1
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Dunn RE, Benkwitt CE, Maury O, Barrier N, Carr P, Graham NAJ. Island restoration to rebuild seabird populations and amplify coral reef functioning. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14313. [PMID: 38887868 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Mobile organisms like seabirds can provide important nutrient flows between ecosystems, but this connectivity has been interrupted by the degradation of island ecosystems. Island restoration (via invasive species eradications and the restoration of native vegetation) can reestablish seabird populations and their nutrient transfers between their foraging areas, breeding colonies, and adjacent nearshore habitats. Its diverse benefits are making island restoration increasingly common and scalable to larger islands and whole archipelagos. We identified the factors that influence breeding seabird abundances throughout the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean and conducted predictive modeling to estimate the abundances of seabirds that the archipelago could support under invasive predator eradication and native vegetation restoration scenarios. We explored whether the prey base exists to support restored seabird populations across the archipelago, calculated the nitrogen that restored populations of seabirds might produce via their guano, and modeled the cascading conservation gains that island restoration could provide. Restoration was predicted to increase breeding pairs of seabirds to over 280,000, and prey was predicted to be ample to support the revived seabird populations. Restored nutrient fluxes were predicted to result in increases in coral growth rates, reef fish biomasses, and parrotfish grazing and bioerosion rates. Given these potential cross-ecosystem benefits, our results support island restoration as a conservation priority that could enhance resilience to climatic change effects, such as sea-level rise and coral bleaching. We encourage the incorporation of our estimates of cross-ecosystem benefits in prioritization exercises for island restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth E Dunn
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- The Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Olivier Maury
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, Sète, France
| | - Nicolas Barrier
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, Sète, France
| | - Peter Carr
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
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2
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Harris JL, Collins C, Spalding M, Stevens GMW. First records of the sicklefin (Mobula tarapacana), bentfin (Mobula thurstoni), and spinetail (Mobula mobular) devil rays in the Chagos Archipelago. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2024; 104:1628-1632. [PMID: 38332477 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Recent encounters with sicklefin (Mobula tarapacana) and bentfin (Mobula thurstoni) devil rays in the Chagos Archipelago provide the first confirmed observations of live specimens of these species in this region. Examination of illegal fishing photo archives collected during enforcement revealed these endangered species, and spinetail devil rays (Mobula mobular), are being caught within the archipelago's vast no-take marine protected area. Future cooperation between authorities and mobulid ray experts is crucial to improve the availability and accuracy of enforcement data and improve management of illegal fishing and mobulid ray conservation activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Harris
- The Manta Trust, Catemwood House, Norwood Lane, Corscombe, Dorset, UK
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Claire Collins
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Mark Spalding
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Guy M W Stevens
- The Manta Trust, Catemwood House, Norwood Lane, Corscombe, Dorset, UK
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3
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Stokes HJ, Mortimer JA, Laloë J, Hays GC, Esteban N. Synergistic use of
UAV
surveys, satellite tracking data, and mark‐recapture to estimate abundance of elusive species. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeanne A. Mortimer
- P.O. Box 1443, Victoria Mahé Seychelles
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | | | - Graeme C. Hays
- Centre for Integrative Ecology Deakin University Geelong Victoria Australia
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4
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Gunn RL, Benkwitt CE, Graham NAJ, Hartley IR, Algar AC, Keith SA. Terrestrial invasive species alter marine vertebrate behaviour. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:82-91. [PMID: 36604551 PMCID: PMC9834043 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01931-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Human-induced environmental changes, such as the introduction of invasive species, are driving declines in the movement of nutrients across ecosystems with negative consequences for ecosystem function. Declines in nutrient inputs could thus have knock-on effects at higher trophic levels and broader ecological scales, yet these interconnections remain relatively unknown. Here we show that a terrestrial invasive species (black rats, Rattus rattus) disrupts a nutrient pathway provided by seabirds, ultimately altering the territorial behaviour of coral reef fish. In a replicated ecosystem-scale natural experiment, we found that reef fish territories were larger and the time invested in aggression lower on reefs adjacent to rat-infested islands compared with rat-free islands. This response reflected changes in the economic defendability of lower-quality resources, with reef fish obtaining less nutritional gain per unit foraging effort adjacent to rat-infested islands with low seabird populations. These results provide a novel insight into how the disruption of nutrient flows by invasive species can affect variation in territorial behaviour. Rat eradication as a conservation strategy therefore has the potential to restore species interactions via territoriality, which can scale up to influence populations and communities at higher ecological levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L Gunn
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
| | | | | | - Ian R Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Adam C Algar
- Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sally A Keith
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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5
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Hoare V, Atchison Balmond N, Hays GC, Jones R, Koldewey H, Laloë JO, Levy E, Llewellyn F, Morrall H, Esteban N. Spatial variation of plastic debris on important turtle nesting beaches of the remote Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 181:113868. [PMID: 35835050 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We report Anthropogenic Marine Debris (AMD) in Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, globally amongst the most isolated island groups. AMD on 14 island beaches in five atolls were surveyed in 2019 using two techniques: Marine Debris Tracker (MDT) along littoral vegetation and photoquadrats in open beach. Over 60 % of AMD in both beach zones was composed of plastics, especially bottles and fragments (mean = 44.9 %, 27.2 %, range = 16.5-73.2 %, 4.8-55.9 % respectively in vegetation; mean = 28.7 %, 31.5 %, range = 17.7-40.7 %, 11.6-60.0 % respectively in open beach). The density of plastic debris in littoral vegetation (MDT data: 1995 bottles, 3328 fragments per 100 m2) was 10-fold greater than in open beach (photoquadrat data: 184 bottles, 106 fragments per 100 m2). Significant latitudinal variation in vegetation AMD occurred (8-fold greater in southern atolls, p = 0.006). AMD varied within island zones: most debris observed on oceanside beaches (oceanside vs lagoon, W = 365, p < 0.001; ocean vs island tip, W = 107, p = 0.034). Standardisation of surveys using the open-source MDT App is recommended. Debris accumulation hotspots overlapped with sea turtle nesting habitat, guiding future beach clean-up prioritisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Hoare
- Swansea University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK; Imperial College London, Centre for Environmental Policy, London SW7 1NE, UK
| | - N Atchison Balmond
- British Indian Ocean Territory, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH, UK
| | - G C Hays
- Deakin University, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - R Jones
- Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - H Koldewey
- Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - J-O Laloë
- Deakin University, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - E Levy
- Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - F Llewellyn
- Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - H Morrall
- Natural England, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York YO1 7PX, UK
| | - N Esteban
- Swansea University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
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6
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Hamel JF, Eeckhaut I, Conand C, Sun J, Caulier G, Mercier A. Global knowledge on the commercial sea cucumber Holothuria scabra. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2022; 91:1-286. [PMID: 35777924 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2022.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Holothuria scabra is one of the most intensively studied holothuroids, or sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), having been discussed in the literature since the early 19th century. The species is important for several reasons: (1) it is widely distributed and historically abundant in several shallow soft-bottom habitats throughout the Indo-Pacific, (2) it has a high commercial value on the Asian markets, where it is mainly sold as a dried product (beche-de-mer) and (3) it is the only tropical holothuroid species that can currently be mass-produced in hatcheries. Over 20 years have elapsed since the last comprehensive review on H. scabra published in 2001. Research on H. scabra has continued to accumulate, fuelled by intense commercial exploitation, and further declines in wild stocks over the entire distribution range. This review compiles data from over 950 publications pertaining to the biology, ecology, physiology, biochemical composition, aquaculture, fishery, processing and trade of H. scabra, presenting the most complete synthesis to date, including scientific papers and material published by local institutions and/or in foreign languages. The main goal of this project was to summarize and critically discuss the abundant literature on this species, making it more readily accessible to all stakeholders aiming to conduct fundamental and applied research on H. scabra, or wishing to develop aquaculture, stock enhancement and management programs across its geographic range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Hamel
- Society for the Exploration and Valuing of the Environment (SEVE), St. Philips, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.
| | - Igor Eeckhaut
- Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics unit, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Chantal Conand
- Département origines et évolution, Muséum National Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Jiamin Sun
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
| | - Guillaume Caulier
- Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics unit, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Annie Mercier
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.
