ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1363-3571
Current Organisation
University of Leeds
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Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 12-05-2017
DOI: 10.1101/137158
Abstract: Spatially-explicit approaches are widely recommended for ecosystem management. The quality of the data, such as presence/absence or habitat maps, affects the management actions recommended, and is, therefore, key to management success. However, available data are often biased and incomplete. Previous studies have advanced ways to resolve data bias and missing data, but questions remain about how we design ecological surveys to develop a dataset through field surveys. Ecological surveys may have multiple spatial scales, including the spatial extent of the target ecosystem (observation window), the resolution for mapping in idual distributions (mapping unit), and the survey area within each mapping unit (s ling unit). We developed an ecological survey method for mapping in idual distributions by applying spatially-explicit stochastic models. We used spatial point processes to describe in idual spatial placements using either random or clustering processes. We then designed ecological surveys with different spatial scales and in idual detectability. We found that the choice of mapping unit affected the presence mapped fraction, and the fraction of the total in iduals covered by the presence mapped patches. Tradeoffs were found between these quantities and the map resolution, associated with equivalent asymptotic behaviors for both metrics at sufficiently small and large mapping unit scales. Our approach enabled consideration of the effect of multiple spatial scales in surveys, and estimation of the survey outcomes such as the presence mapped fraction and the number of in iduals situated in the presence detected units. The developed theory may facilitate management decision-making and inform the design of monitoring and data gathering.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 11-2019
Abstract: We evaluate the extent of climate change adaptation in the global protected seascape, and identify ways to further advance it.
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 25-03-2013
Abstract: Triple–bottom-line outcomes from resource management and conservation, where conservation goals and equity in social outcomes are maximized while overall costs are minimized, remain a highly sought-after ideal. However, despite widespread recognition of the importance that equitable distribution of benefits or costs across society can play in conservation success, little formal theory exists for how to explicitly incorporate equity into conservation planning and prioritization. Here, we develop that theory and implement it for three very different case studies in California (United States), Raja Ampat (Indonesia), and the wider Coral Triangle region (Southeast Asia). We show that equity tends to trade off nonlinearly with the potential to achieve conservation objectives, such that similar conservation outcomes can be possible with greater equity, to a point. However, these case studies also produce a range of trade-off typologies between equity and conservation, depending on how one defines and measures social equity, including direct (linear) and no trade-off. Important gaps remain in our understanding, most notably how equity influences probability of conservation success, in turn affecting the actual ability to achieve conservation objectives. Results here provide an important foundation for moving the science and practice of conservation planning—and broader spatial planning in general—toward more consistently achieving efficient, equitable, and effective outcomes.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-08-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2022
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 18-06-2018
Abstract: Marine reserves that prohibit fishing are a critical tool for sustaining coral reef ecosystems, yet it remains unclear how human impacts in surrounding areas affect the capacity of marine reserves to deliver key conservation benefits. Our global study found that only marine reserves in areas of low human impact consistently sustained top predators. Fish biomass inside marine reserves declined along a gradient of human impacts in surrounding areas however, reserves located where human impacts are moderate had the greatest difference in fish biomass compared with openly fished areas. Reserves in low human-impact areas are required for sustaining ecological functions like high-order predation, but reserves in high-impact areas can provide substantial conservation gains in fish biomass.
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-08-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12957
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-01-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12714
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-05-2018
DOI: 10.1101/315424
Abstract: Globally, protected areas are being established to protect bio ersity and to promote ecosystem resilience. The typical spatial conservation planning process leading to the creation of these protected areas focuses on representation and replication of ecological features, often using decision support systems such as Marxan. Unfortunately, Marxan currently requires manual input or specialised scripts to explicitly consider ecological connectivity, a property critical to metapopulation persistence and resilience. "Marxan Connect" is a new open source, open access Graphical User Interface (GUI) designed to assist conservation planners in the systematic operationalization of ecological connectivity in protected area network planning. Marxan Connect is able to incorporate estimates of demographic connectivity (e.g. derived from tracking data, dispersal models, or genetics) or structural landscape connectivity (e.g. isolation by resistance). This is accomplished by calculating metapopulation-relevant connectivity metrics (e.g. eigenvector centrality) and treating those as conservation features, or using the connectivity data as a spatial dependency amongst sites to be included in the prioritization process. Marxan Connect allows a wide group of users to incorporate directional ecological connectivity into conservation plans. The least-cost conservation solutions provided by Marxan Connect, combined with ecologically relevant post-hoc testing, are more likely to support persistent and resilient metapopulations (e.g. fish stocks) and provide better protection for bio ersity than if connectivity is ignored.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 10-09-2019
DOI: 10.1101/764464
Abstract: Aquatic and terrestrial realms display stark differences in key environmental factors and phylogenetic composition. Despite such differences, their consequences for the evolution of species’ life history strategies remain poorly understood. Here, we examine whether and how life history strategies vary between terrestrial and aquatic species. Global. Variable, the earliest year being in 1906 and the most recent in 2015. Macroscopic animals and plants species. We use demographic information for 638 terrestrial and 117 aquatic animal and plant species, to derive key life history traits capturing their population turnover, and investments in survival, development, and reproduction. We use phylogenetically corrected least squares regression to explore the differences in the trade-offs between life history traits in both realms. We then quantify the life history strategies of aquatic and terrestrial species using a phylogenetically corrected principal component analysis. We find that the same trade-offs structure terrestrial and aquatic life histories, resulting in two dominant axes of variation describing species’ pace- of-life and reproductive spread through time. Life history strategies differ between aquatic and terrestrial environments, with phylogenetic relationships playing a minor role. We show that adaptations of plants and animals to terrestrial environments have resulted in different life history strategies, particularly with their reproductive mode and longevity. Terrestrial plants display a great ersity of life history strategies, including the species with the longest lifespans. Aquatic animals, on the contrary, exhibit higher reproductive frequency than terrestrial animals, likely due to reproductive adaptations (i.e. internal fecundation) of the later to land. Our findings show that aquatic and terrestrial species are ruled by the same life history principles, but have evolved different strategies due to distinct selection pressures. Such contrasting life history strategies have important consequences for the conservation and management of aquatic and terrestrial species.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 10-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.09.29.462350
Abstract: The persistent exposure of coral communities to more variable abiotic regimes is assumed to augment their resilience to future climatic variability. Yet, while the determinants of coral population resilience across species remain unknown, we are unable to predict the winners and losers across reef ecosystems exposed to increasingly variable conditions. Using annual surveys of 3171 coral in iduals across Australia and Japan (2017-2019), we explore spatial variation across the short- and long-term dynamics of competitive, stress-tolerant, and weedy assemblages to evaluate how thermal variability mediates the structural composition of coral communities. We illustrate how, by promoting short-term potential over long-term performance, coral assemblages can reduce their vulnerability to stochastic environments. However, compared to stress-tolerant, and weedy assemblages, competitive coral taxa display a reduced capacity for elevating their short-term potential. Accordingly, future climatic shifts threaten the structural complexity of coral assemblages in variable environments, emulating the degradation expected across global tropical reefs.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-02-2021
DOI: 10.1002/FEE.2312
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-12-2018
DOI: 10.1002/EAP.1820
Abstract: Instantaneous implementation of systematic conservation plans at regional scales is rare. More typically, planned actions are applied incrementally over periods of years or decades. During protracted implementation, the character of the connected ecological system will change as a function of external anthropogenic pressures, local metapopulation processes, and environmental fluctuations. For heavily exploited systems, habitat quality will deteriorate as the plan is implemented, potentially influencing the schedule of protected area implementation necessary to achieve conservation objectives. Understanding the best strategy to adopt for applying management within a connected environment is desirable, especially given limited conservation resources. Here, we model the sequential application of no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) in the central Philippines within a metapopulation framework, using a range of network-based decision rules. The model was based on selecting 33 sites for protection from 101 possible sites over a 35-yr period. The graph-theoretic network criteria to select sites for protection included PageRank, maximum degree, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, minimum degree, random, and historical events. We also included a dynamic strategy called colonization-extinction rate that was updated every year based on the changing capacity of each site to produce and absorb larvae. Each rule was evaluated in the context of achieving the maximum metapopulation mean lifetime at the conclusion of the implementation phase. MPAs were designated through the alteration of the extinction risk parameter. The highest ranked criteria were PageRank while the actual implementation from historical records ranked lowest. Our results indicate that protecting the sites ranked highest with regard to larval supply is likely to yield the highest benefit for fish abundance and fish metapopulation persistence. Model results highlighted the benefits of including network processes in conservation planning.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-12-2022
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.14038
Abstract: Larval dispersal connectivity is typically integrated into spatial conservation decisions at regional or national scales, but implementing agencies struggle with translating these methods to local scales. We used larval dispersal connectivity at regional (hundreds of kilometers) and local (tens of kilometers) scales to aid in design of networks of no‐take reserves in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. We used Marxan with Connectivity informed by biophysical larval dispersal models and remotely sensed coral reef habitat data to design marine reserve networks for 4 commercially important reef species across the region. We complemented regional spatial prioritization with decision trees that combined network‐based connectivity metrics and habitat quality to design reserve boundaries locally. Decision trees were used in consensus‐based workshops with stakeholders to qualitatively assess site desirability, and Marxan was used to identify areas for subsequent network expansion. Priority areas for protection and expected benefits differed among species, with little overlap in reserve network solutions. Because reef quality varied considerably across reefs, we suggest reef degradation must inform the interpretation of larval dispersal patterns and the conservation benefits achievable from protecting reefs. Our methods can be readily applied by conservation practitioners, in this region and elsewhere, to integrate connectivity data across multiple spatial scales.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 26-06-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.23.497327
Abstract: Collecting fine-scale occurrence data for marine species across large spatial scales is logistically challenging, but is important to determine species distributions and for conservation planning. Inaccurate descriptions of species ranges could result in designating protected areas with inappropriate locations or boundaries. Optimising s ling strategies therefore is a priority for scaling up survey approaches using tools such as environmental DNA (eDNA) to capture species distributions. eDNA can detect erse taxa simultaneously, but to date has rarely been applied across large spatial scales relevant for conservation planning. In a marine context, commercial vessels, such as ferries, could provide s ling platforms allowing access to under-s led areas and repeatable s ling over time to track community changes. However, s le collection from commercial vessels could be biased and may not represent biological and environmental variability. Here, we evaluate whether s ling along Mediterranean ferry routes can yield unbiased bio ersity survey outcomes, based on perfect knowledge from a stacked species distribution model (SSDM) of marine megafauna. Simulations were carried out representing different s ling strategies (random vs systematic), frames (ferry routes vs unconstrained) and number of s ling points. SSDMs were remade from different s ling simulations and compared to the ‘perfect knowledge’ SSDM to quantify the bias associated with different s ling strategies. Ferry routes detected more species and were able to recover known patterns in species richness at smaller s le sizes better than unconstrained s ling points. However, to minimise potential bias, ferry routes should be chosen to cover the variability in species composition and its environmental predictors in the SSDMs. The workflow presented here can be used to design effective eDNA s ling strategies using commercial vessel routes globally. This approach has potential to provide a cost-effective method to access remote oceanic areas on a regular basis, and can recover meaningful data on spatiotemporal bio ersity patterns.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2011
