The reef coral Goniastrea aspera: a 'winner' becomes a 'loser' during a severe bleaching event in Thailand

The reef coral Goniastrea aspera is regarded as one of the most environmentally tolerant species on Indo-Pacific reefs. Its demise, following a severe bleaching event in the Andaman Sea in the north-eastern Indian Ocean in 2010, was surprising in view of the rapid recovery of co-existing species such as Porites lutea. Demographic studies of G. aspera at this site showed the population was mainly composed of large individuals, which recruited in the early 1990s. These results, and size-specific mortality observed in G. aspera, post-bleaching, suggest that factors, related to size and age, may have contributed to the coral’s marked decline.