title: Typhoon damage on a shallow mesophotic reef in Okinawa, Japan.
abstract: Little is known about effects of large storm systems on mesophotic reefs. This study reports on how Typhoon 17 (Jelawat) affected Ryugu Reef on Okinawa-jima, Japan in September 2012. Benthic communities were surveyed before and after the typhoon using line intercept transect method. Comparison of the benthic assemblages showed highly significant differences in coral coverage at depths of 25-32 m before and after Typhoon 17. A large deep stand of Pachyseris foliosa was apparently less resistant to the storm than the shallower high diversity area of this reef. Contradictory to common perception, this research shows that large foliose corals at deeper depths are just as susceptible to typhoon damage as shallower branching corals. However, descriptive functional group analyses resulted in only minor changes after the disturbance, suggesting the high likelihood of recovery and the high resilience capacity of this mesophotic reef.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland University College, Asia Division, Camp Foster Education Center , United States/Japan.
authors.forename: Kristine N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Iori
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizuyama
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montenegro
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shikiba
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naruse
authors.forename: Ty
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.forename: Vianney
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Reimer
keywords: Coral reef; Japan; Mesophotic; Succession; Typhoon damage
references.citation: PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e54330
references.pmid: 23342135
references.citation: Nature. 2006 Nov 23;444(7118):477-80
references.pmid: 17122855
references.citation: Science. 1981 Nov 13;214(4522):749-55
references.pmid: 17744383
references.citation: Science. 2005 Jun 17;308(5729):1753-4
references.pmid: 15961661
references.citation: Science. 2005 Sep 16;309(5742):1844-6
references.pmid: 16166514
references.citation: Oecologia. 1980 Sep;46(3):322-329
references.pmid: 28310039
references.citation: Nature. 2005 Aug 4;436(7051):686-8
references.pmid: 16056221