MEPS prepress abstract   -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14712

ABSTRACT: As coral reefs degrade worldwide, researchers and managers need to determine whether corals can acclimatize to altered local conditions or whether their fixed phenotypes prevent coral persistence under these new environmental conditions. Fixed phenotypes could produce environmental mismatches that reduce population connectivity and exacerbate decline in the near-term, but a capacity for acclimatization could be harnessed in both passive and proactive coral restoration efforts. Here, we conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment in Moʻorea, French Polynesia to test how intraspecific performance of two common coral species (Acropora hyacinthus and Pocillopora verrucosa) varied between a neighboring forereef and backreef that differed dramatically in trajectories of coral loss, resilience over decadal time scales, and cover of corals versus competing macroalgae. We also tested how corals responded to two common stressors—corallivory and macroalgal competition—and how this varied as a function of transplant location and the coral’s area of origin. Growth and survival of both coral species were affected by macroalgal competition, corallivory, transplant location, or some combination of the three, but we found limited evidence that a coral’s habitat of origin significantly impacted intraspecific performance. These results suggest that acclimatization capacity may outweigh local adaptation for these common reef-building species and could be leveraged to facilitate coral restoration.