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-06-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-03-2017
Abstract: Fisheries usually first remove large predators before switching to smaller species, causing lasting changes to fish community structure. Reef fish provide essential protein and income for many people, and the impacts of commercial and high-intensity subsistence fishing on reef fish are well documented. However, how fish communities respond to low levels of subsistence fishing using traditional techniques (fishing for food, few fishers) is less well understood. We use three atolls in the Marshall Islands as a model system to quantify effects of commercial and subsistence fishing on reef fish communities, compared to a near-pristine baseline. Unexpectedly, fish biomass was highest on the commercially-fished atoll where the assemblage was dominated by herbivores (50% higher than other atolls) and contained few top predators (70% lower than other atolls). By contrast, fish biomass and trophic composition did not differ between pristine and subsistence-fished atolls – top predators were abundant on both. We show that in some cases, reefs can support fishing by small communities to provide food but still retain intact fish assemblages. Low-intensity subsistence fishing may not always harm marine food webs, and we suggest that its effects depend on the style and intensity of fishing practised and the type of organisms targeted.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-04-2023
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-023-37550-5
Abstract: Temperate reefs are at the forefront of warming-induced community alterations resulting from poleward range shifts. This tropicalisation is exemplified and lified by tropical species’ invasions of temperate herbivory functions. However, whether other temperate ecosystem functions are similarly invaded by tropical species, and by what drivers, remains unclear. We examine tropicalisation footprints in nine reef fish functional groups using trait-based analyses and biomass of 550 fish species across tropical to temperate gradients in Japan and Australia. We discover that functional niches in transitional communities are asynchronously invaded by tropical species, but with congruent invasion schedules for functional groups across the two hemispheres. These differences in functional group tropicalisation point to habitat availability as a key determinant of multi-species range shifts, as in the majority of functional groups tropical and temperate species share functional niche space in suitable habitat. Competition among species from different thermal guilds played little part in limiting tropicalisation, rather available functional space occupied by temperate species indicates that tropical species can invade. Characterising these drivers of reef tropicalisation is pivotal to understanding, predicting, and managing marine community transformation.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-03-2021
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-021-02081-2
Abstract: Anthropocene coral reefs are faced with increasingly severe marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching mortality events. The ensuing demographic changes to coral assemblages can have long-term impacts on reef community organisation. Thus, understanding the dynamics of subtropical scleractinian coral populations is essential to predict their recovery or extinction post-disturbance. Here we present a 10-yr demographic assessment of a subtropical endemic coral, Pocillopora aliciae (Schmidt-Roach et al. in Zootaxa 3626:576–582, 2013) from the Solitary Islands Marine Park, eastern Australia, paired with long-term temperature records. These coral populations are regularly affected by storms, undergo seasonal thermal variability, and are increasingly impacted by severe marine heatwaves. We examined the demographic processes governing the persistence of these populations using inference from size-frequency distributions based on log-transformed planar area measurements of 7196 coral colonies. Specifically, the size-frequency distribution mean, coefficient of variation, skewness, kurtosis, and coral density were applied to describe population dynamics. Generalised Linear Mixed Effects Models were used to determine temporal trends and test demographic responses to heat stress. Temporal variation in size-frequency distributions revealed various population processes, from recruitment pulses and cohort growth, to bleaching impacts and temperature dependencies. Sporadic recruitment pulses likely support population persistence, illustrated in 2010 by strong positively skewed size-frequency distributions and the highest density of juvenile corals measured during the study. Increasing mean colony size over the following 6 yr indicates further cohort growth of these recruits. Severe heat stress in 2016 resulted in mass bleaching mortality and a 51% decline in coral density. Moderate heat stress in the following years was associated with suppressed P. aliciae recruitment and a lack of early recovery, marked by an exponential decrease of juvenile density (i.e. recruitment) with increasing heat stress. Here, population reliance on sporadic recruitment and susceptibility to heat stress underpin the vulnerability of subtropical coral assemblages to climate change.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-04-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-022-32331-Y
Abstract: Setting appropriate conservation strategies in a multi-threat world is a challenging goal, especially because of natural complexity and budget limitations that prevent effective management of all ecosystems. Safeguarding the most threatened ecosystems requires accurate and integrative quantification of their vulnerability and their functioning, particularly the potential loss of species trait ersity which imperils their functioning. However, the magnitude of threats and associated biological responses both have high uncertainties. Additionally, a major difficulty is the recurrent lack of reference conditions for a fair and operational measurement of vulnerability. Here, we present a functional vulnerability framework that incorporates uncertainty and reference conditions into a generalizable tool. Through in silico simulations of disturbances, our framework allows us to quantify the vulnerability of communities to a wide range of threats. We demonstrate the relevance and operationality of our framework, and its global, scalable and quantitative comparability, through three case studies on marine fishes and mammals. We show that functional vulnerability has marked geographic and temporal patterns. We underline contrasting contributions of species richness and functional redundancy to the level of vulnerability among case studies, indicating that our integrative assessment can also identify the drivers of vulnerability in a world where uncertainty is omnipresent.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-06-2005
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-06-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-01-2022
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13866
Abstract: Localized stressors compound the ongoing climate‐driven decline of coral reefs, requiring natural resource managers to work with rapidly shifting paradigms. Trait‐based adaptive management (TBAM) is a new framework to help address changing conditions by choosing and implementing management actions specific to species groups that share key traits, vulnerabilities, and management responses. In TBAM maintenance of functioning ecosystems is balanced with provisioning for human subsistence and livelihoods. We first identified trait‐based groups of food fish in a Pacific coral reef with hierarchical clustering. Positing that trait‐based groups performing comparable functions respond similarly to both stressors and management actions, we ascertained biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of trait‐group biomass and evaluated their vulnerabilities with generalized additive models. Clustering identified 7 trait groups from 131 species. Groups responded to different drivers and displayed ergent vulnerabilities human activities emerged as important predictors of community structuring. Biomass of small, solitary reef‐associated species increased with distance from key fishing ports, and large, solitary piscivores exhibited a decline in biomass with distance from a port. Group biomass also varied in response to different habitat types, the presence or absence of reported dynamite fishing activity, and exposure to wave energy. The differential vulnerabilities of trait groups revealed how the community structure of food fishes is driven by different aspects of resource use and habitat. This inherent variability in the responses of trait‐based groups presents opportunities to apply selective TBAM strategies for complex, multispecies fisheries. This approach can be widely adjusted to suit local contexts and priorities.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-02-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-12-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-022-02312-0
Abstract: Escalating climate impacts on coral reefs are increasingly expanding management goals beyond preserving bio ersity to also maintaining ecosystem functions. Morphological and ecological species traits can help assess changes within reef communities beyond taxonomic identities alone. However, our limited understanding of trait interactions between habitat-building corals and associated reef fishes and whether they are captured by current monitoring practices h ers management. Here, we apply co-inertia analyses to test whether trait assemblages in corals and fishes co-vary across different habitats and test whether different components of the reef fish community (fisheries vs. non-target species) display distinct relationships. We find that spatial co-variation across habitat types between coral and fish traits is strengthened by the addition of non-target fishes. Additionally, even in fisheries with erse targets, non-target species make unique contributions to the overall trait structure and highlight the importance of considering monitoring protocols when drawing conclusions about traits and ecosystems.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-01-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-10-2016
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 26-04-2017
DOI: 10.1101/131037
Abstract: The abundance of species is a fundamental consideration in ecology and conservation biology. Although broad models have been proposed to estimate the population abundance using existing data, available data is often limited. With no information available, a population estimation will rely on time consuming field surveys. Typically, time is a critical constraint in conservation and often management decisions must be made quickly under the data limited situation. Depending on time and budgetary constraints, the required accuracy of field survey changes significantly. Hence, it is desirable to set up an effective survey design to minimize time and effort of s ling given required accuracy. We examine a spatially-explicit approach to population estimation using spatial point processes, enabling us to explicitly and consistently discuss various s ling designs. We find that the accuracy of abundance estimation varies with both ecological factors and survey design. Although the spatial scale of s ling does not affect estimation accuracy when the underlying in idual distribution is random, it decreases with the s led unit size if in iduals tend to form clusters. These results are derived analytically and checked numerically. Obtained insights provide a benchmark to predict the quality of population estimation, and improve survey designs for ecological studies and conservation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2014
DOI: 10.1890/13-1445.1
Abstract: Abiotic filtering is a major driver of gradients in the structure and functioning of ecosystems from the tropics to the poles. It is thus likely that environmental filtering is an important assembly process at the transition of biogeographical zones where many species occur at their range limits. Shifts in species abundances and association patterns along environmental gradients can be indicative of environmental filtering, which is predicted to be stronger in areas of high abiotic stress and to promote increased similarity of ecological characteristics among co-occurring species. Here we test these hypotheses for scleractinian corals along a broad latitudinal gradient in high-latitude eastern Australia, where corals occur at the margins of their ranges and environmental tolerances. We quantify variation in taxonomic, zoogeographic, and functional patterns combined with null model approaches and demonstrate systematic spatial variation in community structure and significant covariance of species abundance distributions and functional characteristics along the latitudinal gradient. We describe a strong biogeographic transition zone, consistent with patterns expected under abiotic filtering, whereby species are sorted along the latitudinal gradient according to their tolerances for marginal reef conditions. High-latitude coastal reefs are typified by widely distributed, generalist, stress-tolerant coral species with massive and horizontally spreading morphologies and by diminishing influence of tropical taxa at higher latitudes and closer to the mainland. Higher degree of ecological similarity among co-occurring species than expected by chance supports the environmental filtering hypothesis. Among in idual traits, the structural traits corallite size and colony morphology were filtered most strongly, suggesting that characteristics linked to energy acquisition and physical stability may be particularly important for coral survival in high-latitude environments. These findings highlight interspecific differences and species interactions with the environment as key drivers of community organization in biogeographic transition zones and support the hypothesis that environmental filters play a stronger role than biotic interactions in structuring ecological communities in areas of high abiotic stress.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2015