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7
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Yesson C, Letessier TB, Nimmo-Smith A, Hosegood P, Brierley AS, Hardouin M, Proud R. Improved bathymetry leads to >4000 new seamount predictions in the global ocean - but beware of phantom seamounts! UCL OPEN ENVIRONMENT 2021; 3:e030. [PMID: 37228795 PMCID: PMC10171409 DOI: 10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Seamounts are important marine habitats that are hotspots of species diversity. Relatively shallow peaks, increased productivity and offshore locations make seamounts vulnerable to human impact and difficult to protect. Present estimates of seamount numbers vary from anywhere between 10,000 to more than 60,000. Seamount locations can be estimated by extracting large, cone-like features from bathymetry grids (based on criteria of size and shape). These predicted seamounts are a useful reference for marine researchers and can help direct exploratory surveys. However, these predictions are dependent on the quality of the surveys underpinning the bathymetry. Historically, quality has been patchy, but is improving as mapping efforts step up towards the target of complete seabed coverage by 2030. This study presents an update of seamount predictions based on SRTM30 PLUS global bathymetry version 11 and examines a potential source of error in these predictions. This update was prompted by a seamount survey in the British Indian Ocean Territory in 2016, where locations of two putative seamounts were visited. These 'seamounts' were targeted based on previous predictions, but these features were not detected during echosounder surveys. An examination of UK hydrographic office navigational (Admiralty) charts for the area showed that the summits of these putative features had soundings reporting 'no bottom detected at this depth' where 'this depth' was similar to the seabed reported from the bathymetry grids: we suspect that these features likely resulted from an initial misreading of the charts. We show that 15 'phantom seamount' features, derived from a misinterpretation of no bottom sounding data, persist in current global bathymetry grids and updated seamount predictions. Overall, we predict 37,889 seamounts, an increase of 4437 from the previous predictions derived from an older global bathymetry grid (SRTM30 PLUS v6). This increase is due to greater detail in newer bathymetry grids as acoustic mapping of the seabed expands. The new seamount predictions are available at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.921688.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Yesson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Tom B. Letessier
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Alex Nimmo-Smith
- School of Biological & Marine Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Phil Hosegood
- School of Biological & Marine Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Andrew S. Brierley
- Pelagic Ecology Research Group, Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TS, UK
| | - Marie Hardouin
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
- Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Roland Proud
- Pelagic Ecology Research Group, Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TS, UK
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8
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Osuka KE, Stewart BD, Samoilys MA, Roche RC, Turner J, McClean C. Protection outcomes for fish trophic groups across a range of management regimes. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 173:113010. [PMID: 34628347 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) improve conservation outcomes across anthropogenic pressures can improve the benefits derived from them. Effects of protection for coral reefs in the western and central Indian Ocean were assessed using size-spectra analysis of fish and the relationships of trophic group biomass with human population density. Length-spectra relationships quantifying the relative abundance of small and large fish (slope) and overall productivity of the system (intercept) showed inconsistent patterns with MPA protection. The results suggest that both the slopes and intercepts were significantly higher in highly and well-protected MPAs. This indicates that effective MPAs are more productive and support higher abundances of smaller fish, relative to moderately protected MPAs. Trophic group biomass spanning piscivores and herbivores, decreased with increasing human density implying restoration of fish functional structure is needed. This would require addressing fisher needs and supporting effective MPA management to secure ecosystem benefits for coastal communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kennedy E Osuka
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK; CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya.
| | - Bryce D Stewart
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK
| | - Melita A Samoilys
- CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya; Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ronan C Roche
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - John Turner
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Colin McClean
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK
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9
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Estimating Pelagic Fish Biomass in a Tropical Seascape Using Echosounding and Baited Stereo-Videography. Ecosystems 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-021-00723-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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10
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Colin L, Yesson C, Head CEI. Complete mitochondrial genomes of three reef forming Acropora corals (Acroporidae, Scleractinia) from Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. Biodivers Data J 2021; 9:e72762. [PMID: 34707458 PMCID: PMC8497460 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.9.e72762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the first mitochondrial genomes from Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean, of three putative species of reef forming Acropora (Acropora aff. tenuis, Acroporaaff.cytherea and Acropora aff. orbicularis). The circular genome consists respectively of 18,334 bp, 18,353 bp and 18,584 bp. All mitochondrial genomes recovered comprise 13 protein-coding genes, two transfer RNA genes and two ribosomal RNA genes, with an overall GC content ranging from 37.9% to 38.0%. These new genomic data contribute to our increased understanding of genus Acropora and its species boundaries, ultimately aiding species monitoring and conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Colin
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY, London, United Kingdom Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY London United Kingdom
| | - Chris Yesson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY, London, United Kingdom Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY London United Kingdom
| | - Catherine E I Head
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY, London, United Kingdom Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY London United Kingdom.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, John Krebs Field Station, Wytham, OX2 8JQ, Oxford, United Kingdom Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, John Krebs Field Station, Wytham, OX2 8JQ Oxford United Kingdom.,St Peter's College, New Inn Hall Street, OX1 2DL, Oxford, United Kingdom St Peter's College, New Inn Hall Street, OX1 2DL Oxford United Kingdom
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11
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Curnick DJ, Feary DA, Cavalcante GH. Risks to large marine protected areas posed by drifting fish aggregation devices. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2021; 35:1222-1232. [PMID: 33314325 PMCID: PMC8419855 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mapping and predicting the potential risk of fishing activities to large marine protected areas (MPAs), where management capacity is low but fish biomass may be globally important, is vital to prioritizing enforcement and maximizing conservation benefits. Drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) are a highly effective fishing method employed in purse seine fisheries that attract and accumulate biomass fish, making fish easier to catch. However, dFADs are associated with several negative impacts, including high bycatch rates and lost or abandoned dFADs becoming beached on sensitive coastal areas (e.g., coral reefs). Using Lagrangian particle modeling, we determined the potential transit of dFADs in a large MPA around the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean. We then quantified the risk of dFADs beaching on the archipelago's reefs and atolls and determined the potential for dFADs to pass through the MPA, accumulate biomass while within, and export it into areas where it can be legally fished (i.e., transit). Over one-third (37.51%) of dFADs posed a risk of either beaching or transiting the MPA for >14 days, 17.70% posed a risk of beaching or transiting the MPA for >30 days, and 13.11% posed a risk of beaching or transiting the MPA for >40 days. Modeled dFADs deployed on the east and west of the perimeter were more likely to beach and have long transiting times (i.e., posed the highest risk). The Great Chagos Bank, the largest atoll in the archipelago, was the most likely site to be affected by dFADs beaching. Overall, understanding the interactions between static MPAs and drifting fishing gears is vital to developing suitable management plans to support enforcement of MPA boundaries and the functioning and sustainability of their associated biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Curnick
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of LondonRegents ParkLondonNW1 4RYU.K.
| | | | - Geórgenes H. Cavalcante
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and SciencesAmerican University of SharjahSharjahP.O. Box 26666United Arab Emirates
- Institute of Atmospheric SciencesFederal University of AlagoasAv. Lourival Melo Mota, S/N Tabuleiro do MartinsMaceióALCEP 57072–900Brazil
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12
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Benkwitt CE, Gunn RL, Le Corre M, Carr P, Graham NAJ. Rat eradication restores nutrient subsidies from seabirds across terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2704-2711.e4. [PMID: 33887185 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Biological invasions pose a threat to nearly every ecosystem worldwide.1,2 Although eradication programs can successfully eliminate invasive species and enhance native biodiversity, especially on islands,3 the effects of eradication on cross-ecosystem processes are unknown. On islands where rats were never introduced, seabirds transfer nutrients from pelagic to terrestrial and nearshore marine habitats, which in turn enhance the productivity, biomass, and functioning of recipient ecosystems.4-6 Here, we test whether rat eradication restores seabird populations, their nutrient subsidies, and some of their associated benefits for ecosystem function to tropical islands and adjacent coral reefs. By comparing islands with different rat invasion histories, we found a clear hierarchy whereby seabird biomass, seabird-driven nitrogen inputs, and the incorporation of seabird-derived nutrients into terrestrial and marine food chains were highest on islands where rats were never introduced, intermediate on islands where rats were eradicated 4-16 years earlier, and lowest on islands with invasive rats still present. Seabird-derived nutrients diminished from land to sea and with increasing distance to rat-eradicated islands, but extended at least 300 m from shore. Although rat eradication enhanced seabird-derived nutrients in soil, leaves, marine algae, and herbivorous reef fish, reef fish growth was similar around rat-eradicated and rat-infested islands. Given that the loss of nutrient subsidies is of global concern,7 that removal of invasive species restores previously lost nutrient pathways over relatively short timescales is promising. However, the full return of cross-ecosystem nutrient subsidies and all of their associated demographic benefits may take multiple decades.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel L Gunn
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Matthieu Le Corre
- UMR ENTROPIE, Université de La Réunion, IRD, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Avenue René Cassin, 97490 Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion
| | - Peter Carr
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK
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13
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Natural nutrient subsidies alter demographic rates in a functionally important coral-reef fish. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12575. [PMID: 34131172 PMCID: PMC8206227 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91884-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
By improving resource quality, cross-ecosystem nutrient subsidies may boost demographic rates of consumers in recipient ecosystems, which in turn can affect population and community dynamics. However, empirical studies on how nutrient subsidies simultaneously affect multiple demographic rates are lacking, in part because humans have disrupted the majority of these natural flows. Here, we compare the demographics of a sex-changing parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) between reefs where cross-ecosystem nutrients provided by seabirds are available versus nearby reefs where invasive, predatory rats have removed seabird populations. For this functionally important species, we found evidence for a trade-off between investing in growth and fecundity, with parrotfish around rat-free islands with many seabirds exhibiting 35% faster growth, but 21% lower size-based fecundity, than those around rat-infested islands with few seabirds. Although there were no concurrent differences in population-level density or biomass, overall mean body size was 16% larger around rat-free islands. Because the functional significance of parrotfish as grazers and bioeroders increases non-linearly with size, the increased growth rates and body sizes around rat-free islands likely contributes to higher ecosystem function on coral reefs that receive natural nutrient subsidies. More broadly, these results demonstrate additional benefits, and potential trade-offs, of restoring natural nutrient pathways for recipient ecosystems.
