Data from: Predictive modeling of coral distribution and abundance in the Hawaiian Islands

This study developed species distribution models (SDMs) of the 6 dominant
Hawaiian coral species (Montipora capitata, Montipora flabellata,
Montipora patula, Pocillopora meandrina, Porites compressa, and Porites
lobata) around the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). To construct the SDMs, we
used boosted regression tree (BRT) models to investigate relationships
between the abundance (i.e. benthic cover) of each species with a set of
environmental variables for the time period from 2000 to 2009. Mean
significant wave height and maximum significant wave height were the most
influential variables explaining coral abundance in the Hawaiian Islands.
The BRT models also identified relationships between coral cover and
island age, depth, downwelled irradiance, rugosity, slope, and aspect. The
rank order of coral abundance (from highest to lowest) for the MHI was
Porites lobata, M. patula, Pocillopora meandrina, M. capitata, Porites
compressa, and M. flabellata. Mean coral cover predicted for each species
was relatively low (≤5%) at each island and for the entire MHI except for
Porites lobata around Hawaii (11%). The areas of highest predicted coral
cover summed for the 6 species were Kaneohe Bay on Oahu; the
wave-sheltered reefs of Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Kahoolawe; and the
Kohala coast of Hawaii. Regional-scale characterizations of coral species
from these SDMs provide a framework for spatially explicit population
modeling and ecological inputs to marine spatial planning of Hawaiian
coral reef ecosystems.