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Mass mortality following disturbance in Holocene coral reefs from Papua New Guinea

¹ ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, The Centre for Marine Studies and Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
² School of GeoSciences, Edinburgh University, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, Scotland
³ Physics Building, 1118 East Fourth Street, P.O. Box 210081, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0081, USA
⁴ Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
⁵ Departments of Geography & Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3X9, Canada
⁶ Section of Evolution & Ecology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
⁷ School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine Darling Marine Center, Walpole, Maine 04573, USA
⁸ School of Geography, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
⁹ School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
¹⁰ School of Botany & Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
¹¹ Life and Earth Sciences Department, Otterbein College, 1 Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio 43081, USA
¹² School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, Edinburgh University, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, Scotland

The frequency and intensity of disturbance on living coral reefs have been accelerating for the past few decades, resulting in a changed seascape. What is unclear but vital for management is whether this acceleration is natural or coincident only with recent human impact. We surveyed nine uplifted early to mid-Holocene (11,000–3700 calendar [cal] yr B.P.) fringing and barrier reefs along 27 km at the Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea. We found evidence for several episodes of coral mass mortality, but frequency was <1 in 1500 yr. The most striking mortality event extends >16 km along the ancient coastline, occurred ca. 9100–9400 cal yr B.P., and is associated with a volcanic ash horizon. Recolonization of the reef surface and resumption of vertical reef accretion was rapid (<100 yr), but the post-disturbance reef communities contrasted with their pre-disturbance counterparts. Assessing the frequency, nature, and long-term ecological consequences of mass-mortality events in fossil coral reefs may provide important insights to guide management of modern reefs in this time of environmental degradation and change.

Key Words: coral reefs • disturbance • Quaternary • mass mortality • Holocene • Papua New Guinea