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Relevance of coral geometry in the outcomes of the coral-algal benthic war

Emma E. George, James Mullinix, Fanwei Meng, Barbara Bailey, Clinton Edwards, Ben Felts, Andreas Haas, Aaron C. Hartmann, Benjamin Mueller, Jim Nulton, Ty N.F. Roach, Peter Salamon, Cynthia B. Silveira, Mark J.A. Vermeij, Forest L. Rohwer, Antoni Luque
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/327031
Emma E. George
1Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
2Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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James Mullinix
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
4Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Fanwei Meng
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Barbara Bailey
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Clinton Edwards
6Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
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Ben Felts
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Andreas Haas
7NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Texel, Netherlands
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Aaron C. Hartmann
1Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
8Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
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Benjamin Mueller
9CARMABI Foundation, Willemstad, Curaçao
10Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology/Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Jim Nulton
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Ty N.F. Roach
1Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Peter Salamon
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Cynthia B. Silveira
1Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Mark J.A. Vermeij
9CARMABI Foundation, Willemstad, Curaçao
10Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology/Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Forest L. Rohwer
1Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Antoni Luque
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
4Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
5Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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  • For correspondence: aluque@mail.sdsu.edu
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Abstract

Corals have built reefs on the benthos for millennia, becoming an essential element in marine ecosystems. Climate change and human impact, however, are favoring the invasion of non-calcifying benthic algae and reducing coral coverage. Corals rely on energy derived from photosynthesis and heterotrophic feeding, which depends on their surface area, to defend their outer perimeter. But the relation between geometric properties of corals and the outcome of competitive coral-algal interactions is not well known. To address this, 50 coral colonies interacting with algae were sampled in the Caribbean island of Curaçao. 3D and 2D digital models of corals were reconstructed to measure their surface area, perimeter, and polyp sizes. A box counting algorithm was applied to calculate their fractal dimension. The perimeter and surface dimensions were statistically non-fractal, but differences in the mean surface fractal dimension captured relevant features in the structure of corals. The mean fractal dimension and surface area were negatively correlated with the percentage of losing perimeter and positively correlated with the percentage of winning perimeter. The combination of coral perimeter, mean surface fractal dimension, and coral species explained 19% of the variability of losing regions, while the surface area, perimeter, and perimeter-to-surface area ratio explained 27% of the variability of winning regions. Corals with surface fractal dimensions smaller than two and small perimeters displayed the highest percentage of losing perimeter, while corals with large surface areas and low perimeter-to-surface ratios displayed the largest percentage of winning perimeter. This study confirms the importance of fractal surface dimension, surface area, and perimeter of corals in coral-algal interactions. In combination with non-geometrical measurements such as microbial composition, this approach could facilitate environmental conservation and restoration efforts on coral reefs.

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Posted May 24, 2018.
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Relevance of coral geometry in the outcomes of the coral-algal benthic war
Emma E. George, James Mullinix, Fanwei Meng, Barbara Bailey, Clinton Edwards, Ben Felts, Andreas Haas, Aaron C. Hartmann, Benjamin Mueller, Jim Nulton, Ty N.F. Roach, Peter Salamon, Cynthia B. Silveira, Mark J.A. Vermeij, Forest L. Rohwer, Antoni Luque
bioRxiv 327031; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/327031
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Relevance of coral geometry in the outcomes of the coral-algal benthic war
Emma E. George, James Mullinix, Fanwei Meng, Barbara Bailey, Clinton Edwards, Ben Felts, Andreas Haas, Aaron C. Hartmann, Benjamin Mueller, Jim Nulton, Ty N.F. Roach, Peter Salamon, Cynthia B. Silveira, Mark J.A. Vermeij, Forest L. Rohwer, Antoni Luque
bioRxiv 327031; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/327031

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