Mechanical vulnerability explains size-dependent mortality of reef corals

作者：Madin Joshua S^*; Baird Andrew H; Dornelas Maria; Connolly Sean R

来源：Ecology Letters, 2014, 17(8): 1008-1015.

DOI：10.1111/ele.12306

• Biomechanics
• colonial
• demography
• disturbance
• life history
• mortality
• reef coral

Understanding life history and demographic variation among species within communities is a central ecological goal. Mortality schedules are especially important in ecosystems where disturbance plays a major role in structuring communities, such as coral reefs. Here, we test whether a trait-based, mechanistic model of mechanical vulnerability in corals can explain mortality schedules. Specifically, we ask whether species that become increasingly vulnerable to hydrodynamic dislodgment as they grow have bathtub-shaped mortality curves, whereas species that remain mechanically stable have decreasing mortality rates with size, as predicted by classical life history theory for reef corals. We find that size-dependent mortality is highly consistent between species with the same growth form and that the shape of size-dependent mortality for each growth form can be explained by mechanical vulnerability. Our findings highlight the feasibility of predicting assemblage-scale mortality patterns on coral reefs with trait-based approaches.

• 出版日期2014-8