Half of Atlantic reef-building corals at elevated risk of extinction due to climate change and other threats

Atlantic reef-building corals and coral reefs continue to experience extensive decline due to increased stressors related to climate change, disease, pollution, and numerous anthropogenic threats. To understand the impact of ocean warming and reef loss on the estimated extinction risk of shallow water Atlantic reef-building scleractinians and milleporids, all 85 valid species were reassessed under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, updating the previous Red List assessment of Atlantic corals published in 2008. For the present assessment, individual species declines were estimated based on the modeled coral cover loss (1989-2019) and projected onset of annual severe bleaching events (2020-2050) across the Atlantic. Species traits were used to scale species' relative vulnerability to the modeled cover declines and forecasted bleaching events. The updated assessments place 45.88%-54.12% of Atlantic shallow water corals at an elevated extinction risk compared to the previous assessments conducted in 2008 (15.19%-40.51%). However, coral cover loss estimates indicate an improvement in reef coverage compared to the historic time-series used for the 2008 assessments. Based on this, we infer that, although remaining dangerously high, the rate of Atlantic reef coral cover decline has surprisingly slowed in recent decades. However, based on modeled projections of sea-surface temperature that predict the onset of annual severe bleaching events within the next 30 years, we listed 26 (out of 85) species as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List. Each of these species had previously been listed under a lower threatened category and this result alone highlights the severe threat future bleaching events pose to coral survival and the reef ecosystems they support.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
PLoS ONE
Published
2024-11-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309354
Citations
20
Primary Topic
Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.18

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Half of Atlantic reef-building corals at elevated risk of extinction due to climate change and other threats

Joshua S. Feingold, Anastazia T. Banaszak, Pilar Casado de Amezua, Danwei Huang et al.
20 citations
PLoS ONE
Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
9.18
article

Half of Atlantic reef-building corals at elevated risk of extinction due to climate change and other threats

Joshua S. Feingold, Anastazia T. Banaszak, Pilar Casado de Amezua, Danwei Huang, Paul Pearce‐Kelly, Diego K. Kersting, Sean N. Porter, Benjamin Cowburn, Michael John Sweet, Elizabeth A. Goergen, Petar Kružić, Juan P. Quimbayo, David Obura, Daniel T. I. Bayley, James C. Crabbe, Tom Shlesinger, Khatija Alliji, Christi Linardich, Beth Polidoro, Nadiezhda Santodomingo, Krista Kemppinen, Estrella Villamizar, Bert W. Hoeksema, Rosa E. Rodríguez-Martínez, C. Isabel Nuñez Lendo, Elena Couce, Greta S. Aeby, Mark J. A. Vermeij, Andrea Rivera-Sosa, Francoise Cavada-Blanco, Kaveh Samimi‐Namin, Juan José Alvarado, Aldo Cróquer, Emma Pettersson, Stefano Goffredo, B.W. Wilson, Lorenzo Álvarez‐Filip, Marcelo Visentini Kitahara, Margaret W. Miller, Emma Kennedy, Flávia L. D. Nunes, Luis A. Gutierrez
article en
20 citations

Abstract

Atlantic reef-building corals and coral reefs continue to experience extensive decline due to increased stressors related to climate change, disease, pollution, and numerous anthropogenic threats. To understand the impact of ocean warming and reef loss on the estimated extinction risk of shallow water Atlantic reef-building scleractinians and milleporids, all 85 valid species were reassessed under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, updating the previous Red List assessment of Atlantic corals published in 2008. For the present assessment, individual species declines were estimated based on the modeled coral cover loss (1989-2019) and projected onset of annual severe bleaching events (2020-2050) across the Atlantic. Species traits were used to scale species' relative vulnerability to the modeled cover declines and forecasted bleaching events. The updated assessments place 45.88%-54.12% of Atlantic shallow water corals at an elevated extinction risk compared to the previous assessments conducted in 2008 (15.19%-40.51%). However, coral cover loss estimates indicate an improvement in reef coverage compared to the historic time-series used for the 2008 assessments. Based on this, we infer that, although remaining dangerously high, the rate of Atlantic reef coral cover decline has surprisingly slowed in recent decades. However, based on modeled projections of sea-surface temperature that predict the onset of annual severe bleaching events within the next 30 years, we listed 26 (out of 85) species as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List. Each of these species had previously been listed under a lower threatened category and this result alone highlights the severe threat future bleaching events pose to coral survival and the reef ecosystems they support.

PLoS ONEVol. 19(11)
University of Technology Sydney (AU), Fauna and Flora International (GB), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), Museum of London (GB), Zoological Society of London (GB), University of Hawaii System (US), Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (GB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), University of Bedfordshire (GB), Tel Aviv University (IL), The University of Queensland (AU), National University of Singapore (SG), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), University of Zagreb (HR), Nova Southeastern University (US), University of Derby (GB), University of Hawaii–West Oahu (US), Institut Français (FR), Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Foundation (CW), Coral Reef Alliance (US), Universidad de Costa Rica (CR), University of Oxford (GB), Instituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal (ES), South African Association for Marine Biological Research (ZA), Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (KE), Ohio Business College (US), International Union for Conservation of Nature (CH), Arizona State University (US), Qatar University (QA), University of Portsmouth (GB), Old Dominion University (US), Universidad Central de Venezuela (VE), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (BR), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), University of Bologna (IT)
National Geographic Society, Arizona State University, Zoological Society of London, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
9.18
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.