Local conditions magnify coral loss after marine heatwaves.
Mary K Donovan, Deron E Burkepile, Chelsey Kratochwill, Tom Shlesinger, Shannon Sully, Thomas A Oliver, Gregor Hodgson, Jan Freiwald, Robert van Woesik
Author Information
Mary K Donovan: Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science and School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA. marydonovan@asu.edu. ORCID
Deron E Burkepile: Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. ORCID
Chelsey Kratochwill: Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA.
Tom Shlesinger: Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA. ORCID
Shannon Sully: Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA. ORCID
Thomas A Oliver: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA.
Gregor Hodgson: Reef Check Foundation, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA. ORCID
Jan Freiwald: Reef Check Foundation, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA. ORCID
Robert van Woesik: Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA. ORCID
Climate change threatens coral reefs by causing heat stress events that lead to widespread coral bleaching and mortality. Given the global nature of these mass coral mortality events, recent studies argue that mitigating climate change is the only path to conserve coral reefs. Using a global analysis of 223 sites, we show that local stressors act synergistically with climate change to kill corals. Local factors such as high abundance of macroalgae or urchins magnified coral loss in the year after bleaching. Notably, the combined effects of increasing heat stress and macroalgae intensified coral loss. Our results offer an optimistic premise that effective local management, alongside global efforts to mitigate climate change, can help coral reefs survive the Anthropocene.
