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Lucas CC, Lima IC, Garcia TM, Tavares TCL, Carneiro PBM, Teixeira CEP, Bejarano S, Rossi S, Soares MO. Turbidity buffers coral bleaching under extreme wind and rainfall conditions. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 192:106215. [PMID: 37890231 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106215] [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: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs in turbid waters have been hypothesized to be a refuge from climate change. These naturally occurring communities were brought into the spotlight because some of their species exhibited record levels of resistance to marine heatwaves (MHWs) by disturbance-tolerant corals. However, long-term monitoring data on the drivers of coral bleaching in these extreme reef habitats are scarce. Here, we describe the population structure and bleaching rates of a widespread and resilient coral (Siderastrea stellata). We examine the links between environmental factors, namely, rainfall, wind speed, turbidity, solar irradiance, sea surface temperature, MHWs, and coral bleaching status under the worst recorded drought cycle in the Tropical South Atlantic (2013-2015). We examined 2880 colonies, most of which (∼93%) fit in the size group of 2-10 cm, with a small number (∼1%) of larger and older colonies (>20 cm). The results indicated the absence of MHWs and normal sea surface temperature variations (between 26.6 °C and 29.3 °C), however, we detected an extreme rainfall deficit (30-40% less annual volume precipitation). In general, a high proportion (44-84%) of bleached colonies was found throughout the months when turbidity decreased. Siderastrea is the only reef-building coral that comprises this seascape with encrusting and low-relief colonies. During drought periods, cloudiness is reduced, turbidity and wind speed are reduced, and solar irradiance increase, driving coral bleaching in turbid reefs. However, episodic rainfall and higher wind speeds increase turbidity and decrease coral bleaching. Our hypothesis is that turbidity decreases during drought periods which increases bleaching risk to corals even without thermal stress. Our results suggest that turbidity may have related to wind and rainfall to provoke the coral bleaching phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Costa Lucas
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil.
| | - Italo Cesar Lima
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Tatiane Martins Garcia
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Sonia Bejarano
- Reef Systems Group, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Sergio Rossi
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil; Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyolla del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali (DISTEBA), Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Marcelo O Soares
- Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR), Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil; Reef Systems Group, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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Barros Y, Lucas CC, Soares MO. An urban intertidal reef is dominated by fleshy macroalgae, sediment, and bleaching of a resilient coral (Siderastrea stellata). MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 173:112967. [PMID: 34571384 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We provide a baseline assessment of benthic cover, salinity, temperature, and bleaching in an urban intertidal reef. The cover is composed of a weedy coral (Siderastrea stellata), algae, and sand sediments. Fleshy macroalgae provided the most of the cover (23% to 43%), followed by coral (16% to 24%), and sediment (6% to 19%). Most of the tidal pools presented high algae cover with seasonal differences; whereas, the coral and sediment cover did not differ significantly over time. The bleached colonies ranged from 6% (November) to 76% (March) over the months according to the stress levels (warming and runoff). Temperature (30.3 to 33.5 °C), and salinity (35.2 to 43.2) characterized an extreme reef habitat. S. stellata resistance to chronic and acute stress makes it a bioindicator of environmental stress. The results highlight those marginal reefs may be simplified habitats, composed of monospecific coral populations and morphogically-simple macroalgae adapted to current pressures but its long-term survival is unlikely due to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin Barros
- Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Caroline Costa Lucas
- Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Oliveira Soares
- Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali (DISTEBA), Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy.