DOI: 10.1890/ES14-00429.1
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 29-06-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-08-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14772
Abstract: Environmental anomalies that trigger adverse physiological responses and mortality are occurring with increasing frequency due to climate change. At species' range peripheries, environmental anomalies are particularly concerning because species often exist at their environmental tolerance limits and may not be able to migrate to escape unfavourable conditions. Here, we investigated the bleaching response and mortality of 14 coral genera across high-latitude eastern Australia during a global heat stress event in 2016. We evaluated whether the severity of assemblage-scale and genus-level bleaching responses was associated with cumulative heat stress and/or local environmental history, including long-term mean temperatures during the hottest month of each year (SST
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 08-2022
DOI: 10.1029/2021EF002600
Abstract: Tropical cyclones generate large waves that physically damage coral communities and are commonly cited as a worsening threat to coral reefs under climate change. However, beyond projections of ocean basin‐scale changes in cyclone intensity, the other determinants of future coral reef damage such as cyclone size and duration remain uncertain. Here, we determine the extent to which downscaled cyclones represent observed cyclone characteristics that influence wave damage to Australian coral reef regions. We then investigate mid‐century (2040–2060) and end of century (2080–2100) downscaled tracks to assess whether cyclone characteristics will change with future warming under a high‐emissions scenario. We find that spatial uncertainties in downscaled cyclogenesis and track positions limit estimates of reef damage for in idual coral reefs and regions. Further, the models are unable to reproduce the most reef damaging cyclones for any of the regions. The downscaled tracks capture observed cyclone characteristics, such as size, impacting the Great Barrier Reef well, but perform poorly for the Northern Territory, with mixed performance for the Coral Sea and Western Australia. We find no clear evidence that cyclones will cause more damage to Australian coral reef regions in the future, at least based on the climate models and downscaling approach examined here. There is increasing interest in using tropical cyclone projections to assess future coral reef exposure to damaging waves. We recommend caution when interpreting such projections due to large uncertainty in the mechanisms that influence reef damaging tropical cyclone characteristics and how these will change with future warming.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 09-06-2008
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS07481
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-01-2016
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12434
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-11-2022
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.14008
Abstract: Larval dispersal is an important component of marine reserve networks. Two conceptually different approaches to incorporate dispersal connectivity into spatial planning of these networks exist, and it is an open question as to when either is most appropriate. Candidate reserve sites can be selected in idually based on local properties of connectivity or on a spatial dependency‐based approach of selecting clusters of strongly connected habitat patches. The first acts on in idual sites, whereas the second acts on linked pairs of sites. We used a combination of larval dispersal simulations representing different seascapes and case studies of biophysical larval dispersal models in the Coral Triangle region and the province of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, to compare the performance of these 2 methods in the spatial planning software Marxan. We explored the reserve design performance implications of different dispersal distances and patterns based on the equilibrium settlement of larvae in protected and unprotected areas. We further assessed different assumptions about metapopulation contributions from unprotected areas, including the case of 100% depletion and more moderate scenarios. The spatial dependency method was suitable when dispersal was limited, a high proportion of the area of interest was substantially degraded, or the target amount of habitat protected was low. Conversely, when subpopulations were well connected, the 100% depletion was relaxed, or more habitat was protected, protecting in idual sites with high scores in metrics of connectivity was a better strategy. Spatial dependency methods generally produced more spatially clustered solutions with more benefits inside than outside reserves compared with site‐based methods. Therefore, spatial dependency methods potentially provide better results for ecological persistence objectives over enhancing fisheries objectives, and vice versa. Different spatial prioritization methods of using connectivity are appropriate for different contexts, depending on dispersal characteristics, unprotected area contributions, habitat protection targets, and specific management objectives. Comparación entre los métodos de priorización de la conservación espacial con sitio y la conectividad espacial basada en la dependencia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2012.10.051
Abstract: Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a primary policy instrument for managing and protecting coral reefs. Successful MPAs ultimately depend on knowledge-based decision making, where scientific research is integrated into management actions. Fourteen coral reef MPA managers and sixteen academics from eleven research, state and federal government institutions each outlined at least five pertinent research needs for improving the management of MPAs situated in Australian coral reefs. From this list of 173 key questions, we asked members of each group to rank questions in order of urgency, redundancy and importance, which allowed us to explore the extent of perceptional mismatch and overlap among the two groups. Our results suggest the mismatch among MPA managers and academics is small, with no significant difference among the groups in terms of their respective research interests, or the type of questions they pose. However, managers prioritised spatial management and monitoring as research themes, whilst academics identified climate change, resilience, spatial management, fishing and connectivity as the most important topics. Ranking of the posed questions by the two groups was also similar, although managers were less confident about the achievability of the posed research questions and whether questions represented a knowledge gap. We conclude that improved collaboration and knowledge transfer among management and academic groups can be used to achieve similar objectives and enhance the knowledge-based management of MPAs.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 09-04-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.08.438926
Abstract: Coral communities are threatened by an increasing plethora of abiotic and biotic disturbances. Preventing the ensuing loss of coral coverage and ersity calls for a mechanistic understanding of resilience across coral species and populations that is currently lacking in coral reef science. Assessments into the dynamics of coral populations typically focus on their long-term ( i.e. asymptotic ) characteristics, tacitly assuming stable environments in which populations can attain their long-term characteristics. Instead, we argue that greater focus is needed on investigating the transient ( i.e. short-term) dynamics of coral populations to describe and predict their characteristics and trajectories within unstable environments. Applying transient demographic approaches to the evaluation and forecasting of the responses of coral populations to disturbance holds promise for expediting our capacity to predict and manage the resilience of coral populations, species, and communities.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-08-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-08-2017
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12618
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2015
DOI: 10.1890/140022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-04-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00227-022-04036-9
Abstract: Tropicalization is rapidly restructuring subtropical marine communities. A key driver for tropicalization is changes in herbivory pressure that are linked with degrading ecosystem stability. Consequently, subtropical algal beds are being displaced by climate-mediated colonisation of coral communities. This process is thought to be aided by the elevated herbivory resulting from tropicalization, but the relative contribution to herbivory by different taxa is not fully understood. Evaluating herbivory pressure and its effect on coral cover and rugosity across a subtropical latitudinal gradient will help predict how these processes may change with further tropicalization and ocean warming. Herbivory pressure exerted by fishes and urchins across this subtropical latitudinal gradient remains unquantified. Using in-situ feeding observations, we quantify fish and urchin herbivory pressure at seven sites across non-accreting coral communities, and warmer accreting coral reefs in southern Japan. We then relate herbivory pressure to respective fish and urchin community structure and coral cover and rugosity. Urchin herbivory is greater on non-accreting coral communities than on true coral accreting reefs a result which is reversed for fish herbivory. Overall, herbivory pressure is greater on accreting coral reefs than on coral non-accreting communities, but is dependent on reef characteristics as community structures differ more strongly among reefs than between regions. These factors are linked to coral cover and rugosity that differ between reefs, but not between climatic regions, further emphasising the influence of local factors on the benthic cover and the associated fish and urchin community, and thus herbivory pressure. Our findings provide a foundation for understanding how non-accreting coral communities may respond to ongoing tropicalization, given the fish and invertebrate herbivores they host.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-04-2011
Publisher: Bulletin of Marine Science
Date: 2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-11-2015
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12147
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 21-10-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.20.513025
Abstract: Despite the awareness that climate change impacts are typically detrimental to tropical coral reefs, the effect of increasing environmental stress and variability on the population size structure of coral species remains poorly understood. This gap in knowledge limits our ability to effectively conserve coral reef ecosystems because size specific dynamics are rarely incorporated. Our aim is to quantify variation in the size structure of coral populations along a tropical-to-subtropical environmental gradient. 20 coral populations along a latitudinal gradient on the east coast of Australia (∼23°S to 30°S). Between 2010 and 2018. Scleractinian corals. We apply two methods to quantify the relationship between environmental covariates and coral population size structure along a latitudinal environmental gradient. First, we use linear regression with summary statistics, such as median size as response variables a method frequently favoured by ecologists. The second method is compositional functional regression, a novel method using entire size-frequency distributions as response variables. We then predict coral population size structure with increasing environmental stress and variability. Compared to tropical reefs, we find fewer but larger coral colonies in marginal reefs, where environmental conditions are more variable and stressful for corals in the former. Our model predicts that coral populations may become gradually dominated by larger colonies ( 148 cm 2 ) with increasing environmental stress. With increasing environmental stress and variability, we can expect shifts in coral population size structure towards more larger colonies. Fewer but bigger corals suggest low survival, slow growth, and poor recruitment. This finding is concerning for the future of coral reefs as it implies populations may have low recovery potential from disturbances. We highlight the importance and usefulness of continuously monitoring changes to population structure over large spatial scales. Data is supplied in the supplementary information, or upon request. Once accepted for publication it will be made openly available on Dryad.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 06-09-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE21707
Abstract: During 2015-2016, record temperatures triggered a pan-tropical episode of coral bleaching, the third global-scale event since mass bleaching was first documented in the 1980s. Here we examine how and why the severity of recurrent major bleaching events has varied at multiple scales, using aerial and underwater surveys of Australian reefs combined with satellite-derived sea surface temperatures. The distinctive geographic footprints of recurrent bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002 and 2016 were determined by the spatial pattern of sea temperatures in each year. Water quality and fishing pressure had minimal effect on the unprecedented bleaching in 2016, suggesting that local protection of reefs affords little or no resistance to extreme heat. Similarly, past exposure to bleaching in 1998 and 2002 did not lessen the severity of bleaching in 2016. Consequently, immediate global action to curb future warming is essential to secure a future for coral reefs.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2023
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2022.09.006
Abstract: Integrative and proactive conservation approaches are critical to the long-term persistence of bio ersity. Molecular data can provide important information on evolutionary processes necessary for conserving multiple levels of bio ersity (genes, populations, species, and ecosystems). However, molecular data are rarely used to guide spatial conservation decision-making. Here, we bridge the fields of molecular ecology (ME) and systematic conservation planning (SCP) (the 'why') to build a foundation for the inclusion of molecular data into spatial conservation planning tools (the 'how'), and provide a practical guide for implementing this integrative approach for both conservation planners and molecular ecologists. The proposed framework enhances interdisciplinary capacity, which is crucial to achieving the ambitious global conservation goals envisioned for the next decade.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2020
