Coral Reefs

Field experiments and models reveal how biotic interactions, disturbance legacies, and species associations shape coral resilience.

Moorea, French Polynesia View Publications

Overview

Mo'orea, French Polynesia offers an ideal natural laboratory for studying coral reef resilience. The island's fringing reefs—accessible by shore, sheltered by a barrier reef, and spanning distinct habitat zones—allow controlled field experiments that would be impossible on more remote or fragmented reef systems. This accessibility has enabled decades of continuous research on the same reef communities.

Our work here combines long-term field experiments with mathematical models to understand what drives coral recovery. We study how coral-associated fishes and invertebrates influence coral health, how disturbance legacies affect recovery trajectories, and how predator-prey interactions structure reef communities. The MCR Long Term Ecological Research site provides unparalleled baseline data—tracking reef recovery after cyclones, crown-of-thorns outbreaks, and bleaching events since 2004.

Our Curiosity

Questions We Ask

A window into the types of questions driving our research in coral reefs.

How do coral-associated fishes and invertebrates benefit coral health and resilience?

What role do guard crabs play in protecting corals from predators and competitors?

How do disturbance legacies (like dead coral skeletons) affect reef recovery?

How do predators structure coral reef fish communities?

Can fish-derived nutrients help corals resist or recover from bleaching?

Why do remote reefs show similar vulnerability to climate change as reefs near human populations?

Discoveries

Key Findings

Breakthrough insights from our research. Click or press Enter to reveal details

From the Field

Photo Gallery

Trapezia guard crab hiding within branching coral — Guard crabs like Trapezia defend their coral hosts from predators and competitors

Pair of damselfish among Acropora coral branches — Coral-dwelling damselfish provide nutrient subsidies to their host corals

Crown-of-thorns starfish on coral reef — Crown-of-thorns starfish are major coral predators that guard crabs help defend against

Dead coral skeleton covered in algae — Standing dead coral structures can promote regime shifts to algae-dominated states

Red-spotted coral guard crab in macro detail — Guard crabs have evolved specialized claws for defending their coral homes

Butterflyfish feeding on coral polyps — Corallivorous fish like butterflyfish are natural predators that guard crabs defend against

Bleached coral showing white skeleton — Climate-driven bleaching events are increasingly threatening coral reefs worldwide

Hawkfish perched on branching coral — Hawkfish are territorial residents of branching corals that compete with beneficial damselfish

School of blue-green chromis above coral — Schooling planktivorous fish transport nutrients from the water column to coral colonies

Invasive lionfish near soft coral — Invasive lionfish impact native reef fish populations across the Caribbean

Field Site

Moorea Coral Reef LTER

Moorea, French Polynesia

A volcanic island 17 km northwest of Tahiti, with a well-characterized reef system that provides the perfect setting for experimental ecology. Twenty years of continuous monitoring give us the context to interpret our experiments within real ecosystem dynamics.

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Featured Research