Effects of Rising Sea Surface Temperature on the Dynamics of Coral-Algal Interactions

Abstract

Coral reef ecosystems are most vulnerable to changes in sea surface temperature (SST), a key environmental factor critical to reef-building growth. Elevated SST reduces the ability of corals to produce their calcium carbonate skeletons. Prolonged high SST results in coral bleaching, owing to the uncoupling of symbiosis among corals and microalgae. Corals have narrow temperature tolerances. The skeletal growth rate of corals falls sharply to zero even at a slight increase of SST above its temperature tolerance level. Corals are also vulnerable to macroalgal toxicity. Several benthic macroalgae species are known to bring about allelopathic chemical compounds that are very harmful to corals. The toxic macroalgae produce allelochemicals for which the survivability and settlement of coral larvae are highly affected. Toxic macroalgae species damage coral tissues when in contact by transferring hydrophobic allelochemicals present on macroalgal surfaces, leading to a reduction of corals and even coral mortality. The abundance of toxic macroalgae changes the community structure toward a macroalgae-dominated reef ecosystem. We use a continuous-time model to investigate coral-macroalgal phase shifts in the presence of elevated SST and macroalgal toxicity. We have derived the conditions for locally asymptotic stability of steady states. Computer simulations have been carried out to illustrate different analytical results.