Global patterns of kelp forest change over the past half-century

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 113(48), P. 13785 - 13790

Published: Nov. 14, 2016

Significance Kelp forests support diverse and productive ecological communities throughout temperate arctic regions worldwide, providing numerous ecosystem services to humans. Literature suggests that kelp are increasingly threatened by a variety of human impacts, including climate change, overfishing, direct harvest. We provide the first globally comprehensive analysis forest change over past 50 y, identifying high degree variation in magnitude direction across geographic range kelps. These results suggest region-specific responses global with local drivers playing an important role driving patterns abundance. Increased monitoring aimed at understanding regional dynamics is likely prove most effective for adaptive management these ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Prioritizing Key Resilience Indicators to Support Coral Reef Management in a Changing Climate

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2012, Volume and Issue: 7(8), P. e42884 - e42884

Published: Aug. 29, 2012

Managing coral reefs for resilience to climate change is a popular concept but has been difficult implement because the empirical scientific evidence either not evaluated or sometimes unsupportive of theory, which leads uncertainty when considering methods and identifying priority reefs. We asked experts reviewed literature guidance on multiple physical biological factors that affect ability resist recover from disturbance. Eleven key inform decisions based scaling achievability quantifying were identified. Factors important resistance recovery, are components resilience, strongly related, should be assessed independently. The abundance resistant (heat-tolerant) species past temperature variability perceived provide greatest change, while recruitment rates, macroalgae most influential in recovery process. Based 11 factors, we tested an evidence-based framework Indonesian marine protected area. results suggest our evidence-weighted improved upon existing un-weighted terms characterizing distinguishing sites. evaluation supports that, despite high ecological complexity, relatively few strong variables can influencing ecosystem dynamics. This first rigorous assessment promoting reef their importance, evidence, feasibility measurement. There differences between scientists' perceptions factor importance found journal publications more before after impact studies will required fully test validity all factors. here increase defensibility including metrics evaluations reefs, as well reduce costs. Adaptation, areas, setting, resistance, recovery.

Language: Английский

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Climate Change, Coral Loss, and the Curious Case of the Parrotfish Paradigm: Why Don't Marine Protected Areas Improve Reef Resilience?

Annual Review of Marine Science, Journal Year: 2019, Volume and Issue: 11(1), P. 307 - 334

Published: Jan. 3, 2019

Scientists have advocated for local interventions, such as creating marine protected areas and implementing fishery restrictions, ways to mitigate stressors limit the effects of climate change on reef-building corals. However, in a literature review, we find little empirical support notion managed resilience. We outline some reasons why protection herbivorous fish (especially parrotfish) had effect coral One key explanation is that impacts (e.g., pollution fishing) are often swamped by much greater ocean warming Another sheer complexity (including numerous context dependencies) five cascading links assumed managed-resilience hypothesis. If reefs cannot be saved actions alone, then it time face reef degradation head-on, directly addressing anthropogenic change—the root cause global decline.

Language: Английский

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The threat to coral reefs from more intense cyclones under climate change

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 23(4), P. 1511 - 1524

Published: Jan. 31, 2017

Ocean warming under climate change threatens coral reefs directly, through fatal heat stress to corals and indirectly, by boosting the energy of cyclones that cause destruction loss associated organisms. Although cyclone frequency is unlikely rise, intensity predicted increase globally, causing more frequent occurrences most destructive with potentially severe consequences for reef ecosystems. While increasing considered a pervasive risk reefs, quantitative estimates threats from intensification are lacking due limited data on impacts inform projections. Here, using extensive Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR), we show increases in this century sufficient greatly accelerate degradation. Coral losses outer GBR were small, localized offset gains undisturbed than decade, despite numerous periods record stress, until three unusually intense over 5 years drove cover lows >1500 km. Ecological damage was particularly central-southern region where 68% destroyed >1000 km, forcing declines species richness abundance fish communities, many local extirpations. Four later, recovery average relatively slow there further abundance. Slow community diversity appears likely such degraded starting point. Highly unusual characteristics two cyclones, aside high intensity, inflated extent ecological would typically have occurred 100s Modelling published predictions future activity, likelihood within time frames mid-century poses global threat dependent societies.

Language: Английский

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Disturbance and the Dynamics of Coral Cover on the Great Barrier Reef (1995–2009)

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2011, Volume and Issue: 6(3), P. e17516 - e17516

Published: March 10, 2011

Coral reef ecosystems worldwide are under pressure from chronic and acute stressors that threaten their continued existence. Most obvious among changes to reefs is loss of hard coral cover, but a precise multi-scale estimate cover dynamics for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) currently lacking. Monitoring data collected annually fixed sites at 47 across 1300 km GBR indicate overall regional was stable (averaging 29% ranging 23% 33% years) with no net decline between 1995 2009. Subregional trends (10–100 km) in were diverse some being very dynamic others changing little. increased six subregions decreased seven subregions. Persistent corals occurred one subregion Acroporidae four non-Acroporidae families. Change accounted 68% change coral. Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) outbreaks storm damage responsible more during this period than either bleaching or disease despite two mass events an increase incidence disease. While limited prior 1980's suggests higher our survey, we found evidence consistent, system-wide since 1995. Instead, fluctuations subregional scales km), driven mostly by fast-growing Acroporidae, as result localized disturbance subsequent recovery.

