Coral performance and bioerosion in Central Mexican Pacific reef communities

Reef development occurs commonly under oligotrophic conditions that favor corals over competitors. In the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), coral communities develop under highly dynamic environmental conditions that may benefit organisms involved in reef bioerosion. To understand how coral performance and maintenance change with increasing urban pressure in the ETP, we evaluated coral reproductive activity, calcification, and bioerosion in two representative coral genera in three Central Mexican Pacific sites. We hypothesize that stressors associated to urban development will negatively affect coral performance while enhancing bioerosion. Despite moderate to high levels of nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate and highly variable sedimentation rates, coral performance was not hampered in any site. Coral growth in Pocillopora and Pavona corals exhibited typical growth rates (similar to 6.6 gCaCO(3) cm(-2) year(-1) and similar to 1.1 gCaCO(3) cm(-2) year(-1), respectively) and colonies were reproductively active from March to November. However, 76.5% of all coral colonies were invaded by excavating sponges. In Pavona colonies, similar to 24.37% of total CaCO3 volume was removed by bioeroders. While coral performance is not hampered by the current nutrient levels and sedimentation regimes, these conditions may increase the abundance of bioeroders such as sponges, leading to higher bioerosion rates that compromise reef integrity and functionality