Corals on a Clam (2017-2023)

A recent 6 year time sequence from our Lizard Island Corals on Clams project!
We had an opportunity to re-photograph some of the corals on our clams at Jiigurru, Lizard Island, during our mid-September 2023 expedition, and here we present some imagery from just one of the hundreds of clams in this long term research project.
The Acroporid corals at this site continue to show rapid growth, however we are starting to see evidence of some natural coral mortality and fish damage in the image sequences now, which is to be expected after 6 years. In the last 2023 image in this sequence, you will notice the blue staghorn coral (bottom left) has suffered some partial mortality and the blue corymbose coral (upper left) has been smashed by a feeding wrasse. Some Crown of Thorns seastars are now active at our Clam Gardens site and we are seeing some low levels of coral mortality from their feeding activities in numerous places. 
Coral reefs are complex and dynamic ecosystems, with numerous factors affecting the populations of organisms that live there. Fundamental marine science research, including regular temporal surveys at known locations, are crucial to understand the life histories of corals and other reef organisms.

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