Larval distribution of corals

The crown of thorns starfish outbreak, followed by Cyclone Oli in 2010 reduced coral populations all around Moorea. With climate change bringing larger and more frequent storms, there was a worry that the declining population of coral would not be able to recover. While it was initially thought that coral was mainly repopulated from the fore reef population, this paper outlines the possibility of recovery from coral populations that survived in the lagoon. It outlines the importance of Pocillopora sp. in helping the reef to recover after these catastrophic events and gives hope that the population will recover from similar future events if there are strong survivors.

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Tsounis & Edmunds 2016