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-020-01970-2
Abstract: Global warming is leading to range shifts of marine species, threatening the structure and functioning of ecological communities and human populations that rely on them. The largest changes are seen in biogeographic transition zones, such as subtropical reef communities, where species range shifts are already causing substantial community reorganisation. This causes functional changes in communities over subtropical latitudes, though a baseline functional understanding remains elusive for many taxa. One key marine taxon are molluscs, which provide many ecosystem services, are important prey for fishes and are also fisheries targets themselves, but remain largely unstudied. Here, we examine the trait composition, functional ersity, and functional redundancy of mollusc assemblages along the tropical-to-temperate transition in Japan (25° to 35° Northern latitude). Specifically, we use a trait database of 88 mollusc species from 31 subtropical reefs along the Pacific coast of Japan to show that trait composition of mollusc assemblages changes continuously along the latitudinal gradient. We discover that functional ersity of mollusc assemblages decreases with increasing latitude, a pattern associated with declines in functional dispersion. Moreover, we find a clear distinction between tropical and subtropical mollusc assemblages, with substrate-attached, suspension feeding bivalves more abundant in the tropics and free-living gastropod grazers more prevalent at higher latitudes. Our trait-based evidence in this study shows a contraction and almost complete shift in the functioning of marine mollusc assemblages at biogeographic transition zones and our trait database facilitates further study. Our findings provide evidence of the changing taxonomic and functional composition of extant mollusc communities with latitude, pointing to potential pertinent changes and tropicalisation of these communities with rapid ocean warming.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-02-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12184
Publisher: Marine Technology Society
Date: 08-06-2022
DOI: 10.4031/MTSJ.56.3.19
Abstract: Abstract The European COST Action “Unifying Approaches to Marine Connectivity for improved Resource Management for the Seas” (SEA-UNICORN, 2020‐2025) is an international research coordination initiative that unites an interdisciplinary community of scientists and policymakers from over 100 organizations across Europe and beyond. It is establishing a globally harmonized framework to deliver actionable, transdisciplinary knowledge of marine functional connectivity, promoting a sustainable blue economy and ocean conservation. Planning sustainable development in rapidly changing oceans requires a thorough comprehension of marine bio ersity and the processes underpinning the functioning of ecosystems. Connectivity among marine populations and habitats facilitates the persistence and resilience of vulnerable species and ecosystems and controls the spread of invasive species. Constructing effective networks of restoration or conservation areas and promoting sustainable harvesting requires knowledge of connectivity. SEA-UNICORN advances worldwide collaboration by coordinating the collection, sharing, and application of knowledge on species, community, and ecosystem connectivity at sea and at the land‐sea interface. It engages scientists from erse areas and early-career researchers and creates a stronger match between natural and social science and policy needs to better address key environmental issues that challenge the future of our planet.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-10-2007
DOI: 10.1111/J.1523-1739.2007.00795.X
Abstract: Implementing systematically designed reserve systems is crucial to slowing the global decline of coral reef health and ersity. Yet, the paucity of spatial data for most coral reef taxa often requires conservation planners to design reserve systems based only on a subset of taxonomic groups as surrogates for all other taxa. In terrestrial systems the validity of surrogates for reserve design is established by testing for cross-taxon congruence (similarities in spatial patterns of species richness), but this concept has rarely been examined in the marine environment. We tested the suitability of taxa as conservation representation surrogates of coral reef species richness across the Indo-Pacific, based on species lists of fishes, corals, and mollusks from 167 sites. First, we tested the relevance of cross-taxon congruence patterns to predict these surrogacy patterns. We determined congruence between taxonomic groups by conducting a correlation analysis of dissimilarity values between pairs of sites. We then evaluated how well each taxonomic group represented the other groups in a marine reserve system selected by a greedy reserve-selection algorithm relative to reserve systems selected by chance. No taxonomic group we examined was a reliable surrogate for the other groups such that site selection based on that group always represented other taxa significantly better than random selection of sites. Sites selected based on hard corals represented the other taxonomic groups in a reserve system worse than randomly selected sites. Although we found high cross-taxon congruence between fishes and corals and between corals and mollusks, for some regions cross-taxon congruence was not always a reliable indicator of the ability of one taxonomic group to efficiently represent another in a reserve system. We concluded that in Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystems one can only be sure that a target taxon is efficiently represented in a reserve system when data on that taxon are used to select a reserve system.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-12-2015
DOI: 10.1038/SREP17539
Abstract: The first international goal for establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) to conserve the ocean’s bio ersity was set in 2002. Since 2006, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has driven MPA establishment, with 193 parties committed to protecting % of marine environments globally by 2020, especially ‘areas of particular importance for bio ersity’ (Aichi target 11). This has resulted in nearly 10 million km 2 of new MPAs, a growth of ~360% in a decade. Unlike on land, it is not known how well protected areas capture marine bio ersity, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of existing MPAs and future protection requirements. We assess the overlap of global MPAs with the ranges of 17,348 marine species (fishes, mammals, invertebrates) and find that 97.4% of species have % of their ranges represented in stricter conservation classes. Almost all (99.8%) of the very poorly represented species ( % coverage) are found within exclusive economic zones, suggesting an important role for particular nations to better protect bio ersity. Our results offer strategic guidance on where MPAs should be placed to support the CBD’s overall goal to avert bio ersity loss. Achieving this goal is imperative for nature and humanity, as people depend on bio ersity for important and valuable services.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-08-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-019-0953-8
Abstract: Without drastic efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate globalized stressors, tropical coral reefs are in jeopardy. Strategic conservation and management requires identification of the environmental and socioeconomic factors driving the persistence of scleractinian coral assemblages-the foundation species of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we compiled coral abundance data from 2,584 Indo-Pacific reefs to evaluate the influence of 21 climate, social and environmental drivers on the ecology of reef coral assemblages. Higher abundances of framework-building corals were typically associated with: weaker thermal disturbances and longer intervals for potential recovery slower human population growth reduced access by human settlements and markets and less nearby agriculture. We therefore propose a framework of three management strategies (protect, recover or transform) by considering: (1) if reefs were above or below a proposed threshold of >10% cover of the coral taxa important for structural complexity and carbonate production and (2) reef exposure to severe thermal stress during the 2014-2017 global coral bleaching event. Our findings can guide urgent management efforts for coral reefs, by identifying key threats across multiple scales and strategic policy priorities that might sustain a network of functioning reefs in the Indo-Pacific to avoid ecosystem collapse.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-09-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS9208
Abstract: Multinational conservation initiatives that prioritize investment across a region invariably navigate trade-offs among multiple objectives. It seems logical to focus where several objectives can be achieved efficiently, but such multi-objective hotspots may be ecologically inappropriate, or politically inequitable. Here we devise a framework to facilitate a regionally cohesive set of marine-protected areas driven by national preferences and supported by quantitative conservation prioritization analyses, and illustrate it using the Coral Triangle Initiative. We identify areas important for achieving six objectives to address ecosystem representation, threatened fauna, connectivity and climate change. We expose trade-offs between areas that contribute substantially to several objectives and those meeting one or two objectives extremely well. Hence there are two strategies to guide countries choosing to implement regional goals nationally: multi-objective hotspots and complementary sets of single-objective priorities. This novel framework is applicable to any multilateral or global initiative seeking to apply quantitative information in decision making.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2017
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12875
Abstract: Growing threats to bio ersity and global alteration of habitats and species distributions make it increasingly necessary to consider evolutionary patterns in conservation decision making. Yet, there is no clear-cut guidance on how genetic features can be incorporated into conservation-planning processes, despite multiple molecular markers and several genetic metrics for each marker type to choose from. Genetic patterns differ between species, but the potential tradeoffs among genetic objectives for multiple species in conservation planning are currently understudied. We compared spatial conservation prioritizations derived from 2 metrics of genetic ersity (nucleotide and haplotype ersity) and 2 metrics of genetic isolation (private haplotypes and local genetic differentiation) in mitochondrial DNA of 5 marine species. We compared outcomes of conservation plans based only on habitat representation with plans based on genetic data and habitat representation. Fewer priority areas were selected for conservation plans based solely on habitat representation than on plans that included habitat and genetic data. All 4 genetic metrics selected approximately similar conservation-priority areas, which is likely a result of prioritizing genetic patterns across a genetically erse array of species. Largely, our results suggest that multispecies genetic conservation objectives are vital to creating protected-area networks that appropriately preserve community-level evolutionary patterns.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-06-2022
Publisher: Bulletin of Marine Science
Date: 2014
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 18-07-2023
DOI: 10.1071/MF22253
Abstract: Context Global and local stressors can drive phase shifts from zooxanthellate scleractinian coral communities to macroalgae-dominated ecosystems. However, our understanding of altered ecosystem functioning, productivity and stability remains limited as pre-shift data are typically lacking for degraded coral-reef sites. Aims Here, we assessed functional changes in fish communities in Nakagusuku Bay, Okinawa, Japan, over 45 years, by comparing pre-disturbance (1975) to post-disturbance (2018–2020) datasets, and identified possible drivers of changes. Methods We analysed data for 393 fish species and 26 coral genera at 13 sites, measured at four-time points (1975, 2018, 2019 and 2020). Analyses were performed using a range of ordination techniques. Key results We found reductions in functional richness and trait space contraction over time for fishes. Changes in coral functional groups over time correlated with changes in the functional ersity of reef-fish communities a reduction in branching corals reduced habitat availability for coral-reliant fishes. Conclusions Increasing sedimentation and eutrophication as a result of construction along the Nakagusuku Bay coast likely reduced living coral cover and fish ersity, and thermal stress likely facilitated the simplification and shifts of both coral communities and coral specialist fishes away from shore. Implications Both global and local threats need to be considered when assessing functioning of coral-reef ecosystems for coral-reef conservation efforts.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 23-08-2017
Abstract: Understanding how range-edge populations will respond to climate change is an urgent research priority. Here, we used a phylogenetic community ecology approach to examine how ecological and evolutionary processes shape bio ersity patterns of scleractinian corals at their high-latitude range limits in eastern Australia. We estimated phylogenetic signal in seven ecologically important functional traits and conducted tests of phylogenetic structure at local and regional scales using the net relatedness (NRI) and nearest taxon indices (NTI) for the presence/absence and abundance data. Regional tests showed light phylogenetic clustering, indicating that coral species found in this subtropical-to-temperate transition zone are more closely related to each other than are species on the nearby, more northerly Great Barrier Reef. Local tests revealed variable patterns of phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion and higher than expected phylogenetic turnover among sites. In combination, these results are broadly consistent with the hierarchical filtering model, whereby species pass through a regional climatic filter based on their tolerances for marginal conditions and subsequently segregate into local assemblages according to the relative strength of habitat filtering and species interactions. Conservatism of tested traits suggests that corals will likely track their niches with climate change. Nevertheless, high turnover of lineages among sites indicates that range shifts will probably vary among species and highlights the vulnerability and conservation significance of high-latitude reefs.