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14
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Harris JL, Hosegood P, Robinson E, Embling CB, Hilbourne S, Stevens GMW. Fine-scale oceanographic drivers of reef manta ray ( Mobula alfredi) visitation patterns at a feeding aggregation site. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4588-4604. [PMID: 33976833 PMCID: PMC8093739 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are in decline and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and disturbance at aggregation sites. Here, passive acoustic telemetry and a suite of advanced oceanographic technologies were used for the first time to investigate the fine-scale (5-min) influence of oceanographic drivers on the visitation patterns of 19 tagged M. alfredi to a feeding aggregation site at Egmont Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago. Boosted regression trees indicate that tag detection probability increased with the intrusion of cold-water bores propagating up the atoll slope through the narrow lagoon inlet during flood tide, potentially transporting zooplankton from the thermocline. Tag detection probability also increased with warmer near-surface temperature close to low tide, with near-surface currents flowing offshore, and with high levels of backscatter (a proxy of zooplankton biomass). These combinations of processes support the proposition that zooplankton carried from the thermocline into the lagoon during the flood may be pumped back out through the narrow inlet during an ebb tide. These conditions provide temporally limited feeding opportunities for M. alfredi, which are tied on the tides. Results also provide some evidence of the presence of Langmuir Circulation, which transports and concentrates zooplankton, and may partly explain why M. alfredi occasionally remained at the feeding location for longer than that two hours. Identification of these correlations provides unique insight into the dynamic synthesis of fine-scale oceanographic processes which are likely to influence the foraging ecology of M. alfredi at Egmont Atoll, and elsewhere throughout their range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L. Harris
- The Manta TrustDorsetUK
- School of Biological and Marine SciencesUniversity of PlymouthPlymouthUK
| | - Phil Hosegood
- School of Biological and Marine SciencesUniversity of PlymouthPlymouthUK
| | - Edward Robinson
- School of Biological and Marine SciencesUniversity of PlymouthPlymouthUK
| | - Clare B. Embling
- School of Biological and Marine SciencesUniversity of PlymouthPlymouthUK
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15
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Williamson MJ, Tebbs EJ, Dawson TP, Curnick DJ, Ferretti F, Carlisle AB, Chapple TK, Schallert RJ, Tickler DM, Harrison XA, Block BA, Jacoby DM. Analysing detection gaps in acoustic telemetry data to infer differential movement patterns in fish. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2717-2730. [PMID: 33767831 PMCID: PMC7981221 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide array of technologies are available for gaining insight into the movement of wild aquatic animals. Although acoustic telemetry can lack the fine-scale spatial resolution of some satellite tracking technologies, the substantially longer battery life can yield important long-term data on individual behavior and movement for low per-unit cost. Typically, however, receiver arrays are designed to maximize spatial coverage at the cost of positional accuracy leading to potentially longer detection gaps as individuals move out of range between monitored locations. This is particularly true when these technologies are deployed to monitor species in hard-to-access locations.Here, we develop a novel approach to analyzing acoustic telemetry data, using the timing and duration of gaps between animal detections to infer different behaviors. Using the durations between detections at the same and different receiver locations (i.e., detection gaps), we classify behaviors into "restricted" or potential wider "out-of-range" movements synonymous with longer distance dispersal. We apply this method to investigate spatial and temporal segregation of inferred movement patterns in two sympatric species of reef shark within a large, remote, marine protected area (MPA). Response variables were generated using network analysis, and drivers of these movements were identified using generalized linear mixed models and multimodel inference.Species, diel period, and season were significant predictors of "out-of-range" movements. Silvertip sharks were overall more likely to undertake "out-of-range" movements, compared with gray reef sharks, indicating spatial segregation, and corroborating previous stable isotope work between these two species. High individual variability in "out-of-range" movements in both species was also identified.We present a novel gap analysis of telemetry data to help infer differential movement and space use patterns where acoustic coverage is imperfect and other tracking methods are impractical at scale. In remote locations, inference may be the best available tool and this approach shows that acoustic telemetry gap analysis can be used for comparative studies in fish ecology, or combined with other research techniques to better understand functional mechanisms driving behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Williamson
- Department of GeographyKing’s College LondonLondonUK
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of LondonLondonUK
| | - Emma J. Tebbs
- Department of GeographyKing’s College LondonLondonUK
| | | | | | - Francesco Ferretti
- Department of Fish and Wildlife ConservationVirginia TechBlacksburgVaUSA
| | - Aaron B. Carlisle
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityPacific GroveCAUSA
- School of Marine Science and PolicyUniversity of DelawareLewesDEUSA
| | | | | | - David M. Tickler
- Marine Futures LabSchool of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaPerthWAAustralia
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16
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Eddy TD, Bernhardt JR, Blanchard JL, Cheung WW, Colléter M, du Pontavice H, Fulton EA, Gascuel D, Kearney KA, Petrik CM, Roy T, Rykaczewski RR, Selden R, Stock CA, Wabnitz CC, Watson RA. Energy Flow Through Marine Ecosystems: Confronting Transfer Efficiency. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:76-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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17
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Schwarz JN. Dynamic partitioning of tropical Indian Ocean surface waters using ocean colour data - management and modelling applications. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 276:111308. [PMID: 32891983 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Over the past few decades, partitioning of the surface ocean into ecologically-meaningful spatial domains has been approached using a range of data types, with the aim of improving our understanding of open ocean processes, supporting marine management decisions and constraining coupled ocean-biogeochemical models. The simplest partitioning method, which could provide low-latency information for managers at low cost, remains a purely optical classification based on ocean colour remote sensing. The question is whether such a simple approach has value. Here, the efficacy of optical classifications in constraining physical variables that modulate the epipelagic environment is tested for the tropical Indian Ocean, with a focus on the Chagos marine protected area (MPA). Using remote sensing data, it was found that optical classes corresponded to distinctive ranges of wind speed, wind stress curl, sea surface temperature, sea surface slope, sea surface height anomaly and geostrophic currents (Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc Tukey honestly significantly different tests, α = 0.01). Between-class differences were significant for a set of sub-domains that resolved zonal and meridional gradients across the MPA and Seychelles-Chagos Thermocline Ridge, whereas between-domain differences were only significant for the north-south gradient (PERMANOVA, α = 0.01). A preliminary test of between-class differences in surface CO2 concentrations from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 demonstrated a small decrease in mean pCO2 with increasing chlorophyll (chl), from 418 to 398 ppm. Simple optical class maps therefore provide an overview of growth conditions, the spatial distribution of resources - from which habitat fragmentation metrics can be calculated, and carbon sequestration potential. Within the 17 year study period, biotic variables were found to have decreased at up to 0.025%a-1 for all optical classes, which is slower than reported elsewhere (Mann-Kendall-Sen regression, α = 0.01). Within the MPA, positive Indian Ocean Dipole conditions and negative Southern Oscillation Indices were weakly associated with decreasing chl, fluorescence line height (FLH), eddy kinetic energy, easterly wind stress and wind stress curl, and with increasing FLH/chl, sea surface temperature, SSH gradients and northerly wind stress, consistent with reduced surface mixing and increased stratification. The optical partitioning scheme described here can be applied in Google Earth Engine to support management decisions at daily or monthly scales, and potential applications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill N Schwarz
- School of Biological & Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK.
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18
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Jacoby DMP, Ferretti F, Freeman R, Carlisle AB, Chapple TK, Curnick DJ, Dale JJ, Schallert RJ, Tickler D, Block BA. Shark movement strategies influence poaching risk and can guide enforcement decisions in a large, remote marine protected area. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA USA
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - Robin Freeman
- Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London London UK
| | - Aaron B. Carlisle
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- School of Marine Science and Policy University of Delaware Lewes DE USA
| | - Taylor K. Chapple
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Newport OR USA
| | | | | | | | - David Tickler
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- The UWA Oceans InstituteUniversity of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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19
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Biodiversity increases ecosystem functions despite multiple stressors on coral reefs. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:919-926. [PMID: 32424279 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1203-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Positive relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) highlight the importance of conserving biodiversity to maintain key ecosystem functions and associated services. Although natural systems are rapidly losing biodiversity due to numerous human-caused stressors, our understanding of how multiple stressors influence BEF relationships comes largely from small, experimental studies. Here, using remote assemblages of coral reef fishes, we demonstrate strong, non-saturating relationships of biodiversity with two ecosystem functions: biomass and productivity. These positive relationships were robust both to an extreme heatwave that triggered coral bleaching and to invasive rats which disrupt nutrient subsidies from native seabirds. Despite having only minor effects on BEF relationships, both stressors still decreased ecosystem functioning via other pathways. The extreme heatwave reduced biodiversity, which, due to the strong BEF relationships, ultimately diminished both ecosystem functions. Conversely, the loss of cross-system nutrient subsidies directly decreased biomass. These results demonstrate multiple ways by which human-caused stressors can reduce ecosystem functioning, despite robust BEF relationships, in natural high-diversity assemblages.
