Coral reef systems of the Mexican Caribbean: Status, recent trends and conservation

Marine Pollution Bulletin, Год журнала: 2018, Номер 140, С. 616 - 625

Опубликована: Июль 11, 2018

Язык: Английский

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The effects of suspended sediment on coral reef fish assemblages and feeding guilds of north-west Australia

Coral Reefs, Год журнала: 2018, Номер 37(3), С. 659 - 673

Опубликована: Май 8, 2018

Язык: Английский

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Few Herbivore Species Consume Dominant Macroalgae on a Caribbean Coral Reef

Frontiers in Marine Science, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 7

Опубликована: Авг. 12, 2020

Coral reefs have changed radically in the last few decades with Caribbean now averaging 13% coral cover and 40% macroalgal (mostly Dictyota Lobophora). So, it is time we re-evaluate which species are key to process of herbivory these new conditions. The role herbivorous fishes play controlling macroalgae often considered by managers researchers at a guild or family level, but greater resolution needed understand impact herbivores more fully. We performed feeding assays behavioural observations fish quantify removal most common different species. In total, ran 34 hour-long trials using Lobophora across two sites conducted over hours observation 105 from eight Cayman Islands, Caribbean. show that many nominal did not consume instead targeted epibionts on other substrates. fact, only three taxa consumed as significant proportion their feeding: one surgeonfish (Acanthurus coeruleus), parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum), third, chubs (Kyphosus spp.), group consistently part herbivore community From our observations, an individual A. coeruleus can ~44 grams per day, while S. aurofrenatum ~50 Kyphosus spp. ~100 grams. These values significantly than all suggest consumers results highlight disentangling necessary for critical be identified protected. Furthermore, reef conditions change, need functions effective protecting managing important ecosystems. With far higher coverage past, browsing remove may increasingly promoting health.

Язык: Английский

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Developing best practices for the restoration of massive corals and the mitigation of predation impacts: influences of physical protection, colony size, and genotype on outplant mortality

Coral Reefs, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 40(4), С. 1227 - 1241

Опубликована: Июнь 16, 2021

Язык: Английский

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Invertebrate herbivores: Overlooked allies in the recovery of degraded coral reefs?

Global Ecology and Conservation, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 17, С. e00593 - e00593

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2019

A key question for coral reef conservation is whether reefs dominated by macroalgae can recover. Since the near-disappearance of herbivorous urchin Diadema antillarum in Caribbean, a prevalent management paradigm has focused on protecting fishes to trigger shifts back coral-rich state. However, absence D. antillarum, contribution other large macroinvertebrates herbivory intensity been largely overlooked. We used day and night field surveys behavioural observations at 16 degraded patches Bahamas measure abundance their consumption fleshy macroalgae. Tripneustes sea urchins Maguimithrax crabs were main our sites active mainly night, with 97% 45% observed consuming By comparison, < 5% ate In laboratory, readily consumed (at rates 0.19 g h−1 0.38 h−1, respectively), but low patch (4 2.3 per reef, average) translated into overall macroalgal removal. Perhaps this reason, there was no relationship between density these or grazing rate cover reefs. Nevertheless, we calculated that alone could exceed production doubling current abundance; 2.6-fold increase would achieve same result. Our results suggest macroinvertebrates, some which are currently target artisanal fishing many Caribbean countries, contribute greatly recovery established communities, least habitats.

Язык: Английский

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Incorporating parrotfish bioerosion into the herbivory paradigm of coral reef resilience

Conservation Letters, Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Окт. 8, 2024

Abstract Promoting resilience is highly relevant to preserving biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. For coral reefs, parrotfish protection emerged as a mainstream action for reversing the degradation experienced by these systems. The rationale that restoring their populations will increase grazing activity reinforce control of fast‐growing macroalgae, facilitating cover recovery. A lack link between trends macroalgae at large scale has, however, often been case. Suggesting more complex underlying dynamics should be reexamined. In this review, we discuss how lumping species if they were functionally redundant may obscure trends. And appreciation other functions around paradigm, specifically bioerosion, have unforeseen potentially adverse effects on degraded reefs. We show bioerosion responded directly quickly spatial temporal changes in assemblages than consumption, arguably due varying vulnerability among Caribbean parrotfishes fisheries habitat loss. positive could hence compromise remaining skeleton structures reef framework, further accentuating degradation, where increases consumption not necessarily compensate higher rates bioerosion.

Язык: Английский

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Coral reefs respond to repeated ENSO events with increasing resistance but reduced recovery capacities in the Lakshadweep archipelago

Coral Reefs, Год журнала: 2018, Номер 37(4), С. 1245 - 1257

Опубликована: Сен. 24, 2018

Язык: Английский

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Two decades of carbonate budget change on shifted coral reef assemblages: are these reefs being locked into low net budget states?

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 287(1940), С. 20202305 - 20202305

Опубликована: Дек. 9, 2020

The ecology of coral reefs is rapidly shifting from historical baselines. One key-question whether under these new, less favourable ecological conditions, will be able to sustain key geo-ecological processes such as the capacity accumulate carbonate structure. Here, we use data 34 Caribbean reef sites examine how production, net erosion and budgets, well organisms underlying processes, have changed over past 15 years in absence further severe acute disturbances. We find that despite fundamental benthic changes, ecologically shifted assemblages exhibited a modest but significant increase their budgets years. However, contrary expectations this trend was driven by decrease pressure, largely resulting changes abundance size-frequency distribution parrotfishes, not an rates production. Although short term, seem benefitted marginally reduced parrotfish erosion, substrate grazers, particularly larger individuals, unlikely conducive recovery thus probably lock into low budget states.

Язык: Английский

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The Biophysical Controls of Macroalgal Growth on Subtropical Reefs

Frontiers in Marine Science, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 7

Опубликована: Июль 7, 2020

The importance of macro-grazers in controlling macroalgal cover has long been recognized on tropical and temperate reefs, with fishes primary the former sea urchins latter. However, functional role herbivorous subtropical marginal reefs remains poorly explored. To evaluate relative this study used exclusion devices (excluding all grazers, fishes, or urchins) at two depths (1-2, 5-6 m) Brazilian rocky reefs. Depth influenced responses within cages, shallow sites changing from patchy barrens (dominated by crustose coralline algae) to epilithic algae-dominated treatments, being driver benthic dynamics. In deeper water, growth senescence cycle Sargassum species was associated upwelling events during spring summer, dominated No clear influence detected either depth, despite biomasses similar comparable where they do control populations. Thus, abiotic factors seem be a strong dynamics studied region, top-down processes act only depths. Consequently, communities species, ecological drivers these may more systems.

Язык: Английский

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Survival and growth of “branches of opportunity” from ten coral species outplanted on framed reef modules

Ecological Engineering, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 212, С. 107529 - 107529

Опубликована: Янв. 21, 2025

Язык: Английский

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