Employing invertebrates to restore herbivory on Caribbean coral reefs: recent developments and remaining barriers

Restoration Ecology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Апрель 2, 2025

With coral reefs in global decline and further threatened by growing anthropogenic impacts, effective strategies for restoring these critical ecosystems are increasingly sought after. In Caribbean reefs, where disease outbreaks fishing pressure have reduced herbivore abundances facilitated widespread phase shifts from to algal dominance, herbivorous invertebrates gained recent attention as a promising restoration tool. However, many practitioners face challenges evaluating the feasibility anticipated outcomes of integrating invertebrate herbivores into their programs. Here we review developments regarding species techniques identify remaining barriers that require research before enhancement can be considered scalable strategy reefs. Bottlenecks mariculture processes remain larval juvenile rearing stages impede scalability production, with significant outstanding across all terms stocking effectiveness monitoring feasibility. Integrating alternative ameliorate some bottlenecks, investigating culture grazing additional holds notable opportunities. Across initiatives, ecological objectives viable measuring against needed. These findings establish priorities husbandry communities alike provide guidance rapidly evolving field restoration.

Язык: Английский

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Adding insult to injury: Ship groundings are associated with coral disease in a pristine reef

PLoS ONE, Год журнала: 2018, Номер 13(9), С. e0202939 - e0202939

Опубликована: Сен. 12, 2018

In 2013, the remote Tubbataha Reef UNESCO World Heritage Site, in western Philippines, experienced two ship groundings within four months: USS Guardian (USSG), a US military vessel, and Min Ping Yu (MPY), an illegal Chinese fishing vessel. Here, we present results of coral disease assessments completed years post-grounding recovery patterns monitored annually these grounding sites. Site were undertaken three distinct zones: 'ground zero', where reef was scoured to its limestone base by direct impact; 'impact border', containing surviving upright but damaged, abraded fragmented colonies injured during movement; undamaged 'control' sites, from located on same atoll. Coral diseases dominated white syndromes, prevalence order magnitude higher impact border zones than other after events. Hard cover has steadily increased at mean rate 3% per year USSG site comparable control contrast, been negligible rubble-dominated MPY site, suggesting that substrate quality strongly influenced processes such as recruitment, larvae do not survive well unstable substrates. Long-term trajectories events appeared movement each event, site-specific wave-influenced persistence rubble debris. High among damaged suggested long-term impacts which may be slowing creating localized pockets persistent surrounding population.

Язык: Английский

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Native Herbivores Improve Sexual Propagation of Threatened Staghorn Coral Acropora cervicornis

Frontiers in Marine Science, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 6

Опубликована: Ноя. 20, 2019

Staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis was once spatially dominant on Caribbean reefs but is now threatened throughout its range. In recent years, advancements in ex-situ sexual propagation of corals have increased the viability this management strategy. Thus, improving culture methods for sexually propagated important to bolster overall restoration portfolio and increase genetic diversity restored populations. both natural systems scenarios, algae proliferation negatively impacts growth survival. Growing with native herbivores may represent a strategy efficiency. We tested A. recruits raised replicate aquaria identical densities juvenile Lithopoma americanum or Batillaria minima snails plus no-snail control. Each three replicates per treatment contained tiles similar numbers recently settled, visually healthy, cervicornis. Tiles were photographed every weeks five months growth, survivability, turf cover, crustose coralline (CCA) cover quantified. Labor time cleaning carefully recorded each treatment. Results indicated improved survival when either snail species comparison no-herbivore Further, including decreased labor eliminated cover. Interestingly, L. significantly reduced CCA relative other treatments. report some highest rates observed date Atlantic corals. Ultimately, results suggest that rearing could improve ability employ these reef restoration.

Язык: Английский

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Impacts of overfishing and sedimentation on the feeding behavior and ecological function of herbivorous fishes in coral reefs

Marine Ecology Progress Series, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 686, С. 141 - 157

Опубликована: Янв. 24, 2022

Coral reef environments are currently experiencing a global crisis. For restoration and conservation of such environments, substratum suitable for coral recruitment is important. Herbivorous fishes likely to facilitate the survival growth reefs by removing sediment epilithic algae on corals in course their feeding behavior. However, this facilitative function can be greatly impaired anthropogenic stressors as overfishing, which decreases biomass fishes, excessive deposition due land development, might decrease frequency feeding. To examine these hypotheses, we conducted observations experiments at 4 with different degrees stress subtropical Japan. Our findings were follows: (1) Underwater visual censuses, trap surveys, an analysis fishery statistics revealed that biomass, population density, species richness herbivorous generally lower high densities fishermen sedimentation rates. (2) Caging showed that, compared control plots, caged plots inaccessible had greater accumulation algae. (3) Sediment removal found experimental removed more heavily grazed some functional groups (grazers). These results suggest overfishing depress further exacerbate sediment.