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20
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Gilman E, Kaiser MJ, Chaloupka M. Do static and dynamic marine protected areas that restrict pelagic fishing achieve ecological objectives? Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Gilman
- Pelagic Ecosystems Research Group & Tuna Program The Nature Conservancy 3661 Loulu Street Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA
| | | | - Milani Chaloupka
- Ecological Modelling Services Pty Ltd & Marine Spatial Ecology Lab University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia
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21
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Benkwitt CE, Wilson SK, Graham NAJ. Seabird nutrient subsidies alter patterns of algal abundance and fish biomass on coral reefs following a bleaching event. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:2619-2632. [PMID: 31157944 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cross-ecosystem nutrient subsidies play a key role in the structure and dynamics of recipient communities, but human activities are disrupting these links. Because nutrient subsidies may also enhance community stability, the effects of losing these inputs may be exacerbated in the face of increasing climate-related disturbances. Nutrients from seabirds nesting on oceanic islands enhance the productivity and functioning of adjacent coral reefs, but it is unknown whether these subsidies affect the response of coral reefs to mass bleaching events or whether the benefits of these nutrients persist following bleaching. To answer these questions, we surveyed benthic organisms and fishes around islands with seabirds and nearby islands without seabirds due to the presence of invasive rats. Surveys were conducted in the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean, immediately before the 2015-2016 mass bleaching event and, in 2018, two years following the bleaching event. Regardless of the presence of seabirds, relative coral cover declined by 32%. However, there was a post-bleaching shift in benthic community structure around islands with seabirds, which did not occur around islands with invasive rats, characterized by increases in two types of calcareous algae (crustose coralline algae [CCA] and Halimeda spp.). All feeding groups of fishes were positively affected by seabirds, but only herbivores and piscivores were unaffected by the bleaching event and sustained the greatest difference in biomass between islands with seabirds versus those with invasive rats. By contrast, corallivores and planktivores, both of which are coral-dependent, experienced the greatest losses following bleaching. Even though seabird nutrients did not enhance community-wide resistance to bleaching, they may still promote recovery of these reefs through their positive influence on CCA and herbivorous fishes. More broadly, the maintenance of nutrient subsidies, via strategies including eradication of invasive predators, may be important in shaping the response of ecological communities to global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shaun K Wilson
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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22
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Schleyer MH, Floros C, Laing SCS, Macdonald AHH, Montoya-Maya PH, Morris T, Porter SN, Seré MG. What can South African reefs tell us about the future of high-latitude coral systems? MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 136:491-507. [PMID: 30509834 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Coral communities are found at high latitude on the East Coast subtropical reefs of South Africa. They are biodiverse, economically important, and afforded World Heritage Site status in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park where some are subjected to recreational use. While the Park's unique coral reefs have, to date, suffered little bleaching from climate change, they are susceptible to the phenomenon and provide a natural laboratory for the study of its effects at high latitude. This review covers recent advances in the regional oceanography; coral community dynamics and the underpinning reef processes, including minor bleaching events; the incidence of coral disease; and coral genetic connectivity. The effects of human activity (SCUBA diving, recreational fishing, pesticide use) were assessed, as well as the nursery benefits of Acropora austera, a coral which provides the reefs with much structure and is vulnerable to damage and climate change. The reefs were valued in terms of human use as well as services such as sediment generation and retention. The results have provided valuable information on relatively pristine, high-latitude reefs, their socio-economic benefits, and the anticipated effects of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Schleyer
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa.
| | - Camilla Floros
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa
| | - Stuart C S Laing
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa
| | - Angus H H Macdonald
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa
| | - Phanor H Montoya-Maya
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa
| | - Tamaryn Morris
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa; Bayworld Centre for Research and Education, PO Box 7296, Rogge Bay 8012, South Africa
| | - Sean N Porter
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa
| | - Mathieu G Seré
- Oceanographic Research Institute, PO Box 10712, Marine Parade, 4056 Durban, South Africa
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23
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Head CEI, Bonsall MB, Jenkins TL, Koldewey H, Pratchett MS, Taylor ML, Rogers AD. Exceptional biodiversity of the cryptofaunal decapods in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 135:636-647. [PMID: 30301083 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Chagos Archipelago is geographically remote and isolated from most direct anthropogenic pressures. Here, we quantify the abundance and diversity of decapod crustaceans inhabiting dead coral colonies, representing a standardised microhabitat, across the Archipelago. Using morphological and molecular techniques we recorded 1868 decapods from 164 nominal species within 54 dead coral colonies, but total species estimates (Chao1 estimator) calculate at least 217 species. Galatheids were the most dominant taxa, though alpheids and hippolytids were also very abundant. 32% of species were rare, and 46% of species were found at only one atoll. This prevalence of rarer species has been reported in other cryptofauna studies, suggesting these assemblages maybe comprised of low-abundance species. This study provides the first estimate of diversity for reef cryptofauna in Chagos, which will serve as a useful baseline for global comparisons of coral reef biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E I Head
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK; Zoological Society of London, Conservation Programmes, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; Linacre College, St Cross Road, Oxford, OX1 3JA, UK.
| | - Michael B Bonsall
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK; St Peter's College, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, OX1 2DL, UK
| | - Tom L Jenkins
- Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK; Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Heather Koldewey
- Zoological Society of London, Conservation Programmes, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Morgan S Pratchett
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Michelle L Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK; Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Alex D Rogers
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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24
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Esteban N, Unsworth RKF, Gourlay JBQ, Hays GC. The discovery of deep-water seagrass meadows in a pristine Indian Ocean wilderness revealed by tracking green turtles. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 134:99-105. [PMID: 29573811 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of global seagrass ecosystems comes largely from regions characterized by human impacts with limited data from habitats defined as notionally pristine. Seagrass assessments also largely focus on shallow-water coastal habitats with comparatively few studies on offshore deep-water seagrasses. We satellite tracked green turtles (Chelonia mydas), which are known to forage on seagrasses, to a remote, pristine deep-water environment in the Western Indian Ocean, the Great Chagos Bank, which lies in the heart of one of the world's largest marine protected areas (MPAs). Subsequently we used in-situ SCUBA and baited video surveys to survey the day-time sites occupied by turtles and discovered extensive monospecific seagrass meadows of Thalassodendron ciliatum. At three sites that extended over 128 km, mean seagrass cover was 74% (mean range 67-88% across the 3 sites at depths to 29 m. The mean species richness of fish in seagrass meadows was 11 species per site (mean range 8-14 across the 3 sites). High fish abundance (e.g. Siganus sutor: mean MaxN.site-1 = 38.0, SD = 53.7, n = 5) and large predatory shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) (mean MaxN.site-1 = 1.5, SD = 0.4, n = 5) were recorded at all sites. Such observations of seagrass meadows with large top predators, are limited in the literature. Given that the Great Chagos Bank extends over approximately 12,500 km2 and many other large deep submerged banks exist across the world's oceans, our results suggest that deep-water seagrass may be far more abundant than previously suspected.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Esteban
- Swansea University, Seagrass Ecosystem Research Group, Department of Biosciences, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
| | - R K F Unsworth
- Swansea University, Seagrass Ecosystem Research Group, Department of Biosciences, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - J B Q Gourlay
- Swansea University, Seagrass Ecosystem Research Group, Department of Biosciences, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - G C Hays
- Deakin University, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Warrnambool campus, Victoria, Australia
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25
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Seabirds enhance coral reef productivity and functioning in the absence of invasive rats. Nature 2018; 559:250-253. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0202-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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26
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Abstract
Seamounts are one of the major biomes of the global ocean. The last 25 years of research has seen considerable advances in the understanding of these ecosystems. The interactions between seamounts and steady and variable flows have now been characterised providing a better mechanistic understanding of processes influencing biology. Processes leading to upwelling, including Taylor column formation and tidal rectification, have now been defined as well as those leading to draw down of organic matter from the ocean surface to seamount summit and flanks. There is also an improved understanding of the interactions between seamounts, zooplankton and micronekton communities especially with respect to increased predation pressure in the vicinity of seamounts. Evidence has accumulated of the role of seamounts as hot spots for ocean predators including large pelagic fish, sharks, pinnipeds, cetaceans and seabirds. The complexity of benthic communities associated with seamounts is high and drivers of biodiversity are now being resolved. Claims of high endemism resulting from isolation of seamounts as islands of habitat and speciation have not been supported. However, for species characterised by low dispersal capability, such as some groups of benthic sessile or low-mobility invertebrates, low connectivity between seamount populations has been found with evidence of endemism at a local level. Threats to seamounts have increased in the last 25 years and include overfishing, destructive fishing, marine litter, direct and indirect impacts of climate change and potentially marine mining in the near future. Issues around these threats and their management are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex D Rogers
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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27
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Loss of coral reef growth capacity to track future increases in sea level. Nature 2018; 558:396-400. [PMID: 29904103 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0194-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Sea-level rise (SLR) is predicted to elevate water depths above coral reefs and to increase coastal wave exposure as ecological degradation limits vertical reef growth, but projections lack data on interactions between local rates of reef growth and sea level rise. Here we calculate the vertical growth potential of more than 200 tropical western Atlantic and Indian Ocean reefs, and compare these against recent and projected rates of SLR under different Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios. Although many reefs retain accretion rates close to recent SLR trends, few will have the capacity to track SLR projections under RCP4.5 scenarios without sustained ecological recovery, and under RCP8.5 scenarios most reefs are predicted to experience mean water depth increases of more than 0.5 m by 2100. Coral cover strongly predicts reef capacity to track SLR, but threshold cover levels that will be necessary to prevent submergence are well above those observed on most reefs. Urgent action is thus needed to mitigate climate, sea-level and future ecological changes in order to limit the magnitude of future reef submergence.