Language: Английский

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The future of resilience-based management in coral reef ecosystems

Journal of Environmental Management, Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: 233, P. 291 - 301

Published: Dec. 21, 2018

Resilience underpins the sustainability of both ecological and social systems. Extensive loss reef corals following recent mass bleaching events have challenged notion that support system resilience is a viable management strategy. While resilience-based (RBM) cannot prevent damaging effects major disturbances, such as events, it can natural processes promote resistance recovery. Here, we review potential RBM to help sustain coral reefs in 21st century. We explore scope for supporting through existing approaches emerging technologies discuss their opportunities limitations changing climate. argue be effective world, strategies need involve new interventions together reduce stress, fitness populations species, people economies adapt highly altered ecosystem.

Language: Английский

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A systematic review of ecological attributes that confer resilience to climate change in environmental restoration

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 12(3), P. e0173812 - e0173812

Published: March 16, 2017

Ecological restoration is widely practiced as a means of rehabilitating ecosystems and habitats that have been degraded or impaired through human use other causes. Restoration practices now are confronted by climate change, which has the potential to influence long-term outcomes. Concepts attributes from resilience literature can help improve monitoring efforts under changing conditions. We systematically examined published on ecological identify biological, chemical, physical confer change. identified 45 explicitly related change classified them individual- (9), population- (6), community- (7), ecosystem- process-level (16). Individual studies defined resistance recovery disturbance, only few included both concepts in their definition resilience. found individual population generally suited species- habitat-specific actions applicable at scale. Community better site scale, system-wide ecosystem Ecosystem process vary considerably type applicability. summarize these relationships decision support table provide three example applications illustrate how classifications be used prioritize for specific actions. suggest (1) including an explicit planning objective could increase success projects, (2) considering context focal scale action essential choosing appropriate attributes, (3) certain such diversity connectivity, more commonly considered because they apply wide variety species ecosystems. propose identifying sources critical step restoring climate.

Language: Английский

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Climate change impacts on coral reefs: Synergies with local effects, possibilities for acclimation, and management implications

Marine Pollution Bulletin, Journal Year: 2013, Volume and Issue: 74(2), P. 526 - 539

Published: June 28, 2013

Language: Английский

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Caught in the Middle: Combined Impacts of Shark Removal and Coral Loss on the Fish Communities of Coral Reefs

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2013, Volume and Issue: 8(9), P. e74648 - e74648

Published: Sept. 18, 2013

Due to human activities, marine and terrestrial ecosystems face a future where disturbances are predicted occur at frequency severity unprecedented in the recent past. Of particular concern is ability of systems recover multiple stressors act simultaneously. We examine this issue context coral reef ecosystem increases stressors, such as fisheries, benthic degradation, cyclones bleaching, occurring global scales. By utilizing long-term (decadal) monitoring programs, we examined combined effects chronic (removal sharks) pulse (cyclones, bleaching) on trophic structure fishes two isolated atoll off coast northwest Australia. provide evidence consistent with hypothesis that loss sharks can have an impact propagates down food chain, potentially contributing mesopredator release altering numbers primary consumers. Simultaneously, show how bottom-up processes bleaching appear propagate up chain through herbivores, planktivores corallivores, but do not affect carnivores. Because their presence may promote abundance removal by fishing has implications for both natural anthropogenic involving corals, herbivores critical progress outcome recovery.

Language: Английский

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Herbivore cross‐scale redundancy supports response diversity and promotes coral reef resilience

Journal of Applied Ecology, Journal Year: 2015, Volume and Issue: 53(3), P. 646 - 655

Published: April 23, 2015

Summary Functional redundancy contributes to resilience if different species in the same functional group respond disturbance ways (response diversity). If a perform their role at spatial scales (cross‐scale redundancy), they are expected differently scale‐specific disturbance. Consequently, variance over which may provide proxy for resilience. Coral reefs diverse systems that key ecosystem services and subject increasing anthropogenic disturbances. Algal grazing by herbivorous fish maintenance of coral‐dominated reefs. To date, there has been little evaluation traits driving response diversity among how this relates coral recovery following acute Using body size as scale function, we tested whether cross‐scale herbivores was an effective indicator on 21 monitored through climate‐induced caused bleaching widespread mortality. When assemblages operated broader range were present prior disturbance, more likely recover states after After temperature‐induced loss small compensated increases large herbivores. This indicative high drove overall increase herbivore biomass recovering sites. These compensatory mechanisms not found sites where narrower scales. Synthesis applications . Cross‐scale provides managers with reef resilience, although contribution will vary Maintaining given site requires no classes disproportionately depleted fishing. Balanced harvesting, all fished proportion potential production, would help achieve this.

Language: Английский

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