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Sánchez-Caballero CA, Borges-Souza JM, Abelson A. Can wrecks serve as exploitable surrogate habitats for degraded natural reefs? MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 169:105399. [PMID: 34175523 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Overfishing is a key stressor in many coral reefs, affecting their function and ecosystem services. In the Gulf of California, 50 years of artisanal and recreational fishing have removed most of the largest and most vulnerable fish species, the Espiritu Santo Archipelago (ESA) is a marine protected area (MPA) where artisanal and recreational fishing are allowed in most of the natural reefs, while the artificial reefs (wrecks) are fully protected. An important question under such circumstances is whether artificial reefs can serve as surrogate habitats for the natural reefs. To address this question, we characterized the fish community (species richness, abundance, differences in taxonomic structure) and analyzed the obtained data by multivariate ordination and similarity analysis. The highest species richness was found in the artificial reefs, with total of 83 species, of which 21 species were exclusive. Contrary to the species richness, the total fish abundance was 20% higher at the natural reefs. The fish assemblages of the artificial reefs differ significantly from those of the natural reefs. The natural reefs of the ESA are dominated by few fish species from families of lower trophic levels. In contrast, the studied shipwrecks provide refuge to commercially important fish species (such as Snappers, Triggerfish, Jacks, and Groupers) including threatened species. The different fish compositions on the natural and artificial reefs is likely to be the outcome of differential fishing pressure. The non-fished areas (wrecks) of the ESA may represent a good strategy for reef restoration, enhanced fishing grounds (via spillover) and fishing management. However, the fish community structure of the artificial reefs differs from natural rocky reefs of the ESA, and therefore, should not be considered as surrogate habitats for natural reefs. The results point out the need to reassess the management effectiveness of the natural reefs of the ESA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - J M Borges-Souza
- Department of Fisheries and Marine Biology, Interdisciplinary Center of Marine Sciences, National Polytechnic Institute (CICIMAR-IPN), La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - A Abelson
- Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel
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Reis-Filho JA, Schmid K, Harvey ES, Giarrizzo T. Coastal fish assemblages reflect marine habitat connectivity and ontogenetic shifts in an estuary-bay-continental shelf gradient. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 148:57-66. [PMID: 31102903 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The success of marine management initiatives and our capability for dealing with environmental change largely depend on our understanding regarding the distribution of species and their habitat preferences. In the present study, we deployed baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVs) in a portion of Brazilian central coast (i.e., Todos os Santos Bay) to describe fish species-habitat associations along an estuary-bay-continental shelf gradient. Significant variation in the fish assemblage was found among three ecosystems, four depth classes, and eight different types of habitat, confirming that the structure and composition of fish assemblages is mediated by a set of habitat characteristics forming an ecological mosaic. The highest species richness and relative abundance were found in the mangroves and reefs. The data demonstrated that some species, such as Lutjanus jocu, Lutjanus synagris, Carangoides bartholomaei, Eucinostomus argenteus and Eucinostomus melanopterus had clear ontogenetic shifts among habitats and across ecosystems. Some species (Sphoeroides greeley, L. synagris, and Eucinostomus gula) were widespread along the ecosystem-level gradient and were observed in a number of different habitats, reflecting more generalist habitat associations. By contrast, a large number of species (54; e.g., Ptereleotris randali, Decapterus macarellus and Mugil curema) were recorded in a single habitat type, indicating they were habitat specialists. Despite this apparent habitat-related pattern, the size-mediated relationships found in many species indicate cross-migration along the ecosystem gradient. Our findings have implications for the conservation and monitoring of fish assemblages highlighting the role of the connectivity of marine habitats as a conservation priority toward to an ecosystem-based management strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Amorim Reis-Filho
- ICHTUS soluções em meio ambiente, sl 306, Rua Macaubas, Rio Vermelho, Salvador, BA, 41940-250, Brazil; Núcleo de Ecologia Aquática e Pesca da Amazônia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral 2561, Terra Firme, Belém, PA, 66040-170, Brazil.