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28
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Hogg OT, Huvenne VAI, Griffiths HJ, Linse K. On the ecological relevance of landscape mapping and its application in the spatial planning of very large marine protected areas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 626:384-398. [PMID: 29353784 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 01/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In recent years very large marine protected areas (VLMPAs) have become the dominant form of spatial protection in the marine environment. Whilst seen as a holistic and geopolitically achievable approach to conservation, there is currently a mismatch between the size of VLMPAs, and the data available to underpin their establishment and inform on their management. Habitat mapping has increasingly been adopted as a means of addressing paucity in biological data, through use of environmental proxies to estimate species and community distribution. Small-scale studies have demonstrated environmental-biological links in marine systems. Such links, however, are rarely demonstrated across larger spatial scales in the benthic environment. As such, the utility of habitat mapping as an effective approach to the ecosystem-based management of VLMPAs remains, thus far, largely undetermined. The aim of this study was to assess the ecological relevance of broadscale landscape mapping. Specifically we test the relationship between broad-scale marine landscapes and the structure of their benthic faunal communities. We focussed our work at the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, site of one of the largest MPAs in the world. We demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between environmentally derived landscape mapping clusters, and the composition of presence-only species data from the region. To demonstrate this relationship required specific re-sampling of historical species occurrence data to balance biological rarity, biological cosmopolitism, range-restricted sampling and fine-scale heterogeneity between sampling stations. The relationship reveals a distinct biological signature in the faunal composition of individual landscapes, attributing ecological relevance to South Georgia's environmentally derived marine landscape map. We argue therefore, that landscape mapping represents an effective framework for ensuring representative protection of habitats in management plans. Such scientific underpinning of marine spatial planning is critical in balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders whilst maximising conservation payoff.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver T Hogg
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK; National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, Southampton, UK; University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
| | - Veerle A I Huvenne
- National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, Southampton, UK
| | - Huw J Griffiths
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK
| | - Katrin Linse
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK
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29
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Patterns of species richness and the center of diversity in modern Indo-Pacific larger foraminifera. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8189. [PMID: 29844498 PMCID: PMC5974165 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26598-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiont-bearing Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF) are ubiquitous components of shallow tropical and subtropical environments and contribute substantially to carbonaceous reef and shelf sediments. Climate change is dramatically affecting carbonate producing organisms and threatens the diversity and structural integrity of coral reef ecosystems. Recent invertebrate and vertebrate surveys have identified the Coral Triangle as the planet’s richest center of marine life delineating the region as a top priority for conservation. We compiled and analyzed extensive occurrence records for 68 validly recognized species of LBF from the Indian and Pacific Ocean, established individual range maps and applied Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Species Distribution Model (SDM) methodologies to create the first ocean-wide species richness maps. SDM output was further used for visualizing latitudinal and longitudinal diversity gradients. Our findings provide strong support for assigning the tropical Central Indo-Pacific as the world’s species-richest marine region with the Central Philippines emerging as the bullseye of LBF diversity. Sea surface temperature and nutrient content were identified as the most influential environmental constraints exerting control over the distribution of LBF. Our findings contribute to the completion of worldwide research on tropical marine biodiversity patterns and the identification of targeting centers for conservation efforts.
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Head CEI, Koldewey H, Pavoine S, Pratchett MS, Rogers AD, Taylor ML, Bonsall MB. Trait and phylogenetic diversity provide insights into community assembly of reef-associated shrimps (Palaemonidae) at different spatial scales across the Chagos Archipelago. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:4098-4107. [PMID: 29721283 PMCID: PMC5916300 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystem and one of the most threatened by global climate change impacts. The vast majority of diversity on reefs is comprised of small invertebrates that live within the reef structure, termed the cryptofauna. This component of biodiversity is hugely understudied, and many species remain undescribed. This study represents a rare analysis of assembly processes structuring a distinct group of cryptofauna, the Palaemonidae, in the Chagos Archipelago, a reef ecosystem under minimal direct human impacts in the central Indian Ocean. The Palaemonidae are a diverse group of Caridae (infraorder of shrimps) that inhabit many different niches on coral reefs and are of particular interest because of their varied habitat associations. Phylogenetic and trait diversity and phylogenetic signal were used to infer likely drivers of community structure. The mechanisms driving palaemonid community assembly and maintenance in the Chagos Archipelago showed distinct spatial patterns. At local scales, among coral colonies and among reefs fringing individual atolls, significant trait, and phylogenetic clustering patterns suggest environmental filtering may be a dominant ecological process driving Palaemonidae community structure, although local competition through equalizing mechanisms may also play a role in shaping the local community structure. Importantly, we also tested the robustness of phylogenetic diversity to changes in evolutionary information as multi‐gene phylogenies are resource intensive and for large families, such as the Palaemonidae, are often incomplete. These tests demonstrated a very modest impact on phylogenetic community structure, with only one of the four genes (PEPCK gene) in the phylogeny affecting phylogenetic diversity patterns, which provides useful information for future studies on large families with incomplete phylogenies. These findings contribute to our limited knowledge of this component of biodiversity in a marine locality as close to undisturbed by humans as can be found. It also provides a rare evaluation of phylogenetic diversity methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E I Head
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK.,Conservation Programmes Zoological Society of London London UK.,Linacre College Oxford UK
| | - Heather Koldewey
- Conservation Programmes Zoological Society of London London UK.,Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Cornwall Campus Cornwall UK
| | - Sandrine Pavoine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204) Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51 Paris France
| | - Morgan S Pratchett
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - Alex D Rogers
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | | | - Michael B Bonsall
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK.,St Peter's College Oxford UK
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Esteban N, Mortimer JA, Hays GC. How numbers of nesting sea turtles can be overestimated by nearly a factor of two. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2581. [PMID: 28202810 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimating the absolute number of individuals in populations and their fecundity is central to understanding the ecosystem role of species and their population dynamics as well as allowing informed conservation management for endangered species. Estimates of abundance and fecundity are often difficult to obtain for rare or cryptic species. Yet, in addition, here we show for a charismatic group, sea turtles, that are neither cryptic nor rare and whose nesting is easy to observe, that the traditional approach of direct observations of nesting has likely led to a gross overestimation of the number of individuals in populations and underestimation of their fecundity. We use high-resolution GPS satellite tags to track female green turtles throughout their nesting season in the Chagos Archipelago (Indian Ocean) and assess when and where they nested. For individual turtles, nest locations were often spread over several tens of kilometres of coastline. Assessed by satellite observations, a mean of 6.0 clutches (range 2-9, s.d. = 2.2) was laid by individuals, about twice as many as previously assumed, a finding also reported in other species and ocean basins. Taken together, these findings suggest that the actual number of nesting turtles may be almost 50% less than previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Esteban
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
| | - Jeanne A Mortimer
- Turtle Action Group of Seychelles, PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Graeme C Hays
- Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Warrnambool, VIC 3280, Australia
