Published

Coral reefs are of great ecological importance, having the highest species diversity of any marine habitat and ranking near the top of all ecosystems with respect to annual total gross productivity. The communities are supported structurally by reef-building corals and trophically by efficient recycling. The key biotic interaction underlying reef systems is the mutualistic relationship between hermatypic corals and photosynthetic zooxanthellae. Hermatypic corals are both functional autotrophs and heterotrophs and derive carbon from multiple sources. In addition to biotic interactions, numerous other biological processes are influenced by a variety of abiotic events that can operate at spatial scales ranging from millimeters to hundreds of kilometers, and which can vary on short to long time scales. Coral reef ecosystems can be affected by perturbations ranging from short and relatively localized disturbances, where return to the original state is possible, to more chronic, widespread influence of shifts in climate over decades that may fundamentally alter the ecosystem. The latter perturbation is predicted to cause sweeping change in coral reef ecosystems in the coming decades. While there are coral reef monitoring programs, descriptive ecology alone cannot elucidate the mechanistic basis of change in these systems.

This award will establish a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site focused on dynamics of coral reef ecosystems, at the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, location of the University of California’s Gump Research Station. This LTER will estimate long-term trends and address key gaps in understanding through long-term observations and experiments supplemented by shorter-term process studies. The goals are to better understand key processes that (i) modulate ecosystem function, (ii) shape community structure and diversity, and (iii) determine abundance and dynamics of constituent populations. Such mechanistic understanding will allow more accurate predictions of how coral reef ecosystems will respond to qualitatively different types of environmental change.

Coordinated interdisciplinary research by the team of 20 investigators will address issues central to the LTER program. The themes that will form the core research thrusts of the proposed LTER include: (1) the biological bases for variation in ecological performance of hermatypic corals (the foundational group); (2) population dynamics of key groups; (3) food web and nutrient dynamics; and (4) the maintenance and functional consequences of diversity. Two additional research components cut across these themes and will help to integrate and generalize the research endeavors of the thematic areas. These are: (a) an explicit focus on physical – biological coupling (including but not limited to abiotic forcing) over multiple scales; and (b) hydrodynamic, food-web and ecosystem modeling to obtain greater insight and predictive power, and to further guide empirical efforts. Major issues within each thematic area will be addressed through focused, process-oriented studies and by long-term monitoring of key abiotic conditions and important ecosystem processes, community attributes, and demographic processes for representative functional groups of organisms.

Broader Impacts. Both the scientific community and the public have tremendous interest in and concern about conservation of coral reef ecosystems. This project will greatly increase understanding of these systems, and as such, will inform government officials, resource managers and others charged with conservation and management of coral reefs. LTER cross-site comparisons that reveal generality across different ecosystems will lead to more effective management of natural resources in general. Scientific findings and technical information from the project will be broadly disseminated through a website, scientific publications and presentations, and in the media. Outreach activities will be extensive, and will involve K-12 programs in Southern California as well as community and school outreach in French Polynesia and an internship program for Tahitian university students (coordinated by the Atitia Center). Undergraduate and graduate students from under-represented groups (particularly Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Island) will be involved in an education and research training program, linking California State University Northridge (a minority institution) and University of California Santa Barbara, that will provide training in research, team research experiences, and development of skills needed to carry out interdisciplinary, collaborative research. The project also will engage in post-doctoral training, and will build international linkages between US scientists and those in South Pacific island nations.