| | - Kurt Schmid
- Núcleo de Ecologia Aquática e Pesca da Amazônia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral 2561, Terra Firme, Belém, PA, 66040-170, Brazil
| | - Euan Sinclair Harvey
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Tommaso Giarrizzo
- Núcleo de Ecologia Aquática e Pesca da Amazônia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral 2561, Terra Firme, Belém, PA, 66040-170, Brazil
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Gelmi-Candusso TA, Hämäläinen AM. Seeds and the City: The Interdependence of Zoochory and Ecosystem Dynamics in Urban Environments. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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Wong CWM, Conti-Jerpe I, Raymundo LJ, Dingle C, Araujo G, Ponzo A, Baker DM. Whale Shark Tourism: Impacts on Coral Reefs in the Philippines. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 63:282-291. [PMID: 30515531 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-018-1125-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Reef-based tourism has been developing rapidly in recent decades yet its impacts on reef ecosystems are often overlooked. In Tan-awan, Oslob, Philippines, whale sharks are attracted to the shallow reefs where they are provisioned up to 50 tons y-1 of feed and this phenomenon in turn attracts >300,000 y-1 visitors. Given the intensive provisioning and concentrating tourism activities, we hypothesized that the whale shark tourism-impacted site (IS) will have greater impacts on reef degradation and higher anthropogenic nitrogen pollution level compared to its reference site (RS). Ecological surveys revealed that relative to the RS, the IS had 36% higher relative abundance of Pocillopora and Porites coral over other genera, >2.5-fold lower coral density, and 20% higher macroalgal cover, which we concluded are signs of reef degradation. Also, we conducted stable nitrogen isotope analysis on gorgonian skeletons to trace nitrogen sources at both sites through time. Although an average 1‰ isotope enrichment found in the IS relative to the RS could indicate anthropogenic nitrogen inputs in the IS, this enrichment was consistent over time and existed before the tourism developed. Despite that, we cautioned against the imminent threat of local eutrophication caused by the continued inputs of nitrogen derived from provisioning and tourism activities. In summary, this study provided the first documentation of the impacts of provisioned whale shark tourism on the local reefs in Tan-awan and established an ecological baseline for future comparisons. Such assessments can offer important information on reef health, coastal development, and tourism management.
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Affiliation(s)
- C W Martin Wong
- The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Inga Conti-Jerpe
- The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Laurie J Raymundo
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU, 96923, USA
| | - Caroline Dingle
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Gonzalo Araujo
- Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Cagulada Compound, Barangay Tejero, Jagna, Bohol, 6308, Philippines
| | - Alessandro Ponzo
- Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Cagulada Compound, Barangay Tejero, Jagna, Bohol, 6308, Philippines
| | - David M Baker
- The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
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Portugal AB, Carvalho FL, Soares MDO, Horta PA, de Castro Nunes JM. Structure of macroalgal communities on tropical rocky shores inside and outside a marine protected area. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2017; 130:150-156. [PMID: 28764961 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2017.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The structure of marine macroalgal communities and morpho-functional groups were investigated in a poorly characterized region on the Tropical Southwestern Atlantic coast, Brazil. The survey was conducted at six rocky shores located on the mainland and on coastal islands distributed inside a marine protected area (MPA) and outside the MPA (near a densely populated area). We hypothesized that tropical rocky shores inside the MPA and islands have higher species richness, diversity, and evenness of marine macroalgae. Results confirmed that species richness, diversity and evenness were significantly higher inside the MPA than in rocky shores outside the MPA. Only species richness was higher on islands than on the mainland. The results suggest that human impacts could lead to a competitive advantage and dominance in the articulated calcareous morphotype, resulting in community differences and lower benthic biodiversity in tropical ecosystems near urbanized sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Brizon Portugal
- Universidade Federal da Bahia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Biomonitoramento, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
| | - Fabrício Lopes Carvalho
- Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, Grupo de Pesquisa em Carcinologia e Biodiversidade Aquática, Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil.
| | - Marcelo de Oliveira Soares
- Universidade Federal do Ceará, Instituto de Ciências do Mar, Labomar, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, ICTA, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Paulo Antunes Horta
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Botânica, Laboratório de Ficologia, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
| | - José Marcos de Castro Nunes
- Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Botânica, Laboratório de Macroalgas Marinhas, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
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