Cyclone effects on coral reef habitats in New Caledonia (South Pacific) |
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Authors: | N Guillemot P Chabanet O Le Pape |
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Institution: | 1. UR-CoRéUs, IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), BP A5, 98848, Noumea, New Caledonia 2. UMR 985 (Agrocampus Ouest, INRA ?Ecologie et Santé des Ecosystèmes?), Université Européenne de Bretagne, Agrocampus Ouest, Ecologie halieutique, 65 rue de St Brieuc, CS 84215, 35042, Rennes, France 3. Koniambo Nickel SAS, Service Environnement, BP MGA 08, 98802, Noumea, New Caledonia 4. UR-CoRéUs, IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), BP 172, Ste Clotilde, 97492, La Réunion, France
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Abstract: | The impacts of the unusually strong Cyclone Erica (March 2003) on coral reef habitats at a site located on the northwest coast
of New Caledonia (South Pacific) were assessed using a 6-year data set (2002–2007). We examined the interannual variations
of key variables describing reef habitats (live hard and soft corals, dead corals in place, coral debris, algae and relative
proportion of mechanically vulnerable and resistant live hard corals). The cyclone-induced disturbances of habitats differed
according to three reef types: patch reefs, barrier reefs far from passes (more than 3 km from the nearest pass) and barrier
reefs near passes (less than 3 km from the nearest pass). Short-term mechanical damage was detected on the three-dimensional
structure of reef habitats with a notable shift from a community dominated by mechanically vulnerable corals to one dominated
by resistant corals on barrier reefs far from passes. The history of habitats and their pre-disturbance characteristics, in
link with local hydrodynamics, was found to influence their short-term susceptibility to extreme events such as cyclones.
However, the most significant effects appeared in the midterm (within 2 years after the cyclone) as the cover of live hard
corals significantly decreased by approximately 45% between 2002 and 2004 on all reef types. The short- and midterm disturbances
of coral reef habitats are discussed with regard to published temporal variations in reef fish assemblages, underlining the
delayed effects of this cyclonic event on fish as well as benthic habitats. Coral reef habitats and live corals had shown
significant patterns of recovery 4 years after the cyclone, followed by similar recovery in fish community, suggesting good
resilience in a face of this major natural disturbance in an area under moderate anthropogenic pressure. |
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