Including environmental and climatic considerations for sustainable coral reef restoration

PLoS Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 22(3), P. e3002542 - e3002542

Published: March 19, 2024

Coral reefs provide ecosystem benefits to millions of people but are threatened by rapid environmental change and ever-increasing human pressures. Restoration is becoming a priority strategy for coral reef conservation, yet implementation remains challenging it increasingly apparent that indirect conservation restoration approaches will not ensure the long-term sustainability reefs. The important role conditions in practice currently undervalued, carrying substantial implications success. Giving paramount importance conditions, particularly during pre-restoration planning phase, has potential bring about considerable improvements innovation. This Essay argues risk may be reduced adopting an environmentally aware perspective gives historical, contemporary, future context decisions. Such approach open up new opportunities with improved have capacity dynamically respond trajectories.

Language: Английский

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Warming-induced changes in reef fish community traits in the Southwestern Atlantic transition zone

Marine Ecology Progress Series, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 710, P. 107 - 123

Published: March 23, 2023

Marine communities are subject to alterations in environmental conditions, due both natural variability and climate change. For instance, a rapid increase sea surface temperature (SST) can modify spatial distribution patterns abundances of reef fishes therefore alter the overall diversity, structure, functioning these communities. Trait-based approaches may accurately detect community responses such changes, because species traits should reflect resource habitat requirements. Here, we investigated temporal fish trait composition thermal affinity assessed whether shifts linked recent ocean warming. We combined related feeding, growth, survival with abundance data on from underwater visual census at 7 islands Southwestern Atlantic subtropical transition zone. All exhibited gradual reorganization assemblages dominated by large-size beginning time period small, cryptobenthic towards end. The changes weighted mean index were SST, indicating numerical response climatic variations. Tropical slowly becoming more abundant over time, while temperate less abundant, reflecting an initial change this These results have ecological implications leading faster turnover, lower food-chain complexity, higher vulnerability highlight importance integrating series for holistic understanding dynamics variation, including global

Language: Английский

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Trophic distribution of nutrient production in coral reef fisheries

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 290(2008)

Published: Oct. 3, 2023

Coral reef fisheries supply nutritious catch to tropical coastal communities, where the quality of seafood is determined by both rate biomass production and nutritional value fishes. Yet our understanding typically uses targets total fish rather than individual growth (i.e. production) nutrient content fish), limiting ability management sustain productivity catches. Here, we use modelled coefficients concentrations develop a new metric coral We then evaluate this with underwater visual surveys assemblages from four countries examine food webs. Species' were associated nutrients that vary body size (calcium, iron, selenium zinc), but not density. When integrated abundance data, find herbivorous species dominate standing biomass, turnover on reefs. Such bottom-heavy trophic distributions consistent across gradients fishing pressure benthic composition. conclude restrictions promote sustainability herbivores other low trophic-level can critical security over 500 million people in tropics.

Language: Английский

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Contrasting tropical marine herbivorous fish catches between the Indo-Pacific and Western Atlantic

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 30, 2025

Language: Английский

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Functional diversity shapes the stability of reef fish biomass under global change

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 292(2046)

Published: May 1, 2025

Understanding how environmental and human pressures impact the temporal stability of fish community biomass on shallow reefs is essential for effective conservation management. These influence directly, by affecting species’ asynchrony in fluctuations. However, their effects may also indirectly depend functional traits species composing community, which remains poorly understood. Here, we examine both direct indirect, trait-mediated variability impacts 215 Australian reefs. communities span a 10-degree sea surface temperature (SST) gradient have been monitored over 14 years. Our results indicate higher tropical owing to trait diversity redundancy colder, temperate mean trophic level. Human impacts, through negative diversity, were main destabilizing factor biomass. Temporal change SST destabilized while increasing level communities. Overall, our findings show that comprehensive analysis multiple facets crucial better understand forecast long-term marine ecosystems under global change.

Language: Английский

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Generalised deep learning model for semi-automated length measurement of fish in stereo-BRUVS

Frontiers in Marine Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 10

Published: June 2, 2023

Assessing the health of fish populations relies on determining length in sample species subsets, conjunction with other key ecosystem markers; thereby, inferring overall communities. Despite attempts to use artificial intelligence (AI) measure fish, most measurement remains a manual process, often necessitating being removed from water. Overcoming this limitation and potentially harmful intervention by measuring without disturbance their natural habitat would greatly enhance expedite process. Stereo baited remote underwater video systems (stereo-BRUVS) are widely used as non-invasive, stressless method for manually counting aquaculture, fisheries conservation management. However, application deep learning (DL) stereo-BRUVS image processing is showing encouraging progress towards replacing labour-intensive task precisely locating heads tails computer-vision-based algorithms. Here, we present generalised, semi-automated using DL near-human accuracy numerous fish. Additionally, combine highly precise calibration method, which uses cubes ensure precision within few millimetres calculated lengths. In human versus comparison accuracy, show that, although commonly slightly over-estimates or under-estimates length, enough repeated measurements, two values average converge same demonstrated Pearson correlation coefficient (r) 0.99 n=3954 ‘out-of-sample’ test data. We demonstrate, through inclusion visual examples scenes, approach. The head-to-tail presented here builds on, advances, previously published object detection stereo-BRUVS. Furthermore, process four careful mouse clicks screen locate head tail images, fast anywhere that those significant reduction analysis time expected. By reducing times, more images can be processed; increasing amount data available environmental reporting decision making.

Language: Английский

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Rarity mediates species‐specific responses of tropical reef fishes to protection

Ecology Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 27(3)

Published: March 1, 2024

Abstract Marine protected areas (MPAs) are the most widely applied tool for marine biodiversity conservation, yet many gaps remain in our understanding of their species‐specific effects, partly because socio‐environmental context and spatial autocorrelation may blur bias perceived conservation outcomes. Based on a large data set nearly 3000 fish surveys spanning all tropical regions world, we build spatially explicit models 658 species to estimate responses protection while controlling environmental, habitat socio‐economic contexts experienced across geographic ranges. We show that highly variable, with ~40% fishes not benefitting from protection. When investigating how traits influence species' responses, find rare top‐predators small herbivores benefit MPAs mid‐trophic level lesser extent, experience adverse indicating potential trophic cascades.

Language: Английский

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Process-based metrics inform sustainable marine management after a catastrophic natural event

Ecological Indicators, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 167, P. 112714 - 112714

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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Managing nutrition-biodiversity trade-offs on coral reefs

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 34(20), P. 4612 - 4622.e5

Published: Sept. 17, 2024

Language: Английский

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Baseline assessment and early effects of a network of marine protected areas

Conservation Science and Practice, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 6(5)

Published: April 24, 2024

Abstract Marine protected areas (MPAs) can be a useful tool to manage coastal ecosystems, delivering both social and ecological outcomes. However, in many instances, relevant data is missing conduct proper impact assessments, which key identifying synergies potential trade‐offs, adapting management according local objectives. The effects of an MPA established Palawan, Philippines, 2016, were assessed. most common species targeted by fisheries identified fishers. Species size number collected through underwater visual census with n = 288 belt transects assigned different sites locations ensure provide control (fished) for the assessment, baseline three new MPAs that created 2022. 91 coral‐reef fish belonging 12 families recorded. Mixed effect linear regression was used compare target populations sites. Compared locations, 5 years after its implementation, showed significantly higher richness, abundance, mean size, biomass while no significant difference found on average trophic level between Monitoring early collecting prior implementation network adaptive management.

Language: Английский

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