Abstract

Coral reefs are one of the most threatened ecosystems globally. In the Caribbean, this has prompted initiatives at regional and local scales aimed at monitoring the state of coral reefs. In Barbados, a long-term reef survey programme was officially launched in 1987 with the establishment of permanent monitoring reef plots at multiple shallow and deep sites along the island’s south and west coasts. On-going monitoring at these sites takes place every five years and includes collecting data on benthic composition. Here, we examine spatial and temporal trends in reef benthic composition between 1997 and 2012 across 43 sites spanning 30 km of coastline. The data show three distinct reef groups along a gradient of increasing coral cover: (1) shallow fringing reefs of the west coast (overall average coral cover: 16%), (2) shallow patch reefs of the south coast (21%), and (3) deep bank reefs (27%). This gradient also reflects an increasing contribution of large-sized massive corals (versus fire and small weedy corals) to coral cover and is positively associated with depth. The data also support that all three reef groups were significantly affected by the 2005 mass-bleaching event. Furthermore, temporal trends in benthic composition over the 15-year period differed among reef groups, with increases over time in macro-algae and excavating sponges on both the shallow fringing reefs of the west coast and the deep bank reefs, but not on the shallow patch reefs of the south coast. Overall, the data reveal the effect of both local (land-based) and global stressors on Barbados’ coral reefs. Coral reefs are one of the most threatened ecosystems globally. In the Caribbean, this has prompted initiatives at regional and local scales aimed at monitoring the state of coral reefs. In Barbados, a long-term reef survey programme was officially launched in 1987 with the establishment of permanent monitoring reef plots at multiple shallow and deep sites along the island’s south and west coasts. On-going monitoring at these sites takes place every five years and includes collecting data on benthic composition. Here, we examine spatial and temporal trends in reef benthic composition between 1997 and 2012 across 43 sites spanning 30 km of coastline. The data show three distinct reef groups along a gradient of increasing coral cover: (1) shallow fringing reefs of the west coast (overall average coral cover: 16%), (2) shallow patch reefs of the south coast (21%), and (3) deep bank reefs (27%). This gradient also reflects an increasing contribution of large-sized massive corals (versus fire and small weedy corals) to coral cover and is positively associated with depth. The data also support that all three reef groups were significantly affected by the 2005 mass-bleaching event. Furthermore, temporal trends in benthic composition over the 15-year period differed among reef groups, with increases over time in macro-algae and excavating sponges on both the shallow fringing reefs of the west coast and the deep bank reefs, but not on the shallow patch reefs of the south coast. Overall, the data reveal the effect of both local (land-based) and global stressors on Barbados’ coral reefs.

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