scholarly journals Comparative Effects of Different Disturbances in Coral Reef Habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie L. Trapon ◽  
Morgan S. Pratchett ◽  
Lucie Penin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
The North ◽  
Coral Composition

Degradation and loss of critical coastal habitats has significant ramifications for marine fisheries, such that knowledge of changes in habitat quality and quantity are fundamental to effective ecosystem management. This study explores changes in the structure of coral reef habitats, specifically changes in coral cover and composition, in Moorea, French Polynesia, to assess the independent and combined effects of different disturbances since 1979. During this period, reefs on the north coast have been subject to coral bleaching, severe tropical storms, as well as outbreaks ofAcanthaster. Coral cover varied significantly among years, showing marked declines during some, but not all, disturbances. The greatest rates of coral loss coincided with outbreaks ofA. planci. Moreover, successive disturbances have had differential effects among coral genera, leading to strong directional shifts in coral composition.Acroporais declining in abundance and coral assemblages are becoming increasingly dominated byPocillopora and Porites. Observed changes in the cover and composition of corals are likely to have further significant impacts on the reef fish assemblages. Given that significant disturbances have been mostly associated with outbreaks ofA. planci, rather than climate change, effective ecosystem management may reduce and/or delay impending effects of climate change.

scholarly journals Data Integration Through WebGIS to Inform Spatial Status of Coral Reefs in Lampung Province, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-402
Author(s):  
Adib Mustofa ◽  
Budhi Agung Prasetyo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Data Integration ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Monitoring ◽  
Reef Monitoring

Data integration of structured ecosystem monitoring is crucial to support decision making for better marine ecosystem management. Coral reef monitoring data had been carried out in several separated studies in Lampung Province. However, lacks data integration among scientists and institutions making them inefficient as a basis of science for ecosystem management and decision making. This study was aimed to integrate available coral reef data in the last 15 years in Lampung Province and inform the spatial status of coral reef cover through WebGIS. Secondary data of coral reef study in the last 15 years were acquired from published articles and online-available-institutional reports. Data were then converted to digital mode prior to publishing them in the form of a website database through WebGIS. Results suggested that there were four main areas of coral reef studies in Lampung Province, namely Lampung bay, Krakatau, Bakauheni, and Lampung west coast. One-way ANOVA analysis of the last 5-year coral data shown there were no spatial differences on coral cover the four areas. Coral cover in Lampung west coast was generally in good shape at 56.13±1.74% and was higher compared to those in Lampung bay, Bakauheni, dan Krakatau regions, at 46.57±2.23%, 36.48±1.58%, and 35.6±3.69%, respectively. All coral data was published through WebGIS at https://sll.itera.ac.id/research/webgis . It is recommended this WebGIS could serve as a reference to conduct long-term coral reef monitoring in Lampung since it provides coordinates and coral reef status as baseline data for further analysis of coral reefs ecosystem.

scholarly journals Snapshot recordings provide a first description of the acoustic signatures of deeper habitats adjacent to coral reefs of Moorea

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e4019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Bertucci ◽  
Eric Parmentier ◽  
Cécile Berthe ◽  
Marc Besson ◽  
Anthony D. Hawkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
French Polynesia ◽  
Attractive Potential ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Outer Reef ◽  
Acoustic Signatures ◽  
The North ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Barrier Reefs ◽  
Moorea Island

Acoustic recording has been recognized as a valuable tool for non-intrusive monitoring of the marine environment, complementing traditional visual surveys. Acoustic surveys conducted on coral ecosystems have so far been restricted to barrier reefs and to shallow depths (10–30 m). Since they may provide refuge for coral reef organisms, the monitoring of outer reef slopes and describing of the soundscapes of deeper environment could provide insights into the characteristics of different biotopes of coral ecosystems. In this study, the acoustic features of four different habitats, with different topographies and substrates, located at different depths from 10 to 100 m, were recorded during day-time on the outer reef slope of the north Coast of Moorea Island (French Polynesia). Barrier reefs appeared to be the noisiest habitats whereas the average sound levels at other habitats decreased with their distance from the reef and with increasing depth. However, sound levels were higher than expected by propagation models, supporting that these habitats possess their own sound sources. While reef sounds are known to attract marine larvae, sounds from deeper habitats may then also have a non-negligible attractive potential, coming into play before the reef itself.

scholarly journals Ecotypes as a concept for exploring responses to climate change in fish assemblages

2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg H. Engelhard ◽  
Jim R. Ellis ◽  
Mark R. Payne ◽  
Remment ter Hofstede ◽  
John K. Pinnegar
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Increasing Trends ◽  
Sea Fish

Abstract Engelhard, G. H., Ellis, J. R., Payne, M. R., ter Hofstede, R., and Pinnegar, J. K. 2011. Ecotypes as a concept for exploring responses to climate change in fish assemblages. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: . How do species-rich fish assemblages respond to climate change or to other anthropogenic or environmental drivers? To explore this, a categorization concept is presented whereby species are assigned with respect to six ecotype classifications, according to biogeography, horizontal and vertical habitat preference, trophic guild, trophic level, or body size. These classification schemes are termed ecotypology, and the system is applied to fish in the North Sea using International Bottom Trawl Survey data. Over the period 1977–2008, there were changes in the North Sea fish community that can be related to fish ecotypes. Broadly speaking, there were steady increases in abundance of species that were either Lusitanian, small-bodied, or low-/mid-trophic-level ecotypes, and generally declining or only marginally increasing trends of most Boreal, large-bodied, or high-trophic-level ecotypes or combinations of them. The post-1989 warm biological regime appears to have favoured pelagic species more than demersal species. These community-level patterns agree with the expected responses of ecotypes to climate change and also with anticipated vulnerability to fishing pressure.