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Samoilys M, Roche R, Koldewey H, Turner J. Patterns in reef fish assemblages: Insights from the Chagos Archipelago. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191448. [PMID: 29351566 PMCID: PMC5774777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the drivers of variability in the composition of fish assemblages across the Indo-Pacific region is crucial to support coral reef ecosystem resilience. Whilst numerous relationships and feedback mechanisms between the functional roles of coral reef fishes and reef benthic composition have been investigated, certain key groups, such as the herbivores, are widely suggested to maintain reefs in a coral-dominated state. Examining links between fishes and reef benthos is complicated by the interactions between natural processes, disturbance events and anthropogenic impacts, particularly fishing pressure. This study examined fish assemblages and associated benthic variables across five atolls within the Chagos Archipelago, where fishing pressure is largely absent, to better understand these relationships. We found high variability in fish assemblages among atolls and sites across the archipelago, especially for key groups such as a suite of grazer-detritivore surgeonfish, and the parrotfishes which varied in density over 40-fold between sites. Differences in fish assemblages were significantly associated with variable levels of both live and recently dead coral cover and rugosity. We suggest these results reflect differing coral recovery trajectories following coral bleaching events and a strong influence of 'bottom-up' control mechanisms on fish assemblages. Species level analyses revealed that Scarus niger, Acanthurus nigrofuscus and Chlorurus strongylocephalos were key species driving differences in fish assemblage structure. Clarifying the trophic roles of herbivorous and detritivorous reef fishes will require species-level studies, which also examine feeding behaviour, to fully understand their contribution in maintaining reef resilience to climate change and fishing impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melita Samoilys
- CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya
- Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ronan Roche
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Heather Koldewey
- Conservation Programmes, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - John Turner
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
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Couch CS, Burns JHR, Liu G, Steward K, Gutlay TN, Kenyon J, Eakin CM, Kosaki RK. Mass coral bleaching due to unprecedented marine heatwave in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185121. [PMID: 28953909 PMCID: PMC5617177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
2014 marked the sixth and most widespread mass bleaching event reported in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, home to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM), the world’s second largest marine reserve. This event was associated with an unusual basin-scale warming in the North Pacific Ocean, with an unprecedented peak intensity of around 20°C-weeks of cumulative heat stress at Lisianksi Island. In situ bleaching surveys and satellite data were used to evaluate the relative importance of potential drivers of bleaching patterns in 2014, assess the subsequent morality and its effects on coral communities and 3D complexity, test for signs of regional acclimation, and investigate long-term change in heat stress in PMNM. Surveys conducted at four island/atoll (French Frigate Shoals, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, and Midway Atoll) showed that in 2014, percent bleaching varied considerably between islands/atolls and habitats (back reef/fore reef and depth), and was up to 91% in shallow habitats at Lisianski. The percent bleaching during the 2014 event was best explained by a combination of duration of heat stress measured by Coral Reef Watch’s satellite Degree Heating Week, relative community susceptibility (bleaching susceptibility score of each taxon * the taxon’s abundance relative to the total number of colonies), depth and region. Mean coral cover at permanent Lisianski monitoring sites decreased by 68% due to severe losses of Montipora dilatata complex, resulting in rapid reductions in habitat complexity. Spatial distribution of the 2014 bleaching was significantly different from the 2002 and 2004 bleaching events likely due to a combination of differences in heat stress and local acclimatization. Historical satellite data demonstrated heat stress in 2014 was unlike any previous event and that the exposure of corals to the bleaching-level heat stress has increased significantly in the northern PMNM since 1982, highlighting the increasing threat of climate change to reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney S. Couch
- Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne‘ohe, Hawaiʻi, United States of America
- Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - John H. R. Burns
- Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne‘ohe, Hawaiʻi, United States of America
| | - Gang Liu
- Coral Reef Watch, NOAA/NESDIS/STAR, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- Global Science & Technology Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kanoelani Steward
- Marine Science Program University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hilo Hawaiʻi, United States of America
| | | | - Jean Kenyon
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States of America
| | - C. Mark Eakin
- Coral Reef Watch, NOAA/NESDIS/STAR, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Randall K. Kosaki
- NOAA Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States of America
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Tickler DM, Letessier TB, Koldewey HJ, Meeuwig JJ. Drivers of abundance and spatial distribution of reef-associated sharks in an isolated atoll reef system. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177374. [PMID: 28562602 PMCID: PMC5451018 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated drivers of reef shark demography across a large and isolated marine protected area, the British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Reserve, using stereo baited remote underwater video systems. We modelled shark abundance against biotic and abiotic variables at 35 sites across the reserve and found that the biomass of low trophic order fish (specifically planktivores) had the greatest effect on shark abundance, although models also included habitat variables (depth, coral cover and site type). There was significant variation in the composition of the shark assemblage at different atolls within the reserve. In particular, the deepest habitat sampled (a seamount at 70-80m visited for the first time in this study) recorded large numbers of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) not observed elsewhere. Size structure of the most abundant and common species, grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), varied with location. Individuals at an isolated bank were 30% smaller than those at the main atolls, with size structure significantly biased towards the size range for young of year (YOY). The 18 individuals judged to be YOY represented the offspring of between four and six females, so, whilst inconclusive, these data suggest the possible use of a common pupping site by grey reef sharks. The importance of low trophic order fish biomass (i.e. potential prey) in predicting spatial variation in shark abundance is consistent with other studies both in marine and terrestrial systems which suggest that prey availability may be a more important predictor of predator distribution than habitat suitability. This result supports the need for ecosystem level rather than species-specific conservation measures to support shark recovery. The observed spatial partitioning amongst sites for species and life-stages also implies the need to include a diversity of habitats and reef types within a protected area for adequate protection of reef-associated shark assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Tickler
- Oceans Institute: Centre for Marine Futures, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Tom B. Letessier
- Oceans Institute: Centre for Marine Futures, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, Australia
- Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, United Kingdom
| | - Heather J. Koldewey
- Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica J. Meeuwig
- Oceans Institute: Centre for Marine Futures, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, Australia
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Davies TK, Mees CC, Milner-Gulland EJ. Use of a counterfactual approach to evaluate the effect of area closures on fishing location in a tropical tuna fishery. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174758. [PMID: 28355269 PMCID: PMC5371335 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial closures are widely used in marine conservation and fisheries management and it is important to understand their contribution to achieving management objectives. Many previous evaluations of closed area effects have used before-after comparisons, which, without controlling for a full range of factors, cannot ascribe changes in fleet behaviour to area closures per se. In this study we used a counterfactual approach to disentangle the effect of two closed areas on fishing location from other competing effects on the behaviour of the Indian Ocean tuna purse seine fishery. Our results revealed an inconsistent effect of the one of the closed areas between years, after taking into account the influence of environmental conditions on fleet behaviour. This suggests that the policy of closing the area per se was not the main driver for the fleet allocating its effort elsewhere. We also showed a marked difference in effect between the two closed areas resulting from their different locations in the fishery area. These findings highlight the need to account for other key fleet behavioural drivers when predicting or evaluating the contribution of area closures to achieving conservation and fishery management objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim K. Davies
- Department of Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- MRAG Ltd, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Landscape mapping at sub-Antarctic South Georgia provides a protocol for underpinning large-scale marine protected areas. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33163. [PMID: 27694889 PMCID: PMC5046182 DOI: 10.1038/srep33163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Global biodiversity is in decline, with the marine environment experiencing significant and increasing anthropogenic pressures. In response marine protected areas (MPAs) have increasingly been adopted as the flagship approach to marine conservation, many covering enormous areas. At present, however, the lack of biological sampling makes prioritising which regions of the ocean to protect, especially over large spatial scales, particularly problematic. Here we present an interdisciplinary approach to marine landscape mapping at the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia as an effective protocol for underpinning large-scale (105–106 km2) MPA designations. We have developed a new high-resolution (100 m) digital elevation model (DEM) of the region and integrated this DEM with bathymetry-derived parameters, modelled oceanographic data, and satellite primary productivity data. These interdisciplinary datasets were used to apply an objective statistical approach to hierarchically partition and map the benthic environment into physical habitats types. We assess the potential application of physical habitat classifications as proxies for biological structuring and the application of the landscape mapping for informing on marine spatial planning.