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 22-12-2022
DOI: 10.3897/RIO.8.E98874
Abstract: Truly sustainable development in a human-altered, fragmented marine environment subject to unprecedented climate change, demands informed planning strategies in order to be successful. Beyond a simple understanding of the distribution of marine species, data describing how variations in spatio-temporal dynamics impact ecosystem functioning and the evolution of species are required. Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC) characterizes the flows of matter, genes and energy produced by organism movements and migrations across the seascape. As such, MFC determines the ecological and evolutionary interdependency of populations, and ultimately the fate of species and ecosystems. Gathering effective MFC knowledge can therefore improve predictions of the impacts of environmental change and help to refine management and conservation strategies for the seas and oceans. Gathering these data are challenging however, as access to, and survey of marine ecosystems still presents significant challenge. Over 50 European institutions currently investigate aspects of MFC using complementary methods across multiple research fields, to understand the ecology and evolution of marine species. The aim of SEA-UNICORN, a COST Action supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), is to bring together this research effort, unite the multiple approaches to MFC, and to integrate these under a common conceptual and analytical framework. The consortium brings together a erse group of scientists to collate existing MFC data, to identify knowledge gaps, to enhance complementarity among disciplines, and to devise common approaches to MFC. SEA-UNICORN will promote co-working between connectivity practitioners and ecosystem modelers to facilitate the incorporation of MFC data into the predictive models used to identify marine conservation priorities. Ultimately, SEA-UNICORN will forge strong forward-working links between scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders to facilitate the integration of MFC knowledge into decision support tools for marine management and environmental policies.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2022.09.002
Abstract: Connectivity underpins the persistence of life it needs to inform bio ersity conservation decisions. Yet, when prioritising conservation areas and developing actions, connectivity is not being operationalised in spatial planning. The challenge is the translation of flows associated with connectivity into conservation objectives that lead to actions. Connectivity is nebulous, it can be abstract and mean different things to different people, making it difficult to include in conservation problems. Here, we show how connectivity can be included in mathematically defining conservation planning objectives. We provide a path forward for linking connectivity to high-level conservation goals, such as increasing species' persistence. We propose ways to design spatial management areas that gain bio ersity benefit from connectivity.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-03-2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.30.450480
Abstract: Accelerating rates of bio ersity loss underscore the need to understand how species achieve resilience –their ability to resist and recover from a/biotic disturbances. Yet, the factors determining the resilience of species remain poorly understood, due to disagreements on its definition and the lack of large-scale analyses. Here, we investigate how the life history of 785 natural populations of animals and plants predict their intrinsic ability to be resilient. We show that demographic resilience can be achieved through different combinations of compensation, resistance, and recovery after a disturbance. We demonstrate that these resilience components are highly correlated with life history traits related to the species’ pace of life and reproductive strategy. Species with longer generation times require longer recovery times post-disturbance, while those with greater reproductive capacity have greater resistance and compensation. Our findings highlight the key role of life history traits to understand species resilience, improving our ability to predict how natural populations cope with disturbance regimes.
Publisher: UNS Solo
Date: 24-02-2021
Abstract: Abstract. Yusuf S, Beger M, Tassakka ACMAR, Brauwer MD, Pricella A, Rahmi, Umar W, Limmon GV, Moore AM, Jompa J. 2021. Cross shelf gradients of scleractinian corals in the Spermonde Islands, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Bio ersitas 22: 1415-1423. Coral reef ecosystems around the world have suffered extensive degradation, including the reefs of the Wallacea region within the Coral Triangle global bio ersity hotspot. Anthropogenic and natural threats can reduce the level of coral reef bio ersity differentially across environmental or impact gradients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in hard coral (Scleractinia) ersity and community structure across an inshore-offshore zonation gradient in the Spermonde Islands, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data on coral colony species and abundance as well as live coral cover were collected from 10 m2 belt transects at a depth of 6 to 8 m. A total of 72 transects were placed around the 12 island stations in three zones: the inner mid-shelf zone, outer mid-shelf zone and outer shelf zone. Data were analyzed to determine the species richness, and three ecological indices for the hard coral communities were calculated: the Shannon Diversity Index (H'), Similarity Index (E), and Dominance Index (C). A total of 310 hard coral species belonging to 62 genera were recorded. The coral communities were dominated by the genera Fungia, Montipora and Porites, and coral cover was in the 'moderate' category. The number of species was directly proportional to the number of colonies within each zone. Live coral cover was higher in the inner mid-shelf zone and outer shelf zone than the outer mid-shelf zone conversely, the species richness and coral colony abundance were higher in the outer mid-shelf zone. However, the differences were not statistically significant. The indices H’, C, and E did not differ significantly between the zones. However, Tambakulu Island in Zone 4 had the lowest values of E and H’ and the highest value of C. Findings suggest that most-hard coral communities in the cross-shelf zones of the Spermonde Islands are stable communities characterized by relatively high ersity and low dominance indices.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-12-2018
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 17-04-2020
Abstract: Coral reefs are among the most bio erse systems in the ocean, and they provide both food and ecological services. They are also highly threatened by climate change and human pressure. Cinner et al. looked at how best to maximize three key components of reef use and health: fish biomass, parrotfish grazing, and fish trait ersity. They found that when human pressure is low, all three traits can be maximized at high conservation levels. However, as human use and pressure increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to promote bio ersity conservation. At some levels of human impact, even the highest amount of protection is not able to maximize bio ersity conservation. Science , this issue p. 307
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-12-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.13989
Abstract: Marine reserves are widely used to protect species important for conservation and fisheries and to help maintain ecological processes that sustain their populations, including recruitment and dispersal. Achieving these goals requires well-connected networks of marine reserves that maximize larval connectivity, thus allowing exchanges between populations and recolonization after local disturbances. However, global warming can disrupt connectivity by shortening potential dispersal pathways through changes in larval physiology. These changes can compromise the performance of marine reserve networks, thus requiring adjusting their design to account for ocean warming. To date, empirical approaches to marine prioritization have not considered larval connectivity as affected by global warming. Here, we develop a framework for designing marine reserve networks that integrates graph theory and changes in larval connectivity due to potential reductions in planktonic larval duration (PLD) associated with ocean warming, given current socioeconomic constraints. Using the Gulf of California as case study, we assess the benefits and costs of adjusting networks to account for connectivity, with and without ocean warming. We compare reserve networks designed to achieve representation of species and ecosystems with networks designed to also maximize connectivity under current and future ocean-warming scenarios. Our results indicate that current larval connectivity could be reduced significantly under ocean warming because of shortened PLDs. Given the potential changes in connectivity, we show that our graph-theoretical approach based on centrality (eigenvector and distance-weighted fragmentation) of habitat patches can help design better-connected marine reserve networks for the future with equivalent costs. We found that maintaining dispersal connectivity incidentally through representation-only reserve design is unlikely, particularly in regions with strong asymmetric patterns of dispersal connectivity. Our results support previous studies suggesting that, given potential reductions in PLD due to ocean warming, future marine reserve networks would require more and/or larger reserves in closer proximity to maintain larval connectivity.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-05-2023
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16739
Abstract: Climate change is driving rapid and widespread erosion of the environmental conditions that formerly supported species persistence. Existing projections of climate change typically focus on forecasts of acute environmental anomalies and global extinction risks. The current projections also frequently consider all species within a broad taxonomic group together without differentiating species‐specific patterns. Consequently, we still know little about the explicit dimensions of climate risk (i.e., species‐specific vulnerability, exposure and hazard) that are vital for predicting future bio ersity responses (e.g., adaptation, migration) and developing management and conservation strategies. Here, we use reef corals as model organisms ( n = 741 species) to project the extent of regional and global climate risks of marine organisms into the future. We characterise species‐specific vulnerability based on the global geographic range and historical environmental conditions (1900–1994) of each coral species within their ranges, and quantify the projected exposure to climate hazard beyond the historical conditions as climate risk. We show that many coral species will experience a complete loss of pre‐modern climate analogs at the regional scale and across their entire distributional ranges, and such exposure to hazardous conditions are predicted to pose substantial regional and global climate risks to reef corals. Although high‐latitude regions may provide climate refugia for some tropical corals until the mid‐21st century, they will not become a universal haven for all corals. Notably, high‐latitude specialists and species with small geographic ranges remain particularly vulnerable as they tend to possess limited capacities to avoid climate risks (e.g., via adaptive and migratory responses). Predicted climate risks are lified substantially under the SSP5‐8.5 compared with the SSP1‐2.6 scenario, highlighting the need for stringent emission controls. Our projections of both regional and global climate risks offer unique opportunities to facilitate climate action at spatial scales relevant to conservation and management.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 15-02-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2011.06.003
Abstract: The accumulation of debris is an insidious problem throughout the world's oceans. Here we document 234.24 items of macro-debris/km2 in the shallow populated parts of Majuro lagoon (Republic of the Marshall Islands) which is the second highest standing stock of macro-debris recorded to date in any benthic marine habitat in the world. The majority of macro-debris was from household sources (78.7%) with the peak abundance recorded in areas of medium affluence. Marine debris causes suffocation, shading, tissue abrasion and mortality of corals and we show a significant negative correlation exists between the level of hard coral cover and coverage of marine debris. Given long decomposition times, even if the input of rubbish to Majuro lagoon is stopped immediately, the standing stock of debris will persist for centuries. Multiple new initiatives are needed to curtail the direct and indirect dumping of waste in Majuro lagoon.
