Effects of future climate on coral-coral competition

Discussion Most experiments directly measuring coral-coral interactions were conducted decades ago when coral reefs were healthier, coral cover was greater, and coral-coral contact was more fre- quent. Those studies found that coral-coral interactions were hierarchical [29, 30], but could sometimes reverse over longer periods of contact [31]. Here we show that climate change can impact the speed or severity of coral-coral competition for some species that are among the Fig 4. Effects of climate and coral-coral competition on maximum quantum yield (means ±SE) beyond areas of direct contact. Maximum quantum yield (means ± SE) for (A) Porites astreoides in contact with Orbicella faveolata; measurement taken at the point 3 cm away from direct contact (No Contact Location) vs. a control P. astreoides fragment not in direct contact with O. faveolata (No Contact Coral) at day 7, (B) The same contrast but for O. faveolata in contact with P. astreoides, (C) P. astreoides in contact with O. faveolata: measurement taken at the point 3 cm away from direct contact (No Contact Location) vs. a control P. astreoides fragment not in direct contact with O. faveolata (No Contact Coral) at day 14, and (D) The same contrast, but for O. faveolata in contact with P. astreoides. Analyses by two-way ANOVA comparing contact and climate condition for each coral species. Dots show individual data points. N = 6. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235465.g004 PLOS ONE Climate change alters coral-coral competition PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235465 August 13, 2020 9 / 16