A global analysis of coral bleaching patterns in association with mangrove environments under global warming

Marine heatwaves caused by global warming are progressively degrading coral reefs worldwide via the process of coral bleaching – the expulsion of photosynthetic endosymbionts. However, coral bleaching is not spatially homogeneous, but varies across environmental gradients in association with local conditions and taxonomic composition. Emerging evidence suggests that mangrove habitats are recurrent “microenvironments” for reef corals, providing key biogeochemical services believed to influence their resilience, and housing co-tolerant coral taxa. This close association between coral reefs and mangroves has led to the hypothesis that the extent of coral bleaching is reduced by the proximity of reef building corals to mangroves. Here, we present the first global-scale test addressing this hypothesis. Using Bayesian Generalised Linear Mixed Effect modelling, we show that coral bleaching tends to increase under higher thermal stress when corals are further away from mangroves. When comparing..., ,