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 07-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16167
Abstract: Climate change has become the greatest threat to the world's ecosystems. Locating and managing areas that contribute to the survival of key species under climate change is critical for the persistence of ecosystems in the future. Here, we identify 'Climate Priority' sites as coral reefs exposed to relatively low levels of climate stress that will be more likely to persist in the future. We present the first analysis of uncertainty in climate change scenarios and models, along with multiple objectives, in a marine spatial planning exercise and offer a comprehensive approach to incorporating uncertainty and trade-offs in any ecosystem. We first described each site using environmental characteristics that are associated with a higher chance of persistence (larval connectivity, hurricane influence, and acute and chronic temperature conditions in the past and the future). Future temperature increases were assessed using downscaled data under four different climate scenarios (SSP1 2.6, SSP2 4.5, SSP3 7.0 and SSP5 8.5) and 57 model runs. We then prioritized sites for intervention (conservation, improved management or restoration) using robust decision-making approaches that select sites that will have a benign climate under most climate scenarios and models. The modelling work is novel because it solves two important issues. (1) It considers trade-offs between multiple planning objectives explicitly through Pareto analyses and (2) It makes use of all the uncertainty around future climate change. Priority intervention sites identified by the model were verified and refined through local stakeholder engagement including assessments of local threats, ecological conditions and government priorities. The workflow is presented for the Insular Caribbean and Florida, and at the national level for Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Haiti. Our approach allows managers to consider uncertainty and multiple objectives for climate-smart spatial management in coral reefs or any ecosystem across the globe.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-08-2021
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14229
Abstract: Intraspecific ersity is a significant component of adaptive potential, and thus, it is important to identify the evolutionary processes that have and will continue to shape the molecular ersity of natural populations. This study aims to untangle the possible drivers of intraspecific molecular ersity by testing whether patterns of historical climatic stability or contemporary range position correlate with molecular ersity. South African coastline. The cape urchin ( Parechinus angulosus ), common shore crab ( Cyclograpsus punctatus ) and granular limpet ( Scutellastra granularis ). Species distributions were hindcasted to the Last Glacial Maximum to assess the biogeography of the study species. Linear models were built to compare the relationships between historical climatic stability or contemporary distributional ranges with extant genetic (mtDNA) and genomic (SNP) ersity. We found large differences in the historical ranges among species and time periods. Regions of higher habitat stability corresponded to regions of higher molecular ersity, but historical climatic variability was not a predictor of molecular ersity within linear models. Lower genetic ersity values, and higher genetic differentiation, were detected in edge populations, but this was not consistent across marker type or species. Both historical and contemporary processes are potentially driving patterns of ersity, but a large portion of the variation in molecular ersity remains unexplained. Our findings suggest that marine species within cool‐temperate bioregions in the Southern Hemisphere may have more complex biogeographic and evolutionary histories than terrestrial taxa and/or coastal species within northern, formerly glaciated regions.
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 12-05-2022
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS14023
Abstract: In coral reef systems, increasingly frequent, severe climate change-driven disturbances are responsible for declines in vulnerable species, and a reorganisation of assemblages. Whilst these changes will certainly elicit shifts in ecosystem functioning, how trait distributions and cross-taxon interactions are altered remains largely unmeasured, h ering our ability to predict functional shifts and target management actions to support reef health and recovery. We quantify trait distributions and interactions between habitat-engineering corals affected by a coral-bleaching mortality and associated fished reef fish assemblages. First, we assess changes in the proportional contributions of different traits pre- vs. post-disturbance. We then quantify changes in the trait associations that underpin cross-taxon interactions, and test relationships between coral and fish traits. The effects of reef type and survey atoll on coral trait structure are most influential, and there is a subtle temporal shift over the survey period. The trait structure of the fish assemblage remains stable. This suggests a simplification of the coral assemblage as vulnerable species disappear. The stability of the fish trait assemblage could indicate a lagged response, limited reliance on coral habitat, influence of other drivers or relative resilience. However, when examining traits of both taxa together, we discover that associations between in idual coral and fish traits break down over time. We find reduced co-structure between the assemblages’ trait distributions, altering the associations between taxa. Our study signals weakened associations of fishes with their habitat as coral assemblages degrade with climate change, potentially disrupting the ecosystem functions that support services of coral reefs.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2004
DOI: 10.1007/S00267-004-0149-Z
Abstract: Community-based coastal resource management has been widely applied within the Philippines. However, small-scale community-based reserves are often inefficient owing to management inadequacies arising because of a lack of local support or enforcement or poor design. Because there are many potential pitfalls during the establishment of even small community-based reserves, it is important for coastal managers, communities, and facilitating institutions to have access to a summary of the key factors for success. Reviewing relevant literature, we present a framework of "lessons learned" during the establishment of protected areas, mainly in the Philippines. The framework contains summary guidance on the importance of (1) an island location, (2) small community population size, (3) minimal effect of land-based development, (4) application of a bottom-up approach, (5) an external facilitating institution, (6) acquisition of title, (7) use of a scientific information database, (8) stakeholder involvement, (9) the establishment of legislation, (10) community empowerment, (11) alternative livelihood schemes, (12) surveillance, (13) tangible management results, (14) continued involvement of external groups after reserve establishment, and (15) small-scale project expansion.These framework components guided the establishment of a community-based protected area at Danjugan Island, Negros Occidental, Philippines. This case study showed that the framework was a useful guide that led to establishing and implementing a community-based marine reserve. Evaluation of the reserve using standard criteria developed for the Philippines shows that the Danjugan Island protected area can be considered successful and sustainable. At Danjugan Island, all of the lessons synthesized in the framework were important and should be considered elsewhere, even for relatively small projects. As shown in previous projects in the Philippines, local involvement and stewardship of the protected area appeared particularly important for its successful implementation. The involvement of external organizations also seemed to have a key role in the success of the Danjugan Island project by guiding local decision-makers in the sociobiological principles of establishing protected areas. However, the relative importance of each component of the framework will vary between coastal management initiatives both within the Philippines and across the wider Asian region.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2015.08.056
Abstract: Surrogate concepts are used in all sub-disciplines of environmental science. However, controversy remains regarding the extent to which surrogates are useful for resolving environmental problems. Here, we argue that conflicts about the utility of surrogates (and the related concepts of indicators and proxies) often reflect context-specific differences in trade-offs between measurement accuracy and practical constraints. By examining different approaches for selecting and applying surrogates, we identify five trade-offs that correspond to key points of contention in the application of surrogates. We then present an 8-step Adaptive Surrogacy Framework that incorporates cross-disciplinary perspectives from a wide spectrum of the environmental sciences, aiming to unify surrogate concepts across disciplines and applications. Our synthesis of the science of surrogates is intended as a first step towards fully leveraging knowledge accumulated across disciplines, thus consolidating lessons learned so that they may be accessible to all those operating in different fields, yet facing similar hurdles.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12885
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 22-02-2022
DOI: 10.3897/RIO.8.E80223
Abstract: Truly sustainable development in a human-altered, fragmented marine environment subject to unprecedented climate change, demands informed planning strategies in order to be successful. Beyond a simple understanding of the distribution of marine species, data describing how variations in spatio-temporal dynamics impact ecosystem functioning and the evolution of species are required. Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC) characterizes the flows of matter, genes and energy produced by organism movements and migrations across the seascape. As such, MFC determines the ecological and evolutionary interdependency of populations, and ultimately the fate of species and ecosystems. Gathering effective MFC knowledge can therefore improve predictions of the impacts of environmental change and help to refine management and conservation strategies for the seas and oceans. Gathering these data are challenging however, as access to, and survey of marine ecosystems still presents significant challenge. Over 50 European institutions currently investigate aspects of MFC using complementary methods across multiple research fields, to understand the ecology and evolution of marine species. The aim of SEA-UNICORN, a COST Action within the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme, is to bring together this research effort, unite the multiple approaches to MFC, and to integrate these under a common conceptual and analytical framework. The consortium brings together a erse group of scientists to collate existing MFC data, to identify knowledge gaps, to enhance complementarity among disciplines, and to devise common approaches to MFC. SEA-UNICORN will promote co-working between connectivity practitioners and ecosystem modelers to facilitate the incorporation of MFC data into the predictive models used to identify marine conservation priorities. Ultimately, SEA-UNICORN will forge strong forward-working links between scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders to facilitate the integration of MFC knowledge into decision support tools for marine management and environmental policies.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2007.11.018
Abstract: Five decades after a series of nuclear tests began, we provide evidence that 70% of the Bikini Atoll zooxanthellate coral assemblage is resilient to large-scale anthropogenic disturbance. Species composition in 2002 was assessed and compared to that seen prior to nuclear testing. A total of 183 scleractinian coral species was recorded, compared to 126 species recorded in the previous study (excluding synonomies, 148 including synonomies). We found that 42 coral species may be locally extinct at Bikini. Fourteen of these losses may be pseudo-losses due to inconsistent taxonomy between the two studies or insufficient s ling in the second study, however 28 species appear to represent genuine losses. Of these losses, 16 species are obligate lagoonal specialists and 12 have wider habitat compatibility. Twelve species are recorded from Bikini for the first time. We suggest the highly erse Rongelap Atoll to the east of Bikini may have contributed larval propagules to facilitate the partial resilience of coral bio ersity in the absence of additional anthropogenic threats.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-07-2013
