Depth, taxon, heat stress, and habitat heterogeneity together shape coral bleaching

Depth, taxon, heat stress, and habitat heterogeneity together shape coral bleaching | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology and Evolution This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Depth, taxon, heat stress, and habitat heterogeneity together shape coral bleaching Authors : Chancey Macdonald 0000-0003-2557-0520 [email protected] , Cilun Djakiman [email protected] , Halwi Masdar [email protected] , Scott Bachman [email protected] , Rebecca Green [email protected] , Helen Fox [email protected] , Gino LImmon [email protected] , and Maria Beger [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003247/v1 Under Review Ecology and Evolution Peer review timeline 14 views 7 downloads Contents Abstract Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The depth refugia hypothesis proposes that corals find refuge from heat-stress induced coral bleaching at depth. In addition, geomorphologically complex reefs may provide additional micro-refugia. However, evidence for pervasive community-level depth and micro refugia has been equivocal, necessitating a nuanced exploration of local coral bleaching responses. We assess the effects of depth and morphological habitat heterogeneity on coral bleaching. We include over 6000 coral colonies between two and eighteen meters of depth over a heat stress gradient from 1 to 6 degree heating weeks, and with varying site-level habitat heterogeneity. Our results demonstrate strong interactions in bleaching susceptibility along gradients of depth, heat stress, and habitat heterogeneity that were taxa-specific and varied with colony level bleaching severity. Community-level bleaching susceptibility decreased with depth, but severe bleaching of colonies (> 50 % of coral surface) increased with depth. The coral community as a whole was more susceptible to bleaching as cumulative heat stress exposure increased, but did not vary uniformly with large-scale habitat heterogeneity. Genus-level bleaching susceptibility mostly followed expectations, with Seriatopora and Pocillopora being the most suspectable genera overall, and Porites the least susceptible. However, Acropora corals bleached less than expected overall, and in unexpected patterns along interacting depth and heat stress gradients. For example, severe bleaching of Acropora colonies increased with depth where cumulative heat stress was low, but was equal across depths where heat stress was highest. Overall, our results demonstrate that bleaching susceptibility varies substantially with multiple interacting biological and environmental factors, and that the influence of these can change with the level of bleaching assessed. Consequentially, depth effects on coral bleaching can be highly nuanced and care should be taken when investigating and reporting on the ‘depth refugia’ potential for coral bleaching and when interpreting community-level bleaching outcomes that are naïve to taxa and water depth. Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Peer review timeline Under Review Ecology and Evolution 12 May 2026 Submission Checks Completed Collection Ecology and Evolution Authors Affiliations Chancey Macdonald 0000-0003-2557-0520 [email protected] View all articles by this author Cilun Djakiman [email protected] Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, NE1 7RU View all articles by this author Halwi Masdar [email protected] Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, NE1 7RU View all articles by this author Scott Bachman [email protected] Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, NE1 7RU View all articles by this author Rebecca Green [email protected] Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, NE1 7RU View all articles by this author Helen Fox [email protected] Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, NE1 7RU View all articles by this author Gino LImmon [email protected] Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, NE1 7RU View all articles by this author Maria Beger [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 14 views 7 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Chancey Macdonald, Cilun Djakiman, Halwi Masdar, et al. Depth, taxon, heat stress, and habitat heterogeneity together shape coral bleaching. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003247/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. Share Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Bluesky LinkedIn email View full text | Download PDF {"doi":"10.22541/authorea.15003247/v1","type":"Article"} Now Reading: Share Figures Tables Close figure viewer Back to article Figure title goes here Change zoom level Go to figure location within the article Download figure Toggle share panel Toggle share panel Share Toggle information panel Toggle information panel Go to previous graphic Go to next graphic Go to previous table Go to next table All figures All tables View all material View all material xrefBack.goTo xrefBack.goTo Request permissions Expand All Collapse Expand Table Show all references SHOW ALL BOOKS Authors Info & Affiliations About FAQs Contact Us Directory RSS Back to top Powered by Research Exchange Preprints Help Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences $(document).ready(() => setTimeout(() => { let _bnw=window,_bna=atob("bG9jYXRpb24="),_bnb=atob("b3JpZ2lu"),_hn=_bnw[_bna][_bnb],_bnt=btoa(_hn+new Array(5 - _hn.length % 4).join(" ")); $.get("/resource/lodash?t="+_bnt); },4000)); (function(){function c(){var b=a.contentDocument||a.contentWindow.document;if(b){var d=b.createElement('script');d.innerHTML="window.__CF$cv$params={r:'9fe42e73ffae8e2e',t:'MTc3OTIwNTAzMQ=='};var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/jsd/main.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(a);";b.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d)}}if(document.body){var a=document.createElement('iframe');a.height=1;a.width=1;a.style.position='absolute';a.style.top=0;a.style.left=0;a.style.border='none';a.style.visibility='hidden';document.body.appendChild(a);if('loading'!==document.readyState)c();else if(window.addEventListener)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',c);else{var e=document.onreadystatechange||function(){};document.onreadystatechange=function(b){e(b);'loading'!==document.readyState&&(document.onreadystatechange=e,c())}}}})();