A Spatial Understanding of Coral Dynamics Under Multiple Stressors
Jennifer Paige, University of California, Davis
The standard model for coral systems focuses on tradeoffs between coral, algae, and grazer populations, with modifications to include disturbances, captured in differential equations. This model is ubiquitous in theoretical coral modeling work; however, spatial understanding of this system is suppressed. Spatial features are crucial, as degraded, patchy reef systems become more common, and the size, clustering, or overall connectivity of these patches play a key role in understanding persistence and the emergent dynamics. I am currently working to build an explicit spatial model of a coral system with disturbances, extended to multiple patches. In my implementation, I am also working to harness connectivity and oceanographic data.