Recovery and health status of scleractinian corals facing bleaching in the Veracruz Reef System in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico
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Coral bleaching is caused mainly by heat stress, as the rise in temperature generates increasingly frequent and intense heat waves. In addition to the increase in temperature, sediment contributions in the Veracruz Reef System (VRS) could increase stress and, with it, the susceptibility of corals to bleaching. This work evaluated 2 reefs of the VRS on 2 time scales: (1) in the short term (2022 to 2023), using the bleaching response index (BRI) to assess the recovery of 104 colonies of scleractinian corals on a scale of 1 to 6 and (2) in the medium term (2008 to 2021), through the coral index (CI) to assess the health of the coral community on a scale of 1 to 5. High values reflect better condition of the corals. In addition, the number of bleached colonies was related to degree heating week (DHW) values and sedimentation rates in both periods. We found that the degrees of accumulated heat were the main cause of bleaching events, whereas sediments did not have a direct influence. In 2022, the prevalence of bleaching was 17% with values of 5 DHW, with Montastraea cavernosa, Siderastrea siderea, Siderastrea stellata, and Colpophyllia natans being the most affected species. However, most exhibited an increase in pigmentation within the first 5 months, with BRI values of 5 and 6. During the period of 2008 to 2021, the health of coral communities was classified as good, with CI values of 3.8 and 3.6. The results illustrate that scleractinian corals have been resilient to bleaching events under VRS conditions, highlighting the need to continue with in situ studies of the susceptible species in this study.
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