title: The size-structure of corals with contrasting life-histories: A multi-scale analysis across environmental conditions.
abstract: We report variation in the size-structure of three coral taxa in the Society Islands (French Polynesia) using a hierarchical sampling design that integrates the regional (among three islands: Moorea, Raiatea, Tahiti), island (among three locations around each island), and local levels (among three depths: 6, 12, 18 m, at each location). All coral taxa exhibited strong heterogeneity in their size-structure, with marked variation among depths, locations, and islands. Porites spp. and Acropora globiceps populations at 6 m depth were dominated by smaller size classes compared to other depths. Regional-scale variation was particularly evident for Pocillopora meandrina and A. globiceps, with a higher proportion of smaller colonies found at Raiatea, probably as a result of recent cyclones followed by higher recruitment rates. Porites spp. populations were characterized by a preponderance of larger colonies, and greater size ranges compared to the other two taxa.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", UPVD 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France. Electronic address: mehdi.adjeroud@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adjeroud
authors.affiliation: USR 3278 CNRS-EPHE-UPVD, Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, UPVD 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France; Université de Liège, Département d'Ecologie Marine, Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et d'Ecotoxicologie, Allée du 6 août, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Quentin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Mauguit
authors.affiliation: Université de la Réunion, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint Denis Cédex, 9 La Réunion, France.
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Penin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D049628:Body Size; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004777:Environment; D020387:Food Chain; D011114:Polynesia; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: Coral reefs; Environmental constraints; Population structure; Scleractinian corals; Size-frequency distribution; Society islands; Spatial patterns