Abstract
Despite decades of monitoring global reef decline, we are still largely unable to explain patterns of reef deterioration at local scales, which precludes the development of effective management strategies. Offshore reefs of the Florida Keys, USA, experience milder temperatures and lower nutrient loads in comparison to inshore reefs yet remain considerably more degraded than nearshore patch reefs. A year‐long reciprocal transplant experiment of the mustard hill coral ( Porites astreoides ) involving four source and eight transplant locations reveals that corals adapt and/or acclimatize to their local habitat on a