Contrasting rates of coral recovery and reassembly in coral communities on the Great Barrier Reef

Coral communities on the Great Barrier Reef exhibit contrasting rates of recovery and reassembly following disturbances, with coral cover often returning to pre-disturbance levels (recovery) without restoring the original species composition (reassembly). A study analyzing six reefs found that four regained both coral cover and composition within 8–13 years, while two showed no signs of reassembly. Communities that recovered and reassembled were dominated by tabulate Acropora spp., suggesting resilience to pulse disturbances every decade or more. In contrast, near-shore communities with high Porites spp. and soft corals struggled to recover under current disturbance regimes. This research highlights the importance of taxonomic diversity in coral resilience, using long-term monitoring data to model recovery trajectories.

Johns, K. A., Osborne, K. O., & Logan, M. (2014). Contrasting rates of coral recovery and reassembly in coral communities on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs, 33(3), 553–563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-014-1148-z