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Final Corals Supplemental Information Report

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Final Corals Supplemental Information Report Supplemental Information Report on Status Review Report And Draft Management Report For 82 Coral Candidate Species November 2012 Southeast and Pacific Islands Regional Offices National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Department of Commerce Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Background ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS RECEIVED ...................................................................................................... 3 SRR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 4 2. General Background on Corals and Coral Reefs .................................................................................... 4 2.1 Taxonomy & Distribution .............................................................................................................. 5 2.1.1 Taxonomy and morphology of scleractinian corals .............................................................. 5 2.1.2 Species delineation and uncertainty in corals ...................................................................... 5 2.1.3 Evolutionary history of coral reefs ........................................................................................ 5 2.2 Biology ........................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Reproduction and Recruitment ............................................................................................ 6 2.2.2 Nutrition ................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.3 Calcification & Reef‐building ................................................................................................. 6 2.2.4 Clonality & Genetics .............................................................................................................. 6 2.3 Ecology of Coral Reef Ecosystems ................................................................................................. 6 2.3.1 Ecosystem roles of coral reefs .............................................................................................. 6 2.3.2 Habitat requirements of corals and reefs ............................................................................. 7 2.3.3 Global habitat condition ....................................................................................................... 7 2.3.4 Phase shifts ........................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.5 Resilience of corals and coral reefs ....................................................................................... 8 2.4 Status & Recent Ecological History of Caribbean Reefs ................................................................ 8 2.5 Contrast between Caribbean & Indo‐Pacific [Also relevant to Draft Mgt Report/DMR: 1.1 CURRENT RANGES].................................................................................................................................... 8 2.6 Status and Recent Ecological History of Eastern Pacific Reefs ..................................................... 9 3 Threats to Coral Species [Also relevant to Draft Mgt Report/DMR: 1.2.1] ........................................... 9 3.1 Human Population ...................................................................................................................... 10 3.1.1 Human Population .............................................................................................................. 10 3.1.2 Consumption status and trends .......................................................................................... 10 ii 3.2 Global Climate Change and Large‐Scale Threats [Also relevant to Draft Mgt Report/DMR: 1.2.1.1] .................................................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.1 Atmospheric CO2 and emissions trends .............................................................................. 12 3.2.2 Ocean Warming .................................................................................................................. 13 3.2.3 Ocean Acidification ............................................................................................................. 23 3.2.4 Sea‐level rise (slow and/or rapid) ....................................................................................... 28 3.2.5 Changing ocean circulation ................................................................................................. 31 3.2.6 Changing Storm Tracks and intensities ............................................................................... 31 3.2.7 African & Asian Dust ........................................................................................................... 31 3.2.8 Changes in Insolation .......................................................................................................... 31 3.2.9 Summary of Global Changes and their impacts .................................................................. 32 3.3 Local Threats [Also relevant for Draft Mgt Report/DMR: 1.2.1.2] .............................................. 32 3.3.1 Land‐based Sources of Pollution ......................................................................................... 33 3.3.2 Disease ................................................................................................................................ 35 3.3.3 Predation ............................................................................................................................. 39 3.3.4 Reef fishing – trophic cascades ........................................................................................... 41 3.3.5 Direct habitat impacts and destructive fishing practices .................................................... 42 3.3.6 Ornamental Trade ............................................................................................................... 42 3.3.7 Natural physical damage ..................................................................................................... 43 3.3.8 Human induced physical damage ....................................................................................... 43 3.3.9 Aquatic invasive species ...................................................................................................... 43 3.3.10 Summary of local changes and their impacts ..................................................................... 44 3.4 Interactive and Unapparent Threats to Coral Populations ......................................................... 44 3.5 Summary of Threats .................................................................................................................... 44 4 Demographic & Spatial Factors in Evaluation of Risk ......................................................................... 44 4.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 44 4.2 Abundance & Productivity of Corals ........................................................................................... 45 4.3 Spatial Structure of Corals .......................................................................................................... 45 4.4 Diversity in Corals ........................................................................................................................ 46 4.5 Critical Risk Threshold ................................................................................................................. 47 4.5.1 Critical Risk Threshold and depensatory processes ............................................................ 47 4.5.2 Critical Risk Threshold and sexual reproduction ................................................................. 47 iii 5 Methods .............................................................................................................................................. 47 5.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 48 5.2 The Species Question .................................................................................................................. 48 5.3 Data Review ................................................................................................................................ 48 5.4 Defining Extinction Risk ............................................................................................................... 48 5.5 Assessing the Critical Risk Threshold
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