Figure 1.
Map of study region and sampling stations (depicted by red diamonds and numbers).
Superimposed blue arrows show the characteristic flow pattern across the reef flat and around the lagoon (as described by Lowe et al. 2008). Satellite imagery: Google Earth, 2010.
Figure 2.
Percent coral coverage of plate Acropora, caespito-corymbose Acropora and other coral species at Ningaloo reef.
Six stations were sampled in autumn (March - April 2010). Numbers in brackets represent long-term average current speed per station and same letters indicate no significant difference in total coral coverage per station.
Figure 3.
Patterns in physico-chemical factors at Ningaloo Reef throughout seasons.
(A) Temperature (°C) and light (PAR), (B) current speed, (C) chlorophyll a (chl a), (D) picoplankton concentration (Prochloroccocus, Synechoccocus and picoeukaryotes ), (E) nutrients (PO4, NO3+NO2 (NOx), NH4, Si and TN) and (F) zooplankton concentrations at six stations at Ningaloo Reef during autumn (March/April) and winter (August 2010) and during the La Niña event in summer (February 2011) (grey column). Data are means ± SE (n = 6).
Table 1.
Main physico-chemical predictors for coral health indices for Acropora digitifera.
Table 2.
Main physico-chemical predictors for coral health indices for Acropora spicifera.
Figure 4.
Correlation between health indices with temperature and light for Acropora digitifera.
Quadratic correlations (R2) of temperature (A–E) and linear correlations (R2) of PAR (F–J) with Protein concentration, RNA/DNA ratio, lipid ratio, chl a concentration and zooxanthellae density.
Figure 5.
Correlation between health indices with temperature and light for Acropora spicifera.
Quadratic correlations (R2) of temperature (A–E) and linear correlations (R2) of PAR (F–J) with Protein concentration, RNA/DNA ratio, lipid ratio, chl a concentration and zooxanthellae density.