Mathematical modelling and uncertainty quantification for analysis of biphasic coral reef recovery patterns

Abstract

Coral reefs are increasingly subjected to major disturbances threatening the health of marine ecosystems. Substantial research underway to develop intervention strategies that assist reefs in recovery from, and resistance to, inevitable future climate and weather extremes. To assess potential benefits of interventions, mechanistic understanding of coral reef recovery and resistance patterns is essential. Recent evidence suggests that more than half of the reefs surveyed across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) exhibit deviations from standard recovery modelling assumptions when the initial coral cover is low ($\leq 10$\%). New modelling is necessary to account for these observed patterns to better inform management strategies. We consider a new model for reef recovery at the coral cover scale that accounts for biphasic recovery patterns. The model is based on a multispecies Richards' growth model that includes a change point in the recovery patterns. Bayesian inference is applied for uncertainty quantification of key parameters for assessing reef health and recovery patterns. This analysis is applied to benthic survey data from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS). We demonstrate agreement between model predictions and data across every recorded recovery trajectory with at least two years of observations following disturbance events occurring between 1992--2020. This new approach will enable new insights into the biological, ecological and environmental factors that contribute to the duration and severity of biphasic coral recovery patterns across the GBR. These new insights will help to inform managements and monitoring practice to mitigate the impacts of climate change on coral reefs.