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McClanahan TR, Maina JM, Graham NAJ, Jones KR. Modeling Reef Fish Biomass, Recovery Potential, and Management Priorities in the Western Indian Ocean. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154585. [PMID: 27149673 PMCID: PMC4858301 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fish biomass is a primary driver of coral reef ecosystem services and has high sensitivity to human disturbances, particularly fishing. Estimates of fish biomass, their spatial distribution, and recovery potential are important for evaluating reef status and crucial for setting management targets. Here we modeled fish biomass estimates across all reefs of the western Indian Ocean using key variables that predicted the empirical data collected from 337 sites. These variables were used to create biomass and recovery time maps to prioritize spatially explicit conservation actions. The resultant fish biomass map showed high variability ranging from ~15 to 2900 kg/ha, primarily driven by human populations, distance to markets, and fisheries management restrictions. Lastly, we assembled data based on the age of fisheries closures and showed that biomass takes ~ 25 years to recover to typical equilibrium values of ~1200 kg/ha. The recovery times to biomass levels for sustainable fishing yields, maximum diversity, and ecosystem stability or conservation targets once fishing is suspended was modeled to estimate temporal costs of restrictions. The mean time to recovery for the whole region to the conservation target was 8.1(± 3SD) years, while recovery to sustainable fishing thresholds was between 0.5 and 4 years, but with high spatial variation. Recovery prioritization scenario models included one where local governance prioritized recovery of degraded reefs and two that prioritized minimizing recovery time, where countries either operated independently or collaborated. The regional collaboration scenario selected remote areas for conservation with uneven national responsibilities and spatial coverage, which could undermine collaboration. There is the potential to achieve sustainable fisheries within a decade by promoting these pathways according to their social-ecological suitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R. McClanahan
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Marine Programs, Coral Reef Conservation Project, Mombasa, Kenya
- * E-mail:
| | - Joseph M. Maina
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Marine Programs, Coral Reef Conservation Project, Mombasa, Kenya
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environment Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Nicholas A. J. Graham
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Kendall R. Jones
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environment Decisions, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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Zajonz U, Lavergne E, Klaus R, Krupp F, Aideed MS, Saeed FN. The coastal fishes and fisheries of the Socotra Archipelago, Yemen. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2016; 105:660-675. [PMID: 26795842 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The Socotra Archipelago is situated in the Gulf of Aden where tropical and "pseudo-temperate" conditions combine to create a unique marine ecosystem. The diversity, ecology, productivity and fisheries of the coastal fish assemblages are still relatively understudied and no update of the scientific knowledge existed. The islands support unique coastal and coral-associated fish assemblages in spite of the limited biogenic reef frameworks. Fish diversity is the highest among comparable Arabian eco-regions, and fish biomass productivity high too by Indian Ocean standards. The production of the once traditionally-managed small-scale fishery is severely declining and whether it is sustainable nowadays is extremely doubtful. At a time when Yemen is torn apart by a severe political and humanitarian crisis it is timely to review and update the current state of knowledge for scientists and managers, and thereby ease access to existing information, facilitating follow-on studies and evidence-based conservation and fisheries management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uwe Zajonz
- Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Sektion Ichthyologie, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Senckenberg Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F), Tropical Marine Ecosystems Group, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Edouard Lavergne
- Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Sektion Ichthyologie, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Université de Bretagne Occidentale, UMR 6539, CNRS/IRD/UBO, Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin LEMAR, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer IUEM, Rue Dumont d'Urville, 29280 Plouzané, France; Kyoto University, Field Science Education and Research Center (FSERC), Educational Unit for Studies on Connectivity of Hills, Humans and Oceans (CoHHO), Oiwake-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ku, 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Rebecca Klaus
- Senckenberg Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F), Tropical Marine Ecosystems Group, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Friedhelm Krupp
- Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Sektion Ichthyologie, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Qatar Museums Authority, P.O. Box 2777, Doha, Qatar
| | - Moteah Sheikh Aideed
- Senckenberg Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F), Tropical Marine Ecosystems Group, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Hadhramout University of Science and Technology, Department of Marine Fisheries and Resources, Marine Biology Division, Al-Mukalla, Yemen
| | - Fouad Naseeb Saeed
- Senckenberg Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F), Tropical Marine Ecosystems Group, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Environmental Protection Authority, Socotra Branch, Hadibo, Yemen
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Bowen BW. The Three Domains of Conservation Genetics: Case Histories from Hawaiian Waters. J Hered 2016; 107:309-17. [PMID: 27001936 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esw018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The scientific field of conservation biology is dominated by 3 specialties: phylogenetics, ecology, and evolution. Under this triad, phylogenetics is oriented towards the past history of biodiversity, conserving the divergent branches in the tree of life. The ecological component is rooted in the present, maintaining the contemporary life support systems for biodiversity. Evolutionary conservation (as defined here) is concerned with preserving the raw materials for generating future biodiversity. All 3 domains can be documented with genetic case histories in the waters of the Hawaiian Archipelago, an isolated chain of volcanic islands with 2 types of biodiversity: colonists, and new species that arose from colonists. This review demonstrates that 1) phylogenetic studies have identified previously unknown branches in the tree of life that are endemic to Hawaiian waters; 2) population genetic surveys define isolated marine ecosystems as management units, and 3) phylogeographic analyses illustrate the pathways of colonization that can enhance future biodiversity. Conventional molecular markers have advanced all 3 domains in conservation biology over the last 3 decades, and recent advances in genomics are especially valuable for understanding the foundations of future evolutionary diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian W Bowen
- From the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, PO Box 1346, Kaneohe, HI 96744.
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Smith SH, Marx DE. De-facto marine protection from a Navy bombing range: Farallon De Medinilla, Mariana Archipelago, 1997 to 2012. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2016; 102:187-198. [PMID: 26621576 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Fourteen surveys were conducted at Farallon De Medinilla (a U.S. Department of Defense bombing range in the Mariana Archipelago) between 1997 and 2012; annual surveys were conducted from 1999 through 2012. There was no evidence that the condition of the biological resources assessed had changed, or been adversely impacted to a significant degree by the training activities being conducted there. Restricted access has resulted in a de-facto preserve effect and outweighs minor negative impacts from training. The health, abundance and biomass of fishes, corals and other marine resources are comparable to or superior to those in similar habitats at other locations within the Mariana Archipelago. Our research suggests that the greatest threat to FDM's marine resources is from fishermen, not military training activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen H Smith
- U.S. Navy-Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific Energy and Environmental Sciences Group, USA.
| | - Donald E Marx
- U.S. Navy-Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific Energy and Environmental Sciences Group, USA
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Wilson NG, Kirkendale LA. Putting the ‘Indo’ back into the Indo-Pacific: resolving marine phylogeographic gaps. INVERTEBR SYST 2016. [DOI: 10.1071/is15032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The Indo-Pacific is an extremely large marine realm that unites two oceans via a restricted Coral Triangle corridor, which was historically subjected to lowered sea levels during global glaciation. Although a strong phylogeographic focus on the Central and West Pacific has produced a large body of research, the Indian Ocean has been largely neglected. This may have serious consequences, because the Indian Ocean hosts a large number of marine centres of endemism, yet a large number of nations rely on its marine resources. We examine reasons for this neglect and review what is known about this region and its connectivity to the Indo-West Pacific. We draw attention to the ‘Leeuwin Effect’, a phenomenon where the southward flow of the Leeuwin Current is responsible for transporting larval propagules from the Coral Triangle region down the coast of Western Australia, resulting in broader Indo-West Pacific rather than Indian Ocean affinities. Given challenges in accessing infrastructure and samples, collaboration will inevitably be key to resolving data gaps. We challenge the assumption that the peak of shallow-water marine biodiversity is solely centred in the Coral Triangle, and raise awareness of a seemingly forgotten hypothesis promoting a secondary peak of biodiversity in the western Indian Ocean.
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Perry CT, Murphy GN, Graham NAJ, Wilson SK, Januchowski-Hartley FA, East HK. Remote coral reefs can sustain high growth potential and may match future sea-level trends. Sci Rep 2015; 5:18289. [PMID: 26669758 PMCID: PMC4680928 DOI: 10.1038/srep18289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate-induced disturbances are contributing to rapid, global-scale changes in coral reef ecology. As a consequence, reef carbonate budgets are declining, threatening reef growth potential and thus capacity to track rising sea-levels. Whether disturbed reefs can recover their growth potential and how rapidly, are thus critical research questions. Here we address these questions by measuring the carbonate budgets of 28 reefs across the Chagos Archipelago (Indian Ocean) which, while geographically remote and largely isolated from compounding human impacts, experienced severe (>90%) coral mortality during the 1998 warming event. Coral communities on most reefs recovered rapidly and we show that carbonate budgets in 2015 average +3.7 G (G = kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1). Most significantly the production rates on Acropora-dominated reefs, the corals most severely impacted in 1998, averaged +8.4 G by 2015, comparable with estimates under pre-human (Holocene) disturbance conditions. These positive budgets are reflected in high reef growth rates (4.2 mm yr−1) on Acropora-dominated reefs, demonstrating that carbonate budgets on these remote reefs have recovered rapidly from major climate-driven disturbances. Critically, these reefs retain the capacity to grow at rates exceeding measured regional mid-late Holocene and 20th century sea-level rise, and close to IPCC sea-level rise projections through to 2100.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris T Perry
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Gary N Murphy
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Nicholas A J Graham
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Shaun K Wilson
- Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia.,School of Plant Biology, Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | | | - Holly K East
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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Vargas SM, Jensen MP, Ho SYW, Mobaraki A, Broderick D, Mortimer JA, Whiting SD, Miller J, Prince RIT, Bell IP, Hoenner X, Limpus CJ, Santos FR, FitzSimmons NN. Phylogeography, Genetic Diversity, and Management Units of Hawksbill Turtles in the Indo-Pacific. J Hered 2015; 107:199-213. [PMID: 26615184 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esv091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) populations have experienced global decline because of a history of intense commercial exploitation for shell and stuffed taxidermied whole animals, and harvest for eggs and meat. Improved understanding of genetic diversity and phylogeography is needed to aid conservation. In this study, we analyzed the most geographically comprehensive sample of hawksbill turtles from the Indo-Pacific Ocean, sequencing 766 bp of the mitochondrial control region from 13 locations (plus Aldabra, n = 4) spanning over 13500 km. Our analysis of 492 samples revealed 52 haplotypes distributed in 5 divergent clades. Diversification times differed between the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic lineages and appear to be related to the sea-level changes that occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum. We found signals of demographic expansion only for turtles from the Persian Gulf region, which can be tied to a more recent colonization event. Our analyses revealed evidence of transoceanic migration, including connections between feeding grounds from the Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific rookeries. Hawksbill turtles appear to have a complex pattern of phylogeography, showing a weak isolation by distance and evidence of multiple colonization events. Our novel dataset will allow mixed-stock analyses of hawksbill turtle feeding grounds in the Indo-Pacific by providing baseline data needed for conservation efforts in the region. Eight management units are proposed in our study for the Indo-Pacific region that can be incorporated in conservation plans of this critically endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Vargas
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia.
