What can thousands of years of history tell us about what lies ahead for coral reef communities? A lot. In a new study, Florida Atlantic University researchers and collaborators provide geological insights into coral range expansions by reconstructing the composition of a Late Holocene-aged subfossil coral death assemblage in an unusual location in Southeast Florida and comparing it to modern reefs throughout the region. Located off one of the most densely populated and urbanized coastlines in the continental United States, the Late Holocene coral death assemblage known as "Pompano Ridge" records a northward range expansion of tropical coral communities that occurred during a period of regional climate warming more than 2,000 years ago. Could this happen again in the face of climate change? Going "back to the future," this study offers a unique glimpse into what was once a vibrant coral reef assemblage and explores if history can repeat itself. Results of the study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, reveal significant differences in coral composition between Late Holocene and modern assemblages, suggesting that ongoing environmental stressors that were not present during the Late Holocene will likely limit the ability of modern higher latitude reefs in Florida to function as long-term climate rrefugees "Today's environmental conditions and ecology have substantially deviated from long-term Holocene baselines that occurred over millennial timescales," said Anton E. Oleinik, Ph.D., co-author and an associate professor of geology, Department of Geosciences, FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. "Based on the findings from our study, we are not overly optimistic that Florida's subtropical reefs will be able to support range expansions of reef-building coral species reminiscent of the Late Holocene any time soon." Findings show that Late Holocene coral assemblages were dominated by now critically... |