Bioerosion Dynamics in Coral Reef Ecosystems

Bioerosion encompasses the biological degradation of reef framework via chemical and mechanical mechanisms carried out by organisms such as sponges, bivalves, polychaetes and microborers. This process interacts with calcification and encrustation to determine the net balance of carbonate accretion and loss. Recent studies have illuminated the pivotal role of excavating sponges, which use combined chemical dissolution and mechanical removal to bore into coral skeletons, generating fine biogenic sediment and weakening live and dead coral substrates. In degraded or high‐CO₂ environments, bioerosion rates often accelerate while coral calcification declines, leading to net dissolution of reef structure. Natural laboratories such as high‐CO₂ seeps or upwelling zones have provided critical insights into the responses of different bioeroder groups and their synergistic effects under ocean warming and acidification. Spatial variability in community composition and local environmental conditions modulates the relative importance of macroboring, microboring and grazing, with implications for sediment generation, reef stability and conservation strategies. Understanding bioerosion dynamics at organismal, community and ecosystem scales is essential for predicting future trajectories of coral reef persistence and for designing interventions to bolster reef resilience and carbonate budget maintenance.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Investigations into photosymbiotic excavating sponges under simulated future climate scenarios have revealed complex interactions between temperature, acidification and organic enrichment. Warming beyond present‐day maxima induces bleaching and reduces sponge bioerosion, demonstrating metabolic dependence on symbiotic algae. In contrast, elevated carbon dioxide levels alone exert limited direct influence on erosion rates but alter heterotrophic feeding. Organic matter supplementation accelerates chemical and mechanical bioerosion, highlighting the role of nutrient availability in modulating sponge-driven reef degradation. These findings underscore the susceptibility of photosymbiotic sponges to combined stressors and suggest that end-of-century reefs may experience shifts in bioeroder performance and community composition with cascading effects on carbonate dynamics.

Bioerosion Dynamics in Coral Reef Ecosystems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in bioerosion dynamics in coral reef ecosystems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Bioerosion: The biological breakdown of carbonate substrates by organisms through chemical dissolution and mechanical removal.

Endolithic sponges: Sponges that grow within the pore spaces of carbonate substrates, excavating the skeleton and producing biogenic sediment.

Macroboring: The penetration and removal of carbonate material by larger organisms such as bivalves, polychaetes and sipunculans.

Carbonate budget: The balance between processes that add calcium carbonate to the reef (calcification) and those that remove it (bioerosion and dissolution).

References

1. Fine‐grained sediment production by endolithic sponges on Caribbean coral reefs. Limnology and Oceanography (2024).
2. Enhanced macroboring and depressed calcification drive net dissolution at high-CO2 coral reefs. Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2016).
3. Sponge bioerosion on changing reefs: ocean warming poses physiological constraints to the success of a photosymbiotic excavating sponge. Scientific Reports (2017).
4. Combined Effects of Experimental Acidification and Eutrophication on Reef Sponge Bioerosion Rates. Frontiers in Marine Science (2017).
5. Rapid bioerosion in a tropical upwelling coral reef. PLOS ONE (2018).
6. Quantification of chemical and mechanical bioerosion rates of six Caribbean excavating sponge species found on the coral reefs of Curaçao. PLOS ONE (2018).