DOI: 10.3390/D5030522
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 02-03-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.02.530743
Abstract: Marine predators are globally threatened by anthropogenic stressors, but are key for ecosystem functioning. Their worsening conservation statuses indicate that current management is failing, requiring us to urgently reimagine their conservation needs to ensure their survival. Their life histories, threats, and resource needs are erse. Consequently, spatial conservation areas targeting all species will overlook such heterogeneity, contributing to the problem. Here, we demonstrate that marine mammals, elasmobranchs and teleost fishes return drastically different spatial conservation priority areas, based on Marxan scenarios for 42 marine predator species in the Mediterranean Sea. None of the marine predators are sufficiently covered by the current marine protected area (MPA) system, with marine mammals being the least protected despite having the greatest designated MPA extent, highlighting disconnects between conservation goals and current management outcomes. To save marine predators, taxon specific ecological requirements and resulting spatial heterogeneity need to be accounted for in marine spatial planning.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 08-05-2018
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605316001514
Abstract: Tun Mustapha Park, in Sabah, Malaysia, was gazetted in May 2016 and is the first multiple-use park in Malaysia where conservation, sustainable resource use and development co-occur within one management framework. We applied a systematic conservation planning tool, Marxan with Zones, and stakeholder consultation to design and revise the draft zoning plan. This process was facilitated by Sabah Parks, a government agency, and WWF-Malaysia, under the guidance of the Tun Mustapha Park steering committee and with support from the University of Queensland. Four conservation and fishing zones, including no-take areas, were developed, each with representation and replication targets for key marine habitats, and a range of socio-economic and community objectives. Here we report on how decision-support tools informed the reserve design process in three planning stages: prioritization, government review, and community consultation. Using marine habitat and species representation as a reporting metric, we describe how the zoning plan changed at each stage of the design process. We found that the changes made to the zoning plan by the government and stakeholders resulted in plans that compromised the achievement of conservation targets because no-take areas were moved away from villages and the coastline, where unique habitats are located. The design process highlights a number of lessons learned for future conservation zoning, which we believe will be useful as many other places embark on similar zoning processes on land and in the sea.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 28-04-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.04.28.489852
Abstract: Escalating climatic and anthropogenic pressures expose ecosystems worldwide to increasingly frequent disturbances. Yet, our ability to forecast the responses of natural populations to these disturbances is impeded by a limited understanding for how exposure to stochastic environments shapes population resilience. Instead, the resilience, and vulnerability, of natural populations to ongoing global change is often presumed based on their contemporary exposure to environmental stochasticity. To test the validity of this assumption, we investigated the association between the resilience attributes (e.g., resistance and recovery) of natural animal and plant populations, and measures of local environmental stochasticity (e.g., spectral frequency and abiotic range) collating data from 2,242 populations across 369 animal, plant, and algal species. Unexpectedly, recent abiotic stochasticity regimes from the past 50 years do not predict the inherent ability of populations to resist or recover from disturbances. Instead, population resilience is strongly affected by phylogenetic relationships among species, with survival and developmental investments shaping their responses to stochastic regimes. Contrary to the classical assumption that exposure to recent environmental shifts confers a greater ability to cope with current and future global change, our findings suggest that population resilience is a consequence of evolutionary processes and/or deep-time environmental regimes. Populations that currently endure more variable abiotic conditions are often expected to be less vulnerable to future increases in climatic variability. However, without defining the link between abiotic variability and the capacity for populations to resist and recover following disturbances ( i.e ., their resilience), we cannot predict the consequences of ongoing community reassembly. Evaluating the association between measures of abiotic variability and the resilience attributes of 2,242 animal, plant, and algae populations, we discredit the assumption that contemporary exposure to more frequent environmental shifts confers a greater ability to cope with future global change. Instead, the resilience attributes of natural populations appear to have been moulded over longer-term evolutionary timeframes and are thus not a response to more recent experiences.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2019.05.024
Abstract: Climate change and human disturbance threatens coral reefs across the Pacific, yet there is little consensus on what characterizes a "healthy" reef. Benthic cover, particularly low coral cover and high macroalgae cover, are often used as an indicator of reef degradation, despite uncertainty about the typical algal community compositions associated with either near-pristine or damaged reefs. In this study, we examine differences in coral and algal community compositions and their response to human disturbance and past heat stress, by analysing 25 sites along a gradient of human disturbance in Majuro and Arno Atolls of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Our results show that total macroalgae cover indicators of reef degradation may mask the influence of local human disturbance, with different taxa responding to disturbance differently. Identifying macroalgae to a lower taxonomic level (e.g. the genus level) is critical for a more accurate measure of Pacific coral reef health.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-06-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE18607
Abstract: Ongoing declines in the structure and function of the world’s coral reefs require novel approaches to sustain these ecosystems and the millions of people who depend on them3. A presently unexplored approach that draws on theory and practice in human health and rural development is to systematically identify and learn from the ‘outliers’—places where ecosystems are substantially better (‘bright spots’) or worse (‘dark spots’) than expected, given the environmental conditions and socioeconomic drivers they are exposed to. Here we compile data from more than 2,500 reefs worldwide and develop a Bayesian hierarchical model to generate expectations of how standing stocks of reef fish biomass are related to 18 socioeconomic drivers and environmental conditions. We identify 15 bright spots and 35 dark spots among our global survey of coral reefs, defined as sites that have biomass levels more than two standard deviations from expectations. Importantly, bright spots are not simply comprised of remote areas with low fishing pressure they include localities where human populations and use of ecosystem resources is high, potentially providing insights into how communities have successfully confronted strong drivers of change. Conversely, dark spots are not necessarily the sites with the lowest absolute biomass and even include some remote, uninhabited locations often considered near pristine6. We surveyed local experts about social, institutional, and environmental conditions at these sites to reveal that bright spots are characterized by strong sociocultural institutions such as customary taboos and marine tenure, high levels of local engagement in management, high dependence on marine resources, and beneficial environmental conditions such as deep-water refuges. Alternatively, dark spots are characterized by intensive capture and storage technology and a recent history of environmental shocks. Our results suggest that investments in strengthening fisheries governance, particularly aspects such as participation and property rights, could facilitate innovative conservation actions that help communities defy expectations of global reef degradation.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 17-09-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.14.508013
Abstract: Sustainably managing fisheries requires regular and reliable evaluation of stock status. However, most multispecies reef fisheries around the globe tend to be data-poor and lack research and monitoring capacity (e.g., long-term fishery data), preventing the estimation of sustainable reference points against which stocks can be assessed. Here, combining fish biomass data for more than 2000 coral reefs with catch estimates from 99 jurisdictions, we estimate site-specific sustainable reference points for coral reef fisheries and use these to assess the status of coral reef fish stocks. We reveal that more than half of jurisdictions with available information have stocks of conservation concern, having failed at least one fisheries sustainability benchmark. We quantify the trade-offs between bio ersity, mean fish length, and ecosystem functions relative to key benchmarks and highlight the ecological benefits of increasing sustainability. Our approach yields multispecies sustainable reference points for coral reef fisheries using environmental conditions, a promising means for enhancing the sustainability of the world’s coral reef fisheries. A global assessment of the sustainability of multispecies reef fisheries indicates that more than half of jurisdictions have failed at least one of two key sustainability benchmarks.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-04-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-022-02250-X
Abstract: Coral communities are threatened by an increasing plethora of abiotic and biotic disturbances. Preventing the ensuing loss of coral coverage and ersity calls for a mechanistic understanding of resilience across coral species and populations that is currently lacking in coral reef science. Assessments into the dynamics of coral populations typically focus on their long-term (i.e. asymptotic ) characteristics, tacitly assuming stable environments in which populations can attain their long-term characteristics. Instead, we argue that greater focus is needed on investigating the transient ( i.e. short-term) dynamics of coral populations to describe and predict their characteristics and trajectories within unstable environments. Applying transient demographic approaches to evaluating and forecasting the responses of coral populations to disturbance holds promise for expediting our capacity to predict and manage the resilience of coral populations, species, and communities.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2019.110710
Abstract: Existing marine bioregions covering the Pacific Ocean are conceptualised at spatial scales that are too broad for national marine spatial planning. Here, we developed the first combined oceanic and coastal marine bioregionalisation at national scales, delineating 262 deep-water and 103 reef-associated bioregions across the southwest Pacific. The deep-water bioregions were informed by thirty biophysical environmental variables. For reef-associated environments, records for 806 taxa at 7369 sites were used to predict the probability of observing taxa based on environmental variables. Both deep-water and reef-associated bioregions were defined with cluster analysis applied to the environmental variables and predicted species observation probabilities, respectively to classify areas with high taxonomic similarity. Local experts further refined the delineation of the bioregions at national scales for four countries. This work provides marine bioregions that enable the design of ecologically representative national systems of marine protected areas within offshore and inshore environments in the Pacific.