Язык: Английский

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Frequent disturbances and chronic pressures constrain stony coral recovery on Florida’s Coral Reef

Coral Reefs, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 41(6), С. 1665 - 1679

Опубликована: Окт. 20, 2022

Язык: Английский

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Stories told by corals, algae, and sea-urchins in a Mesoamerican coral reef: degradation trumps succession

PeerJ, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 11, С. e14680 - e14680

Опубликована: Янв. 16, 2023

Understanding the mechanisms that allow permanence of coral reefs and constancy their characteristics is necessary to alleviate effects chronic environmental changes. After a disturbance, healthy display trajectories regaining cover establishment framework building corals. Through comparative approach, in patch reef partially affected by ship grounding, we analyzed successional unaffected sectors. Fleshy algae (which do not promote recruitment corals) dominated surface irrespective impact grounding incident. Acropora species had near-zero contributions community structure, whereas non-framework corals like Porites sp. slightly higher recruitment. Cover calcareous crustose decreased over time, neither latter nor adult colonies any effect on occurrence probabilities small Sea urchin ( Diadema antillarum ) densities were generally low, thus unlikely contribute reverting algal dominance. The impacted non-impacted sectors agree with inhibition model, leading development degraded state fleshy algae. It probable stability resilience this are high due ability monopolize space, along low recovery potential.

Язык: Английский

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Evolutionary developmental biology and sustainability: A biology of resilience

Evolution & Development, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 23(4), С. 273 - 291

Опубликована: Янв. 5, 2021

Evolutionary developmental biology, and especially ecological is essential for discussions of sustainability the responses to global climate change. First, this paper explores examples animals that have successfully altered their development accommodate human-made changes environments. We next document ability warming disrupt those organisms with temperature-dependent sex-determination or phenologies coordinating organism's other species. The thermotolerance Homo sapiens also related key factors concerning brain maintenance, corals, keystone tropical reefs, discussed in relation as well anthropogenic changes. While teratogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds are not essay, glyphosate herbicides block insect highlighted. Last, discusses need creatively integrate biology ecological, political, religious, economic perspectives, flourishing contemporary species may require altering ways Western science has considered categories nature, culture, self.

Язык: Английский

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Combining agent-based, trait-based and demographic approaches to model coral-community dynamics

eLife, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 9

Опубликована: Июль 23, 2020

The complexity of coral-reef ecosystems makes it challenging to predict their dynamics and resilience under future disturbance regimes. Models for do not adequately account the high functional diversity exhibited by corals. that are ecologically mechanistically detailed therefore required simulate ecological processes driving coral reef dynamics. Here, we describe a novel model includes at different spatial scales, contribution species’ benthic-community We calibrated validated reproduce observed using empirical data from Caribbean reefs. exhibits realistic community dynamics, individual population plausible. A global sensitivity analysis revealed number larvae produced locally, interaction-induced reductions in growth rate parameters with largest influence on provides platform virtual experiments explore diversity-functioning relationships

Язык: Английский

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Marine spatial planning to enhance coral adaptive potential

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Авг. 28, 2024

Abstract Ocean warming interacts with local stressors to negatively affect coral reefs. The adaptive capacity of reefs survive these is driven by ecological and evolutionary processes occurring at multiple spatial scales. Marine protected area (MPA) networks are one solution that can address both regional threats, yet the impacts MPA network design on remains unclear. In this paper, we used an eco-evolutionary model simulate hypothetical configurations in Caribbean, Southwest Pacific Coral Triangle under projected warming. We found protecting thermal refugia (i.e., cooler reefs) largely benefited corals inside while other declined. contrast, a diverse habitat portfolio led increased cover outside network. then quantified connectivity representations existing across each region. Most strikingly, current approximately 2 °C than networks, Caribbean’s 1 warmer network, based mean temperatures from 2008-2018. These results suggest Caribbean poised protect sources warm-adapted larvae but not destinations, opposite true Triangle. Our 1) sites particular temperature characteristics, marine planning may alter enhance or inhibit reef 2) distribution, extent, effectiveness interventions have potential distributions beyond what would be expected benefits alone, due potentially wide-reaching effects larval dispersal gene flow.

Язык: Английский

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Humans at the top of the food web: are coastal benthic communities at Rapa Nui affected by fishing?

Environmental Biology of Fishes, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 104(11), С. 1433 - 1451

Опубликована: Окт. 23, 2021

Язык: Английский

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