Connectivity between submerged and near‐sea‐surface coral reefs: can submerged reef populations act as refuges?

AIM: Connectivity is a key determinant of coral reef resilience. However, connectivity models rarely account for deep or submerged reefs, despite their widespread occurrence in many coral reef provinces. Here, we model coral larval connectivity among submerged and near‐sea‐surface (NSS) reefs, investigate differences in dispersal potential for coral larvae from these differing reef morphologies and estimate the potential for deeper reef habitats (> 10 m) to provide a source of larvae to shallower reef habitats (