scholarly journals Coral cover and rubble cryptofauna abundance and diversity at outplanted reefs in Okinawa, Japan

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9185
Author(s):  
Piera Biondi ◽  
Giovanni Diego Masucci ◽  
James Davis Reimer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Okinawa Island ◽  
Control Location ◽  
Coral Coverage ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
And Control

Global climate change is leading to damage and loss of coral reef ecosystems. On subtropical Okinawa Island in southwestern Japan, the prefectural government is working on coral reef restoration by outplanting coral colonies from family Acroporidae back to reefs after initially farming colonies inside protected nurseries. In order to establish a baseline for future comparisons, in this study we documented the current status of reefs undergoing outplanting at Okinawa Island, and nearby locations where no human manipulation has occurred. We examined three sites on the coast of Onna Village on the west coast of the island; each site included an outplanted and control location. We used (1) coral rubble sampling to measure and compare abundance and diversity of rubble cryptofauna; and (2) coral reef monitoring using Line Intercept Transects to track live coral coverage. Results showed that rubble shape had a positive correlation with the numbers of animals found within rubble themselves and may therefore constitute a reliable abundance predictor. Each outplanted location did not show differences with the corresponding control location in terms of rubble cryptofauna abundance, but outplanted locations had significantly lower coral coverage. Overall, differences between sites (Maeganeku1, Maeganeku2 and Manza, each including both outplanted and control locations) were significant, for both rubble cryptofauna and coral coverage. We recommend (1) to outplant colonies from more stress-resistant genera in place of Acropora, and (2) to conduct regular surveys to monitor the situation closely. With a lack of baseline data preceding impacts, rigorous monitoring over time can highlight trends towards increases or decreases in evaluated variables, allowing to obtain a clearer idea of the effects of transplants and on the trajectory of impacts due to climate change and local stressors . Finally, we also recommend (3) to establish conservation and sustainable practices that could aid the ongoing restoration efforts such as installing anchoring buoys to reduce impacts from anchoring, which could reduce coral mortality of both outplanted and native coral colonies.

scholarly journals Benthic structure drives butterflyfish species composition and trophic group abundance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Barbosa ◽  
Neil Coupland ◽  
Clara Douglas ◽  
Ellen Harrison ◽  
Kelly M James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Benthic Composition

Corals provide structure and food sources vital for the maintenance of coral reef fish diversity. However, coral reefs are currently under threat from climate change, which has led to the largest recorded loss of live coral. The loss of live coral, and corresponding shift in reef benthic composition, are predicted to impact the abundance and composition of coral reef fish species and communities. In this study, we investigate the effect of changes in reef benthic composition (eg. live coral, dead coral, algae), on the diversity and composition in an assemblage of butterflyfish species, in Faafu Atoll in the Maldives after the 2016 bleaching event. We show that differences in community composition of butterflyfish are associated to benthic structure, reflecting species feeding preferences. Interestingly, however, we also show that lower coral cover is not associated to lower abundance and species richness of butterflyfish. Our results suggest that maintenance of coral reef structure after a disturbance provides key microhabitats to accommodate non-corallivorous butterflyfish, thus maintaining abundance and species richness. Overall our study provides support for regulation of richness and abundance of coral reef fish assemblages to short term changes in coral reef benthic composition after disturbance via turnover in composition.

scholarly journals Coral reef fish assemblages at Clipperton Atoll (Eastern Tropical Pacific) and their relationship with coral cover

2016 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurora M. Ricart ◽  
Fabián A. Rodríguez-Zaragoza ◽  
Carlos González-Salas ◽  
Marco Ortiz ◽  
Amílcar L. Cupul-Magaña ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
Live Coral Cover

Clipperton Atoll, one of the most isolated coral reefs worldwide, is of great scientific interest due to its geomorphology and high levels of endemism. This study explored the reef fish assemblage structure of Clipperton Atoll and its relationship with live coral cover. Nine stations were sampled at three sites and three depths (6, 12 and 20 m) around the reef, measuring fish species richness and biomass and hermatypic coral cover (at genus level). We evaluated variation in species richness, biomass and diversity of fish assemblages among sites and depths, as well as the relationship between the entire fish assemblage composition and live coral cover. The results showed that species richness and biomass were similar among sites, but differed across depths, increasing with depth. In contrast, diversity differed among sites but not among depths. Multivariate analyses indicated that fish assemblage composition differed among sites and depths in relation to changes in cover of coral of the genera Pocillopora, Porites, Pavona and Leptoseris, which dominate at different depths. The results showed that fish species richness and diversity were low at Clipperton Atoll and that, in isolated coral reefs with a low habitat heterogeneity and low human disturbance, live coral cover has a significant influence on the spatial variation of the reef fish assemblages. This study highlights the importance of coral habitat structure in shaping coral reef fish assemblages.

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