scholarly journals Conservation value of a subtropical reef in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, highlighted by citizen-science efforts

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Monique G. G. Grol ◽  
Julie Vercelloni ◽  
Tania M. Kenyon ◽  
Elisa Bayraktarov ◽  
Cedric P. van den Berg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Wave Exposure ◽  
Site Location ◽  
Park Planning ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Comprehensive Information ◽  
Subtropical Reefs

Subtropical reefs are important habitats for many marine species and for tourism and recreation. Yet, subtropical reefs are understudied, and detailed habitat maps are seldom available. Citizen science can help fill this gap, while fostering community engagement and education. In this study, 44 trained volunteers conducted an ecological assessment of subtropical Flinders Reef using established Reef Check and CoralWatch protocols. In 2017, 10 sites were monitored to provide comprehensive information on reef communities and to estimate potential local drivers of coral community structure. A detailed habitat map was produced by integrating underwater photos, depth measurements, wave-exposure modelling and satellite imagery. Surveys showed that coral cover ranged from 14% to 67%. Site location and wave exposure explained 47% and 16% respectively, of the variability in coral community composition. Butterflyfishes were the most abundant fish group, with few invertebrates being observed during the surveys. Reef impacts were three times lower than on other nearby subtropical reefs. These findings can be used to provide local information to spatial management and Marine Park planning. To increase the conservation benefits and to maintain the health of Flinders Reef, we recommend expanding the current protection zone from 500- to a 1000-m radius.

scholarly journals Citizen scientists highlight conservation value of a small subtropical reef, Flinders Reef, southeast Queensland, Australia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique G.G. Grol ◽  
Julie Vercelloni ◽  
Tania M. Kenyon ◽  
Elisa Bayraktarov ◽  
Cedric P. van den Berg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Benthic Habitat ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Moreton Bay ◽  
Marine Park

AbstractSubtropical reefs are unique ecosystems that require effective management – informed by regular ecological monitoring – to foster resilience to environmental changes. Resources to conduct monitoring are limited, and citizen science can complement data from local management agencies. Here, citizen science efforts document the ecological status of a subtropical reef, Flinders Reef, Moreton Bay Marine Park, Australia. Ecological surveys, following Reef Check Australia and CoralWatch protocols, were conducted by 44 trained volunteers. Ten sites at Flinders Reef were surveyed at 5-10 m depth in autumn and spring. Additionally, underwater photos and depth surveys were integrated with satellite imagery to create a detailed habitat map. Coral cover across sites ranged between 14% and 67%. Branching corals dominated the site with 67% cover and showed 89% dissimilarity in coral community composition compared to other sites. Coral community composition was mostly explained by spatial variation, of which 16% was influenced by wave exposure. Observed reef impacts including physical damage, unknown scars and coral disease were three times lower than studies on more accessible reefs in Moreton Bay Marine Park. Invertebrate abundance was relatively low (6.65 individuals per 100 m2), with the most abundant groups observed being sea urchins (Diademaspp.), gastropods (Drupellaspp.) and anemones. Butterflyfish were recorded at every site and were the most abundant fish group surveyed. Findings highlight the healthy condition of Flinders Reef, likely influenced by its offshore location and protection status as a ‘no-take’ zone. This study demonstrates that increasing the current 500m radius protection zone by a further 500m could double the protected area of coral, offering potential further conservation benefits. The findings resulting from the ecological data analysis and created benthic habitat map, provide an example of how citizen science based projects can assist marine park authorities and the public in ongoing conservation efforts.

scholarly journals Coral communities condition in varying wave exposure: the gulf of Cazones, Cuba

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hansel Caballero Aragon ◽  
Pedro M Alcolado ◽  
Néstor Rey-Villiers ◽  
Susana Perera Valderrama ◽  
Juliett González Méndez
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Wave Exposure ◽  
Maximum Diameter ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Coral Mortality ◽  
Coral Communities

Wave exposure can influence community structure and distribution of shallow coral reefs, by affecting organisms both directly and indirectly. To assess the current stony coral community condition under different degrees of wave exposure at a marine protected area of the Gulf of Cazones (SW Cuba), two expeditions were carried out in May 2010 and June 2012. Four sampling sites were sampled at reef crests (1.5 m deep), and twelve at fore-reefs, at 10, 15 and 20 m deep in four geographic locations. Live coral cover, species richness and composition, colony density, and maximum diameter were assessed using the AGRRA 2001 methodology. Multivariate and non-parametric statistics were applied to compare sites. The coral community structure within reef crests was not homogenous. The observed variability of indicators apparently was determined by great coral mortality events resulting from natural disturbances that occurred in the past (hurricanes, bleaching and diseases). Fore-reef coral communities displayed better condition and lower coral mortality than reef crests. Species richness and coral composition varied, while multivariate and statistical methods did not reveal site grouping with regard to wave exposure. The remaining biological condition indicators were similar among sites, except in the most exposed one, where coral cover and coral size were slightly lower. Wave exposure in the gulf of Cazones seemed not to have a significant influence on differences in condition and structure of the assessed coral communities.