| | - Michael P Jensen
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Simon Y W Ho
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Asghar Mobaraki
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Damien Broderick
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Jeanne A Mortimer
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Scott D Whiting
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Jeff Miller
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Robert I T Prince
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Ian P Bell
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Xavier Hoenner
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Colin J Limpus
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Fabrício R Santos
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Nancy N FitzSimmons
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES 29043-900, Brazil (Vargas); School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Vargas and Ho); National Research Council under contract to Marine Mammal & Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA (Jensen); Natural History Museum and Genetic Resources Bureau, Department of the Environment Pardisan Eco-Park, Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran (Mobaraki); Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia (Broderick); Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (Mortimer); Department of Land Resource Management, Palmerston, Australia (Whiting); Biological Research and Education Consultants, Missoula, MT (Miller); Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Australia (Prince); Marine Turtle Conservation Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland, Australia (Bell); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia (Hoenner); Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Brisbane, Australia (Limpus); Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Santos); and Natural Environments Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Australia (FitzSimmons). Damien Broderick is now at 247 Anne St, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia. Jeanne A. Mortimer is now at PO Box 1443, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles. Scott Whiting is now at Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
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Spatially extensive microbial biogeography of the Indian Ocean provides insights into the unique community structure of a pristine coral atoll. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15383. [PMID: 26481089 PMCID: PMC4611231 DOI: 10.1038/srep15383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms act both as drivers and indicators of perturbations in the marine environment. In an effort to establish baselines to predict the response of marine habitats to environmental change, here we report a broad survey of microbial diversity across the Indian Ocean, including the first microbial samples collected in the pristine lagoon of Salomon Islands, Chagos Archipelago. This was the first large-scale ecogenomic survey aboard a private yacht employing a ‘citizen oceanography’ approach and tools and protocols easily adapted to ocean going sailboats. Our data highlighted biogeographic patterns in microbial community composition across the Indian Ocean. Samples from within the Salomon Islands lagoon contained a community which was different even from adjacent samples despite constant water exchange, driven by the dominance of the photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechococcus. In the lagoon, Synechococcus was also responsible for driving shifts in the metatranscriptional profiles. Enrichment of transcripts related to photosynthesis and nutrient cycling indicated bottom-up controls of community structure. However a five-fold increase in viral transcripts within the lagoon during the day, suggested a concomitant top-down control by bacteriophages. Indeed, genome recruitment against Synechococcus reference genomes suggested a role of viruses in providing the ecological filter for determining the β-diversity patterns in this system.
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Bouchet PJ, Meeuwig JJ. Drifting baited stereo-videography: a novel sampling tool for surveying pelagic wildlife in offshore marine reserves. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00380.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Séré MG, Chabanet P, Turquet J, Quod JP, Schleyer MH. Identification and prevalence of coral diseases on three Western Indian Ocean coral reefs. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2015; 114:249-261. [PMID: 26036832 DOI: 10.3354/dao02865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Coral diseases have caused a substantial decline in the biodiversity and abundance of reef-building corals. To date, more than 30 distinct diseases of scleractinian corals have been reported, which cause progressive tissue loss and/or affect coral growth, reproductive capacity, recruitment, species diversity and the abundance of reef-associated organisms. While coral disease research has increased over the last 4 decades, very little is known about coral diseases in the Western Indian Ocean. Surveys conducted at multiple sites in Reunion, South Africa and Mayotte between August 2010 and June 2012 revealed the presence of 6 main coral diseases: black band disease (BBD), white syndrome (WS), pink line syndrome (PLS), growth anomalies (GA), skeleton eroding band (SEB) and Porites white patch syndrome (PWPS). Overall, disease prevalence was higher in Reunion (7.5 ± 2.2%; mean ± SE) compared to South Africa (3.9 ± 0.8%) and Mayotte (2.7 ± 0.3%). Across locations, Acropora and Porites were the genera most susceptible to disease. Spatial variability was detected in both Reunion and South Africa, with BBD and WS more prevalent on shallow than deep reefs. There was also evidence of seasonality in 2 diseases: the prevalence of BBD and WS was higher in summer than winter. This was the first study to investigate the ecology of coral diseases, providing both qualitative and quantitative data, on Western Indian Ocean reefs, and surveys should be expanded to confirm these patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu G Séré
- ARVAM, 2 rue Maxime Rivière, CYROI, Technopole de La Réunion, 97490 Ste Clotilde, Reunion, France
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Population structure enhances perspectives on regional management of the western Indian Ocean green turtle. CONSERV GENET 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-015-0723-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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48
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Pinheiro HT, Mazzei E, Moura RL, Amado-Filho GM, Carvalho-Filho A, Braga AC, Costa PAS, Ferreira BP, Ferreira CEL, Floeter SR, Francini-Filho RB, Gasparini JL, Macieira RM, Martins AS, Olavo G, Pimentel CR, Rocha LA, Sazima I, Simon T, Teixeira JB, Xavier LB, Joyeux JC. Fish biodiversity of the Vitória-Trindade Seamount Chain, southwestern Atlantic: an updated database. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118180. [PMID: 25738798 PMCID: PMC4349783 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2014] [Accepted: 01/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite a strong increase in research on seamounts and oceanic islands ecology and biogeography, many basic aspects of their biodiversity are still unknown. In the southwestern Atlantic, the Vitória-Trindade Seamount Chain (VTC) extends ca. 1,200 km offshore the Brazilian continental shelf, from the Vitória seamount to the oceanic islands of Trindade and Martin Vaz. For a long time, most of the biological information available regarded its islands. Our study presents and analyzes an extensive database on the VTC fish biodiversity, built on data compiled from literature and recent scientific expeditions that assessed both shallow to mesophotic environments. A total of 273 species were recorded, 211 of which occur on seamounts and 173 at the islands. New records for seamounts or islands include 191 reef fish species and 64 depth range extensions. The structure of fish assemblages was similar between islands and seamounts, not differing in species geographic distribution, trophic composition, or spawning strategies. Main differences were related to endemism, higher at the islands, and to the number of endangered species, higher at the seamounts. Since unregulated fishing activities are common in the region, and mining activities are expected to drastically increase in the near future (carbonates on seamount summits and metals on slopes), this unique biodiversity needs urgent attention and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hudson T. Pinheiro
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Eric Mazzei
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo L. Moura
- Instituto de Biologia and SAGE/COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | | | - Adriana C. Braga
- Departamento de Ecologia e Recursos Marinhos, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Paulo A. S. Costa
- Departamento de Ecologia e Recursos Marinhos, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Beatrice P. Ferreira
- Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | | | - Sergio R. Floeter
- Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | | | - João Luiz Gasparini
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Raphael M. Macieira
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Agnaldo S. Martins
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - George Olavo
- Laboratório de Biologia Pesqueira, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, BA, Brazil
| | - Caio R. Pimentel
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Luiz A. Rocha
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Ivan Sazima
- Museu de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Thiony Simon
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - João Batista Teixeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
| | - Lucas B. Xavier
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Jean-Christophe Joyeux
- Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
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Hays GC, Mortimer JA, Ierodiaconou D, Esteban N. Use of long-distance migration patterns of an endangered species to inform conservation planning for the world's largest marine protected area. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2014; 28:1636-1644. [PMID: 25039538 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Large marine protected areas (MPAs), each hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, have been set up by governments around the world over the last decade as part of efforts to reduce ocean biodiversity declines, yet their efficacy is hotly debated. The Chagos Archipelago MPA (640,000 km(2) ) (Indian Ocean) lies at the heart of this debate. We conducted the first satellite tracking of a migratory species, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), within the MPA and assessed the species' use of protected versus unprotected areas. We developed an approach to estimate length of residence within the MPA that may have utility across migratory taxa including tuna and sharks. We recorded the longest ever published migration for an adult cheloniid turtle (3979 km). Seven of 8 tracked individuals migrated to distant foraging grounds, often ≥1000 km outside the MPA. One turtle traveled to foraging grounds within the MPA. Thus, networks of small MPAs, developed synergistically with larger MPAs, may increase the amount of time migrating species spend within protected areas. The MPA will protect turtles during the breeding season and will protect some turtles on their foraging grounds within the MPA and others during the first part of their long-distance postbreeding oceanic migrations. International cooperation will be needed to develop the network of small MPAs needed to supplement the Chagos Archipelago MPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme C Hays
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Vic., 3280, Australia; Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2, 8PP, United Kingdom
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50
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Singleton RL, Roberts CM. The contribution of very large marine protected areas to marine conservation: giant leaps or smoke and mirrors? MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2014; 87:7-10. [PMID: 25152184 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, marine protected areas have been "super-sized". At first glance, this seems a gift to marine conservation. Yet, the new wave of very large marine protected areas ("VLMPAs") have faced criticism from the scientific community. In this article we examine the merits and the criticisms of VLMPAS, and consider whether they provide a much-needed boost to marine conservation, or are simply too good to be true.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Singleton
- Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, 2204 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Callum M Roberts
- Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK.
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