Coastal coral reefs are shaped by processes operating across connected marine and terrestrial environments, where land–sea coupling and nearshore oceanographic dynamics influence habitat conditions and ecological stability. In subtropical systems, inshore reefs persist near environmental thresholds and are exposed to highly variable hydrodynamic and water-quality regimes linked to adjacent coastal processes. Resolving how these spatially structured processes influence coral assemblages is critical for understanding reef trajectories and informing management in increasingly modified seascapes.
Here, we apply a multi-scale analytical framework integrating community composition and demographic patterns to examine how environmental gradients shape coral assemblages across the Great Sandy Marine Park. Broad-scale environmental conditions structured patterns of coral dominance across the seascape, while finer-scale variability associated with coastal processes generated additional differentiation among sites. Early life stages were particularly sensitive to these influences, indicating potential recruitment bottlenecks in areas exposed to land-based stressors. We further explore spatial variation in demographic trajectories, identifying areas of relative stability and change across the seascape.
Together, these findings demonstrate how processes operating within connected coastal systems structure coral communities and influence their trajectories. By linking seascape connectivity to measurable environmental drivers of ecological variation, this work provides a framework for incorporating connectivity into spatial prioritisation and coastal management in subtropical reef systems under increasing environmental pressure.