Effects of multiple perturbations on the survivorship of fragments of three coral species

Fist-sized fragments of Porites cylindrica, Porites rus and Pavona frondifera were deployed in single-species (P. cylindrica) and mixed-species (all three) plots in a shallow reef area in the northwestern Philippines. After 6 months, the corals in half of the plots were broken into smaller pieces to simulate an episodic physical disturbance. The survival of all corals was monitored from March 2000 to July 2001 during which the corals experienced 2 typhoons and episodes of algal overgrowth. For both intact and broken treatments, there was significantly higher survival in the mixed-species plots than in the single-species treatments. Fragment mortality varied between disturbances of varying frequencies and magnitudes, namely: one-time fragmentation stress, seasonal overgrowth by cyanobacteria and macroalgae, short-term (1 day) and long-term (more than 1 week) burial. The mixed-species assemblages had higher fragment survivorship than the monospecific assemblages during small-scale perturbations (e.g., algal overgrowth), but not in the face of subsequent, larger scale disturbances. This study emphasizes that coral responses to disturbance are both species- and context-specific.