Scleractinian coral population size structures and growth rates indicate coral resilience on the fringing reefs of North Jamaica

Abstract

This paper quantifies the size structure of populations and the growth rates of corals from 2000 to 2008 to test whether the Discovery Bay coral colonies showed resilience in the face of multiple acute stressors of hurricanes and bleaching. These studies indicate good levels of coral resilience on the fringing reefs around Discovery Bay in Jamaica.