Nearshore vs. offshore bleaching

[Bernard THOMASSIN]

>Debbie and all interested colleagues

>Taking in account my remark :
> >In fact coastal populations of corals (for the same species) are more
>resistant to all the possible stresses that coral populations living in
>more stable and constant seawater conditions.
> >

You say :

>(The same is clearly true for our groundfish stocks, their resiliency to
>various stressors, i.e. fishing pressure and climate change, is much higher
>when they are located nearer to outflows of major rivers or mainland
>shorelines. So is their growth rates, this is well documented...the
>connection to enhanced feeding opportunities is rather hard to deny.)
>
>
>About growth rates from massive corals (Porites lutea, and P. 
>lobata) our idea is supported also by results about the coral 
>calcification from Mayotte I. and SW Madagascar area (Tulear), both 
>sites being in the Mozambique Channel but separated by about 10 
>latitudinal degrees (13° S for Mayotte, 23° S for Tulear region) 
>(results from Kathrin PRIESS thesis, see PRIESS et al., 1997 ;  from 
>TESTREEF Program with W.C. DULLO, L. MONTAGGIONI, T. EISENHAUER, G. 
>HEISS, etc..):

massive Porites living:
- in "oceanic" waters on outer barrier reef slopes, or near large 
passages, growth more quickly but with a less dense skeleton,
- those living in coastal "neritic" waters grow more slowly but with 
a more dense skeleton than the first.

Unfortunatly we have not yet results for the metabolism rates and 
feeding rates.

Interesting debate you opened. this is Science.

Cheers,

Bernard

Bernard A. THOMASSIN
Dir. recherches CNRS
Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille,
Station marine d'Endoume,
Chemin de la batterie des Lions,
13007 Marseille,
France
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