Rapid shift in benthic assemblages following coral bleaching at an upper mesophotic habitat in Taiwan

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs; typically, 30–150 m depths) have traditionally been considered potential refuges for shallow-water organisms, but recent evidence suggests that this role is context-dependent. Here, we document a singular habitat at the upper mesophotic depth (- 30 m) in Xiaoliuqiu, Taiwan, and assess the changes in the benthic assemblage one year after a heatwave affected the reefs. In the habitat studied, abundant branching depth-specialist corals were found free-living and thriving on the sandy-rubble bottom amidst dense filamentous turf algae. In 2022, 63.6% of the corals were observed bleached, which was associated with severe heat stress affecting shallow reefs. The dominant coral at the time, Acropora tenella, suffered the most from the bleaching, with only 9.7% of its population remaining healthy. After one year, there was a noticeable shift in dominance from A. tenella to the previously cryptic Anacropora spp. without an obvious change in coral cover. We hypot..., Full details on sample collection and analyses are available in the published manuscript., , # Data from: Rapid shift in benthic assemblages following coral bleaching at an upper mesophotic habitat in Taiwan

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This README.md was generated on 2024-06-13 by Yuting Vicky Lin ([[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])).

1. **Author Information**
* First author
* Name: Dr. Yuting Vicky Lin
* Institution: Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
* Second author
* Name: Yanyu Leonie Chen
* Institution: Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
* Third author
* Name: Dr. Stéphane De Palmas
* Institution: Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
* Fourth author
* Name: Dr. Rodrigo Carballo-Bolaños
* Institution: Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
* Fifth author
* Name: Msc. Arnaud Guerbet
* Institution: Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University...