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<p>Positive interactions are important drivers of community structure and ecosystem function worldwide. This is perhaps best exemplified on coral reefs, where facilitative interactions are thought to contribute to the reefs' high biodiversity. Here we review and evaluate global research on positive interactions within the warm water coral reefs with specific focus on climate change. We conducted a systematic review of 160 coral reef studies where positive interactions (including mutualisms and facilitation) were quantified to examine trends in publication rate and geographic focus (i.e., geographic home range of involved taxa), taxonomic identity, interaction type, and context dependence of interaction strength. We found that research regarding positive interactions on coral reefs is accelerating, with the majority of studies (78%) published since 2009. Two sites in the Pacific Ocean specifically were heavily studied comprising 26% of all studies: Mo’orea, French Polynesia and Lizard Island, Australia. Fish and/or corals were an interacting partner in 65% of papers, suggesting a bias toward taxa with known temperature sensitivities. Foundation species, as expected, were important positive interactors and were assessed in 60% of studies. Although positive interactions have long been regarded as a hallmark of coral reef communities, we found the detection and strength of positive interactions to be inconsistent and highly dependent on environmental conditions, especially in response to climate-related factors. Only 36% of studies explicitly mentioned climate change or measured a related climate factor, and even fewer (16%) directly tested the response of positive interactions to variation in environmental stress. Future studies should emphasize the use of theoretical frameworks for experimental study design and leverage novel computation modeling approaches when possible. Given increasing pressures on coral reefs, such as the global heat stress event of 2023–2024, more work is urgently needed to develop a predictive understanding of the potential and mechanisms for positive interactions to contribute to the survival of coral reef communities in the Anthropocene.</p>

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Positive interspecific interactions on coral reefs in a changing climate: a review

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年2月12日

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  • Dakota M. Lewis,
  • Andrew H. Altieri

摘要

Positive interactions are important drivers of community structure and ecosystem function worldwide. This is perhaps best exemplified on coral reefs, where facilitative interactions are thought to contribute to the reefs' high biodiversity. Here we review and evaluate global research on positive interactions within the warm water coral reefs with specific focus on climate change. We conducted a systematic review of 160 coral reef studies where positive interactions (including mutualisms and facilitation) were quantified to examine trends in publication rate and geographic focus (i.e., geographic home range of involved taxa), taxonomic identity, interaction type, and context dependence of interaction strength. We found that research regarding positive interactions on coral reefs is accelerating, with the majority of studies (78%) published since 2009. Two sites in the Pacific Ocean specifically were heavily studied comprising 26% of all studies: Mo’orea, French Polynesia and Lizard Island, Australia. Fish and/or corals were an interacting partner in 65% of papers, suggesting a bias toward taxa with known temperature sensitivities. Foundation species, as expected, were important positive interactors and were assessed in 60% of studies. Although positive interactions have long been regarded as a hallmark of coral reef communities, we found the detection and strength of positive interactions to be inconsistent and highly dependent on environmental conditions, especially in response to climate-related factors. Only 36% of studies explicitly mentioned climate change or measured a related climate factor, and even fewer (16%) directly tested the response of positive interactions to variation in environmental stress. Future studies should emphasize the use of theoretical frameworks for experimental study design and leverage novel computation modeling approaches when possible. Given increasing pressures on coral reefs, such as the global heat stress event of 2023–2024, more work is urgently needed to develop a predictive understanding of the potential and mechanisms for positive interactions to contribute to the survival of coral reef communities in the Anthropocene.