scholarly journals Assessment Assessment of benthic and coral community structure in an inshore reef in Balok, Pahang, Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 872-877 ◽  
Author(s):  
MUHAMMAD FAIZ MOHD HANAPIAH ◽  
SHAHBUDIN SAAD ◽  
ZUHAIRI AHMAD ◽  
MUHAMMAD HAMIZAN YUSOF ◽  
MOHD FIKRI AKMAL KHODZORI
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Inshore Reef ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
Challenging Environment

Abstract. Hanapiah MFM, Saad S, Ahmad Z, Yusof MH, Khodzori MFA. Assessment of benthic and coral community structure in an inshore reef in Balok, Pahang, Malaysia. Biodiversitas 20: 872-877. Inshore water reef closer to human activities are often neglected since they are not protected by marine park management. Little is known on how this reef responses to challenging environment in terms of abundance, diversity and benthic community composition. This study provides a quantitative assessment on the benthic community composition at 5 reef sites in Balok, Pahang, Malaysia and observed the ecological adaptation in the reef community towards turbid water environment. Balok reef has 39% overall coral cover with very low macroalgae abundance (4%). A total of 28 coral genera from 12 families have been recorded with Porites the most dominant genus in the coral assemblages. Most reef sites in Balok are categorized under conservation class 1 (CC1), which indicated that resilient and survival of the reef rely on stress-tolerators taxa. The data presented here showed that Balok reef is highly resilient towards constant exposure to high sedimentation and wave action.

scholarly journals Tracing Coral Reefs: A Citizen Science Approach in Mapping Coral Reefs to Enhance Marine Park Management Strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chai Ming Lau ◽  
Abdul Adzis Kee-Alfian ◽  
Yang Amri Affendi ◽  
Julian Hyde ◽  
Alvin Chelliah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Park Management ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Science Approach

scholarly journals Changing dynamics of Caribbean reef carbonate budgets: emergence of reef bioeroders as critical controls on present and future reef growth potential

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1796) ◽  
pp. 20142018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris T. Perry ◽  
Gary N. Murphy ◽  
Paul S. Kench ◽  
Evan N. Edinger ◽  
Scott G. Smithers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Reef Growth ◽  
Carbonate Production ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Caribbean Reef ◽  
Carbonate Budget ◽  
Coral Recovery ◽  
Fundamental Shift

Coral cover has declined rapidly on Caribbean reefs since the early 1980s, reducing carbonate production and reef growth. Using a cross-regional dataset, we show that widespread reductions in bioerosion rates—a key carbonate cycling process—have accompanied carbonate production declines. Bioerosion by parrotfish, urchins, endolithic sponges and microendoliths collectively averages 2 G (where G = kg CaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ) (range 0.96–3.67 G). This rate is at least 75% lower than that reported from Caribbean reefs prior to their shift towards their present degraded state. Despite chronic overfishing, parrotfish are the dominant bioeroders, but erosion rates are reduced from averages of approximately 4 to 1.6 G. Urchin erosion rates have declined further and are functionally irrelevant to bioerosion on most reefs. These changes demonstrate a fundamental shift in Caribbean reef carbonate budget dynamics. To-date, reduced bioerosion rates have partially offset carbonate production declines, limiting the extent to which more widespread transitions to negative budget states have occurred. However, given the poor prognosis for coral recovery in the Caribbean and reported shifts to coral community states dominated by slower calcifying taxa, a continued transition from production to bioerosion-controlled budget states, which will increasingly threaten reef growth, is predicted.

scholarly journals Coral community bleaching response on a highly urbanised reef

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R Guest ◽  
Jeffrey Low ◽  
Karenne Tun ◽  
Jani I Tanzil ◽  
Peter A Todd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Bleaching Response ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Relative Cover ◽  
June July