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 22-09-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2003
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12814
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ELE.14004
Abstract: Accelerating rates of bio ersity loss underscore the need to understand how species achieve resilience—the ability to resist and recover from a/biotic disturbances. Yet, the factors determining the resilience of species remain poorly understood, due to disagreements on its definition and the lack of large‐scale analyses. Here, we investigate how the life history of 910 natural populations of animals and plants predicts their intrinsic ability to be resilient. We show that demographic resilience can be achieved through different combinations of compensation, resistance and recovery after a disturbance. We demonstrate that these resilience components are highly correlated with life history traits related to the species’ pace of life and reproductive strategy. Species with longer generation times require longer recovery times post‐disturbance, whilst those with greater reproductive capacity have greater resistance and compensation. Our findings highlight the key role of life history traits to understand species resilience, improving our ability to predict how natural populations cope with disturbance regimes.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 30-08-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.8724
Abstract: Size is a biological characteristic that drives ecological processes from microscopic to geographic spatial scales, influencing cellular energetics, species fitness, population dynamics, and ecological interactions. Methods to measure size from images (e.g., proxies of body size, leaf area, and cell area) occur along a gradient from manual approaches to fully automated technologies (e.g., machine learning). These methods differ in terms of time investment, expertise required, and data or resource availability. While manual methods can improve accuracy through human recognition, they can be labor intensive, highlighting the need for semi‐automated, and user‐friendly software or workflows to increase the efficiency of manual techniques. Here, we present SizeExtractR, an open‐source workflow that enables faster extraction of size metrics from scaled images (e.g., each image includes a ruler) using semi‐automated protocols. It comprises a set of ImageJ macros to speed up size extraction and annotation, and an R‐package for the quality control of annotations, data collation, calibration, and visualization. SizeExtractR extracts seven common size dimensions, including planar area, min/max diameter, and perimeter. Users can record additional categorical variables relating to their own study, for ex le species ID, by simply adding alphanumeric annotations to in idual objects when prompted. Using a population size structure case study for hard corals as an ex le, we show how SizeExtractR was used to quantify the impact of mass coral bleaching on coral population dynamics. Lastly, the time saving benefit of using SizeExtractR was quantified during a series of timed image analyses, revealing up to a 49% reduction in image analysis time compared to a fully manual approach. SizeExtractR automatically archives results, allowing re‐analysis of size extraction and promoting quality control and reproducibility. It has already been employed in marine and terrestrial sciences to assess population dynamics and demography, energy investment in eggs, and growth of nursery reared corals, with potential to be applied to a wide range of other research fields.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-04-2017
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.02986
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-06-2018
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12587
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2023
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.9810
Abstract: Collecting fine‐scale occurrence data for marine species across large spatial scales is logistically challenging but is important to determine species distributions and for conservation planning. Inaccurate descriptions of species ranges could result in designating protected areas with inappropriate locations or boundaries. Optimizing s ling strategies therefore is a priority for scaling up survey approaches using tools such as environmental DNA (eDNA) to capture species distributions. In a marine context, commercial vessels, such as ferries, could provide s ling platforms allowing access to unders led areas and repeatable s ling over time to track community changes. However, s le collection from commercial vessels could be biased and may not represent biological and environmental variability. Here, we evaluate whether s ling along Mediterranean ferry routes can yield unbiased bio ersity survey outcomes, based on perfect knowledge from a stacked species distribution model (SSDM) of marine megafauna derived from online data repositories. Simulations to allocate s ling point locations were carried out representing different s ling strategies (random vs regular), frames (ferry routes vs unconstrained), and number of s ling points. SSDMs were remade from different s ling simulations and compared with the “perfect knowledge” SSDM to quantify the bias associated with different s ling strategies. Ferry routes detected more species and were able to recover known patterns in species richness at smaller s le sizes better than unconstrained s ling points. However, to minimize potential bias, ferry routes should be chosen to cover the variability in species composition and its environmental predictors in the SSDMs. The workflow presented here can be used to design effective s ling strategies using commercial vessel routes globally for eDNA and other bio ersity survey techniques. This approach has potential to provide a cost‐effective method to access remote oceanic areas on a regular basis and can recover meaningful data on spatiotemporal bio ersity patterns.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-11-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JTBI.2018.05.013
Abstract: Population abundance is fundamental in ecology and conservation biology, and provides essential information for predicting population dynamics and implementing conservation actions. While a range of approaches have been proposed to estimate population abundance based on existing data, data deficiency is ubiquitous. When information is deficient, a population estimation will rely on labor intensive field surveys. Typically, time is one of the critical constraints in conservation, and management decisions must often be made quickly under a data deficient situation. Hence, it is important to acquire a theoretical justification for survey methods to meet a required estimation precision. There is no such theory available in a spatially explicit context, while spatial considerations are critical to any field survey. Here, we develop a spatially explicit theory for population estimation that allows us to examine the estimation precision under different survey designs and in idual distribution patterns (e.g. random/clustered s ling and in idual distribution). We demonstrate that clustered s ling decreases the estimation precision when in iduals form clusters, while s ling designs do not affect the estimation accuracy when in iduals are distributed randomly. Regardless of in idual distribution, the estimation precision becomes higher with increasing total population abundance and the s led fraction. These insights provide theoretical bases for efficient field survey designs in information deficiency situations.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2018
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15651
Abstract: Characterising and predicting species responses to anthropogenic global change is one of the key challenges in contemporary ecology and conservation. The sensitivity of marine species to climate change is increasingly being described with forecasted species distributions, yet these rarely account for population level processes such as genomic variation and local adaptation. This study compares inter‐ and intraspecific patterns of biological composition to determine how vulnerability to climate change, and its environmental drivers, vary across species and populations. We compare species trajectories for three ecologically important southern African marine invertebrates at two time points in the future, both at the species level, with correlative species distribution models, and at the population level, with gradient forest models. Reported range shifts are species‐specific and include both predicted range gains and losses. Forecasted species responses to climate change are strongly influenced by changes in a suite of environmental variables, from sea surface salinity and sea surface temperature, to minimum air temperature. Our results further suggest a mismatch between future habitat suitability (where species can remain in their ecological niche) and genomic vulnerability (where populations retain their genomic composition), highlighting the inter‐ and intraspecific variability in species’ sensitivity to global change. Overall, this study demonstrates the importance of considering species and population level climatic vulnerability when proactively managing coastal marine ecosystems in the Anthropocene.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-10-2013
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12140
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-05-2010
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 04-10-2018
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS12743
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13643
Abstract: Species that cannot adapt or keep pace with a changing climate are likely to need human intervention to shift to more suitable climates. While hundreds of articles mention using translocation as a climate‐change adaptation tool, in practice, assisted migration as a conservation action remains rare, especially for animals. This is likely due to concern over introducing species to places where they may become invasive. However, there are other barriers to consider, such as time‐frame mismatch, sociopolitical, knowledge and uncertainty barriers to conservationists adopting assisted migration as a go‐to strategy. We recommend the following to advance assisted migration as a conservation tool: attempt assisted migrations at small scales, translocate species with little invasion risk, adopt robust monitoring protocols that trigger an active response, and promote political and public support.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-09-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.06835
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-04-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12905
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PCLM.0000004
Abstract: Thermal refugia underpin climate-smart management of coral reefs, but whether current thermal refugia will remain so under future warming is uncertain. We use statistical downscaling to provide the highest resolution thermal stress projections (0.01°/1 km, ,000 reef pixels) currently available for coral reefs and identify future refugia on locally manageable scales. Here, we show that climate change will overwhelm current local-scale refugia, with declines in global thermal refugia from 84% of global coral reef pixels in the present-day climate to 0.2% at 1.5°C, and 0% at 2.0°C of global warming. Local-scale oceanographic features such as upwelling and strong ocean currents only rarely provide future thermal refugia. We confirm that warming of 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels will be catastrophic for coral reefs. Focusing management efforts on thermal refugia may only be effective in the short-term. Promoting adaptation to higher temperatures and facilitating migration will instead be needed to secure coral reef survival.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.8736
Abstract: Urbanized coral reefs experience anthropogenic disturbances caused by coastal development, pollution, and nutrient runoff, resulting in turbid, marginal conditions in which only certain species can persist. Mortality effects are exacerbated by increasingly regular thermal stress events, leading to shifts towards novel communities dominated by habitat generalists and species with low structural complexity. There is limited data on the turnover processes that occur due to this convergence of anthropogenic stressors, and how novel urban ecosystems are structured both at the community and functional levels. As such, it is unclear how they will respond to future disturbance events. Here, we examine the patterns of coral reef community change and determine whether ecosystem functions provided by specialist species are lost post‐disturbance. We present a comparison of community and functional trait‐based changes for scleractinian coral genera and reef fish species assemblages subject to coastal development, coastal modification, and mass bleaching between two time periods, 1975–1976 and 2018, in Nakagusuku Bay, Okinawa, Japan. We observed an increase in fish habitat generalists, a dominance shift from branching to massive/sub‐massive corals and increasing site‐based coral genera richness between years. Fish and coral communities significantly reassembled, but functional trait‐based multivariate space remained constant, indicating a turnover of species with similar traits. A compression of coral habitat occurred, with shallow ( m) and deep ( m) coral genera shifting towards the mid‐depths (5–8 m). We show that although reef species assemblages altered post disturbance, new communities retained similar ecosystem functions. This result could be linked to the stressors experienced by urban reefs, which reflect those that will occur at an increasing frequency globally in the near future. Yet, even after shifts to disturbed communities, these fully functioning reef systems may maintain high conservation value.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-08-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.06156
Abstract: Predicting the viability of species exposed to increasing climatic stress requires an appreciation for the mechanisms underpinning the success or failure of marginal populations. Rather than traditional metrics of long‐term population performance, here we illustrate that short‐term (i.e. transient) demographic characteristics, including measures of resistance, recovery and compensation, are fundamental in the poleward range expansion of hard corals, facilitating the establishment of coral populations at higher latitudes. Through the annual census of subtropical and temperate Acropora spp. colonies in Japan between 2017 and 2019, we show how enhanced transient lification (i.e. short‐term increases in population growth following disturbance) supports the persistence of coral assemblages within more variable high‐latitude environments. The transient dynamics of both the subtropical and temperate assemblages were strongly influenced by their corresponding recruitment patterns. However, we demonstrate that variation in colony survival and fragmentation patterns between the two assemblages determines their relative capacities for transient lification. This latitudinal variation in the transient dynamics of Acropora spp. assemblages emphasizes that coral populations can possess the demographic plasticity necessary for exploiting more variable, marginal conditions.
Publisher: Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre Oy (REABIC)
Date: 2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 04-02-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.01.31.928721
Abstract: In times of global bio ersity crisis, developing tools to define, quantify, compare and predict ecological resilience is essential for understanding species’ responses to global change. Disparate interpretations of ecological resilience have, however, h ered the development of a common currency to quantify and compare resilience across natural systems. Most frameworks of study have focused on upper levels of biological organisation, especially ecosystems or communities, which adds layers of complication to measuring resilience with empirical data. To overcome such limitations, we suggest quantifying resilience using demographic data. Surprisingly, a quantifiable definition of resilience does not exist at the demographic level. Here, we present a framework of demographic resilience with a set of metrics that are comparable across species, and facilitate cost-effective management decisions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Maria Beger.