Virgin Islands National Park: Coral Reef: Population Dynamics: Landscape-scale Variation in Scleractinian Corals

This study provides a landscape-scale context to a decadal-scale analysis of community structure on shallow reefs along 4 km of the south shore of St. John, US Virgin Islands. By focusing on 12-14 sites along ~100 km of the shores of St. John and St. Thomas, surveys conducted in 2011 were used to contrast: (1) a local-scale with a landscape-scale analysis on two islands, (2) reefs around St. John and St. Thomas, and (3) reefs on north and south shores. Reefs were censused using photoquadrats that were analyzed for percentage cover first by functional groups (coral, macraolagae and CTB), and then by coral genus. In general, among-site variation for the coarse-resolution analysis eclipsed shore and island effects, but the fine-resolution analysis revealed strong site-specific differences for multiple coral genera that could be the product of priority effects in community succession. Over the next decade these differences probably will create unique community trajectories at each site.