R2 Toolkit

The Value of Coral Reefs

What are Threats to Reefs?

What is Bleaching?

What Causes bleaching?

Bleaching Impacts

Resources

Environmental Factors

Coral Factors

Cooling : Where to Look

Shading : Where to look

Screening : Where to look

Building Survivability

Principles of Resilience : 1

Principles of Resilience : 2

Principles of Resilience : 3

MPA Selection Process

Resilience Strategies

Resistant Communities

Measures and Monitoring

Alternative Protocols

Socioeconomic Impacts

Bleaching Protocol

Palau Case Study - Video

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“Reproduce”

Usually, corals spawn at least once a year on specific nights tied to the lunar calendar. Some corals that bleach may not spawn again for a year or more.

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“Connectivity”

Connectivity is used when describing the natural linkages among reefs established by the passive dispersal of organisms along ocean currents or their active migration.

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“Coral Recruits”

Coral recruits are the post larval phases of corals that successfully settle and establish themselves on the substrate.

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Identifying Resilience|Recovery From Bleaching

Recovery From Bleaching

Not all zooxanthellae are eliminated during bleaching. Some corals die from bleaching and others recover.

• Some corals recover only partially and their ability to reproduce and fight diseases may be impaired.

• Reefs with high mortality after bleaching depend on connectivity to other sources of live corals for re-seeding.

• Overgrowth by algae can slow reef recovery by taking up space that could otherwise be available to coral recruits.

Some coral colonies that initially appear dead may regenerate from deep tissues. These are called “phoenix corals.”

Low Cost Data Collection

SOURCES

Baird and Marshall 2002, Coles and Brown 2003, Diaz-Pulido and McCook 2002, Harvell et al. 1999, Knowlton 2001, Krupp et al. 1992, McClanahan et al. 2001, Michelak-Wagner and Willis 2001

"Dr. Yimnang Golbuu, PICRC, has documented resilience at Ngarchelong patch reef, Palau, which has been heavily colonized by coral recruits following the 1998 bleaching event."

“Algae can inhibit reef recovery by overgrowing corals or by out-competing the coral larvae for settling space. Heavy harvest of herbivorous fishes can result in rapid overgrowth of corals by algae.”