Tropical reef ecosystems are strongly influenced by the composition of coral species, but the factors influencing coral diversity and distributions are not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that large variations in the relative abundance of three major coral species across adjacent Caribbean reef sites are strongly related to their different low O2 tolerances. In laboratory experiments designed to mimic reef conditions, the cumulative effect of repeated nightly low O2 drove coral bleaching and mortality, with limited modulation by temperature. After four nights of repeated low O2, species responses also varied widely, from > 50% bleaching in Acropora cervicornis to no discernable sensitivity of Porites furcata. A simple metric of hypoxic pressure that combines these experimentally derived species sensitivities with high‐resolution field data accurately predicts the observed relative abundance of species across three reefs. Only the well‐oxygenated reef supported the framework‐building hypoxia‐sensitive Acropora cervicornis, while the hypoxia‐tolerant weedy species Porites furcata was dominant on the most frequently O2‐deplete reef. Physiological exclusion of acroporids from these O2‐deplete reefs underscores the need for hypoxia management to reduce extirpation risk.

中文翻译：

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与缺氧暴露相关的珊瑚群落组成


热带珊瑚礁生态系统受珊瑚物种组成的强烈影响，但影响珊瑚多样性和分布的因素尚不完全清楚。在这里，我们证明了邻近加勒比珊瑚礁地点三种主要珊瑚物种的相对丰度的巨大差异与它们不同的低 O2 耐受性密切相关。在旨在模拟珊瑚礁条件的实验室实验中，夜间重复低 O2 的累积效应导致珊瑚白化和死亡，而温度的调节有限。在重复低 O 2 四晚后，物种反应也差异很大，从 Acropora cervicornis 的 > 50% 白化到 Porites furcata 没有明显的敏感性。将这些实验得出的物种敏感性与高分辨率现场数据相结合的低氧压力的简单指标可以准确预测在三个珊瑚礁中观察到的物种相对丰度。只有含氧良好的珊瑚礁支持构建框架对缺氧敏感的 Acropora cervicornis，而耐缺氧的杂草物种 Porites furcata 在最常见的 O2 消耗珊瑚礁上占主导地位。从这些 O2 耗尽的珊瑚礁中生理地排除鹿角动物强调了缺氧管理以降低灭绝风险的必要性。