ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9269-1547
Current Organisation
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-06-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-27644-2
Abstract: Long-distance dispersal is believed to strongly influence coral reef population dynamics across the Tropical Pacific. However, the spatial scale and strength at which populations are potentially connected by dispersal remains uncertain. To determine the patterns in connectivity between the Eastern (ETP) and Central Tropical Pacific (CTP) ecoregions, we used a biophysical model incorporating ocean currents and larval biology to quantify the seascape-wide dispersal potential among all population. We quantified the likelihood and determined the oceanographic conditions that enable the dispersal of coral larvae across the Eastern Pacific Barrier (EP-Barrier) and identified the main connectivity pathways and their conservation value for dominant reef-building corals. Overall, we found that coral assemblages within the CTP and ETP are weakly connected through dispersal. Although the EP-Barrier isolates the ETP from the CTP ecoregion, we found evidence that the EP-Barrier may be breached, in both directions, by rare dispersal events. These rare events could explain the evolutionary genetic similarity among populations of pocilloporids in the ecoregions. Moreover, the ETP may function as a stronger source rather than a destination, providing potential recruits to CTP populations. We also show evidence for a connectivity loop in the ETP, which may positively influence long-term population persistence in the region. Coral conservation and management communities should consider eight-key stepping stone ecoregions when developing strategies to preserve the long-distance connectivity potential across the ETP and CTP.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-05-2020
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15126
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 24-11-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FMARS.2022.962044
Abstract: Human activities represent a growing threat to bio ersity, increasing species extinction and leading ecosystems to collapse. The knowledge of the spatial distribution of threats to ecosystems is fundamental to understanding their risk of collapse as defined by the Red List of Ecosystems, an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) global standard to guide conservation and management actions. Colombia is a mega erse country almost half of its territory is marine, and its ecosystems are subject to anthropogenic and climatic threats. This study provides a quantitative map assessment for a set of relevant anthropic and climatic threats and impacts on the marine and coastal areas of Colombia, intending to perform the threat description component of the Red List assessment protocol. A cumulative impact assessment was applied to analyze the threat levels (TLs) and impact levels of 12 anthropogenic and climatic pressures. The observed TL patterns meet spatial expectations, revealing that the assessment units in the Caribbean Sea are more threatened than those in the Pacific Ocean, and continental areas are more threatened than the oceanic ones. Habitat transformation and sea warming were the threats with the most impact on coastal and marine ecosystems, respectively. Climatic threats were widely extended throughout the study area, occurring even in the most pristine zones (e.g., Malpelo Island). Climate threats are challenging to national conservation strategies since these pressures are not completely manageable at local scales as they depend mainly on global efforts. Recommendations drawn from this work can guide actions for the conservation of the ecosystems of Colombia.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 23-12-2016
Abstract: The coral reefs of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) are some of the most geographically isolated of the world. A key to understanding their long-term persistence and population recovery via dispersal (i.e. population connectivity), is knowing when the corals spawn in the region. To this end, we reviewed and synthesized the literature on the reproductive phenology of corals (month of spawning) and their dispersal-related characteristics to infer the potential impact on the region’s functional connectivity. We classified the region into four thermal regimes based on long-term mean sea surface temperature (SST) data: Tropical Upwelling, Thermally Stable, Equatorial Upwelling, and Seasonal. Each regime’s unique spawning seasonality was then explored by quantifying the linear dependence between the number of observed spawning events and SST. Finally, the potential impact of this unique regional mismatch in spawning was illustrated using a biophysical larval dispersal model. We found spawning occurs throughout the year in the Upwelling and Thermally Stable regimes (showing low or no linear dependence with SST) whereas spawning had a strong seasonal signal in the Equatorial Upwelling and Seasonal regimes, occurring primarily in the warm months. Considering the region’s mismatch in spawning phenologies, and unique dispersal traits, the simulations of coral larval dispersal across the ETP result in infrequently realized connectivity between ecoregions, low local retention and high self-recruitment, that combined with low recruitment densities in the field indicates more vulnerable populations to disturbance than previously appreciated. The strong relationship between spawning phenology and SST in some regimes suggests a greater susceptibility of these coral assemblages to extreme El Niño and La Niña events and future ocean warming.
No related grants have been discovered for Alberto Acosta.