Projected increases in the magnitude and frequency of sea surface temperature anomalies present a significant threat to the persistence of tropical coral reefs, however, detailed studies of community level responses to thermal stress are needed if its effect on reef resilience are to be understood. While many studies report on broad, regional scale responses to thermal stress (e.g., proportion of corals bleached), far fewer examine variation in susceptibility among taxa and change in coral community structure, before, during and after bleaching on individual reefs. Furthermore, relatively few studies of bleaching response come from highly urbanised reefs that experience chronic disturbances such as elevated sedimentation and turbidity. Here we report in detail on the bleaching response of corals at a highly urbanised reef site south of mainland Singapore during (June, July) and immediately after (October) a major thermal coral bleaching event in 2010. To estimate the capacity for resistance and resilience to thermal stress, we report on a) the overall bleaching severity during and after the event, b) differences in bleaching susceptibility among taxa during the event and c) the response of the reef in terms of taxonomic community structure before (2009) and after (2012) bleaching. Despite severe bleaching in 2010 (66% of colonies bleached), post-bleaching recovery appeared to be relatively rapid and coral taxa that are usually highly susceptible (e.g., Acropora and Pocillopora) were relatively unaffected, i.e., either they did not bleach or they bleached and recovered. Although there was no significant change in coral taxonomic community structure among years, taxa that bleached most severely tended to have the greatest reductions in relative cover. Several factors may have contributed to the overall high resistance of this site to bleaching including turbidity, symbiont affiliation and heterotrophy. A parsimonious explanation for the reversed pattern of bleaching susceptibility among taxa is that these coral populations have adapted and/or acclimatised to thermal stress. Despite ongoing chronic anthropogenic impacts, we suggest that this site has potential for rapid recovery of coral cover due to the dominant coral taxa and growth forms being capable of rapid regrowth from remnant colonies.

scholarly journals Coastal Garbage Patches: Fronts Accumulate Plastic Films at Ashmore Reef Marine Park (Pulau Pasir), Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Hajbane ◽  
Bruna Calmanovici ◽  
Julia Reisser ◽  
Adam Jolly ◽  
Vyvyan Summers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Plastic Films ◽  
Accumulation Zone ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Conservation Zones

Millions of tons of buoyant plastic materials enter oceans annually, the majority originating from terrestrial sources and transported to oceans where oceanographic processes disperse or accumulate them. Some of these materials beach while others accumulate in convergent zones in coastal seas and the open ocean. Although accumulations associated with subtropical gyres, for example, the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (GPGP) are well-known, coastal accumulation zones have received less attention. Here we report quantities and characteristics of plastics accumulated in fronts encountered within the Ashmore Reef marine park (Pulau Pasir), northern Australia. These areas, as well as surrounding waters, were sampled using Manta trawls, drone, and snorkel surveys conducted in October 2018. With mean plastic concentrations of 523,146 pieces km−2 for plastics > 500 micron these hotpots contained plastic concentrations an order of magnitude higher than surrounding waters (16,561 pieces km−2) and comparable to the largest known accumulation zone: the GPGP. Furthermore, the mean mass within hotspots was 5,161 g km–2 vs. 9 g km–2 in surrounding waters. Therefore, we classify the features described in this study as types of “Coastal Garbage Patches” (CGPs). Importantly, the coastal fronts accumulating plastics in CGPs are key habitats for many marine species. Biomass outnumbered plastics by weight, with a ratio of 0.521 in CGPs and 0.016 in surrounding waters vs. 287.7 recorded in the GPGP. Polymer types found between the CGPs and GPGP were similar, but plastic films vastly dominated in the CGPs, whilst they were amongst the rarest types found in the GPGP. This study demonstrates the existence of CGPs coinciding with high priority conservation zones in coastal waters and highlights a need for further research into these environments.

scholarly journals Preliminary Study of Coral Reef Conditions in Marine Park and Coral Reef Education Centre Plan Area, Seribu Islands National Park, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Hermansyah Hermansyah ◽  
Tatang Mitra Setia ◽  
Cipto Utomo ◽  
Annastasya Rahma Ramadhani ◽  
Sabihis Sabihis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
National Park ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Massive Growth ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Index Value

Marine waters surrounding Child-friendly Integrated Public Spaces (RPTRA) at Tanjung Elang still has the potential for highly productive coral reef resources, thus enabling the development of ecological-based tourism, education and conservation. Despite the potential, the coral reefs in the surrounding of  RPTRA Tanjung Elang has suffered damage caused by anthropogenic activities and natural factors. The aim of this research is to assess the initial condition of coral reef at the location of   marine park areal and coral reef education center plan, RPTRA Tanjung Elang Waters, Pramuka Island, Seribu Islands National Park, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia. This research used Underwater Photo Transect/UPT method were analyzed using CPCe 4.1. software (Coral Point Count with Excel extension). The results of physico-chemical parameters measurements showed that water quality in RPTRA Tanjung Elang Waters Pramuka Island, is still within tolerance limits for coral life. The percentage of live coral cover was in a bad category with a low value (5.35%). The most dominant form of coral growth was submassive (CS) with a percentage value 54.46%. Composition of hard coral genusis consists of 3 family, 5 genus, and 100 species.The most dominant of Porites was with submassive and massive growth form. The index value of diversity shows a low category (0.56). The dominance index value showed a medium category (0.75). Uniformity and mortality index value showed a low category (0.35 and 0.43).

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