The complementary approaches linking community ecology, microbial analyses and physiology pave the way for quantitative predictions regarding the health of key organisms in coral reef ecosystems. Our research highlights the importance of conducting surveys on all the key ecosystem compartments (water, sediment, algae, corals and fishes) to get a broader view of the impacts of nutrient pollution on the reef ecosystems – from macro to microbial scales. Moreover, these findings highlight the importance of conducting studies involving both physiology and microbiology to assess the impacts of stressors on animals. Beyond understanding these effects, such an approach also provides deeper insights into coral and fish biology, offering a comprehensive perspective on the overall health of individuals.
Our findings will be of direct relevance and interest to a broad range of scientists concerned with biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, fisheries management and nutrition as well as conservationists, ecosystem managers seeking to understand the role of trophically-mediated microbial dynamics within increasingly degraded ecosystems. Upon publications of our research, our findings will be communicated to the Indian Ocean Health Agency and appropriate stakeholders (i.e. Parc Marin de Mayotte, FRB). Importantly, Mayotte was recently struck by Hurricane Chido in mid-december 2024. In response, the French government, through the Office National de la Biodiversité (OFB) and the Parc Marin de Mayotte, is planning to assess its impact on lagoon biodiveristy. Our data from 2023 will be useful to establish a pre-hurricane baseline.
