绘、礁碳酸盐预算调查和环境数据分析的技能。该项目将需要与Operation Wallacea （CASE合作伙伴）合作，在洪都拉斯的海洋基地进行实地调查。1)特拉岛的珊瑚礁在多大程度上代表了一个生态“亮点”？2)控制台拉当代珊瑚礁生态的主要环境因素是什么？3)台拉珊瑚礁未来的生长趋势是什么？4)在中美洲堡礁系统中还有其他地方可以发现珊瑚礁的“亮点”吗？

Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots that provide key societal benefits to millions of people living in tropical coastal communities (Costanza et al., 2014, Glob. Env. Change). However, reefs around the world are experiencing rapid degradation due to direct (e.g. pollution, coastal development) and indirect (e.g. rising ocean temperatures, sea-level rise) threats. Despite this global trend of rapid decline, some coral reefs, termed 'bright spots' or 'oases', appear to be faring much better than expected given the environmental and socioeconomic conditions that they are exposed to (Cinner et al., 2016, Nature; Guest et al., 2018, J. App. Ecol.). Understanding the drivers that enable some reef systems to act, and remain, as 'bright spots' is important to improve both predictions of reef resilience to future environmental change, and knowledge of how to best conserve reef environments. This PhD project will make exciting contributions to our knowledge of reef 'bright spots' by investigating the reefs of Tela Bay, Honduras, which may be among the healthiest coral reefs of the Caribbean with live hard coral cover of >60% (Bodmer et al., 2021, Scientific Reports). The student will explore the links between the current ecology, geomorphology and future reef growth trajectories of Tela Bay's reefs. The project will also involve collection of environmental data to explore the drivers of coral assemblage organisation. Finally, it seems unlikely that the reefs of Tela are the only 'bright spot' in the region and so you will use environmental data to explore the potential for other 'bright spots' to be located on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The student will, therefore, gain skills in ecological habitat mapping, reef carbonate budget surveys, and analyses of environmental data. This project will require fieldwork in collaboration with Operation Wallacea (as CASE partner) at their marine site in Honduras.Key Research Gaps and Questions: 1) To what extent do Tela's reefs represent an ecological 'bright spot'?2) What are the key environmental drivers controlling contemporary reef ecology at Tela?3) What are the future reef growth trajorities of coral reefs at Tela? 4) Are there other locations on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System where coral reef 'bright spots' may be found?