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- Graham, Nicholas A. J., et al.
(författare)
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Climate Warming, Marine Protected Areas and the Ocean-Scale Integrity of Coral Reef Ecosystems
- 2008
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 3:8, s. e3039-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coral reefs have emerged as one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate variation and change. While the contribution of a warming climate to the loss of live coral cover has been well documented across large spatial and temporal scales, the associated effects on fish have not. Here, we respond to recent and repeated calls to assess the importance of local management in conserving coral reefs in the context of global climate change. Such information is important, as coral reef fish assemblages are the most species dense vertebrate communities on earth, contributing critical ecosystem functions and providing crucial ecosystem services to human societies in tropical countries. Our assessment of the impacts of the 1998 mass bleaching event on coral cover, reef structural complexity, and reef associated fishes spans 7 countries, 66 sites and 26 degrees of latitude in the Indian Ocean. Using Bayesian meta-analysis we show that changes in the size structure, diversity and trophic composition of the reef fish community have followed coral declines. Although the ocean scale integrity of these coral reef ecosystems has been lost, it is positive to see the effects are spatially variable at multiple scales, with impacts and vulnerability affected by geography but not management regime. Existing no-take marine protected areas still support high biomass of fish, however they had no positive affect on the ecosystem response to large-scale disturbance. This suggests a need for future conservation and management efforts to identify and protect regional refugia, which should be integrated into existing management frameworks and combined with policies to improve system-wide resilience to climate variation and change.
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| 5. |
- Garpe, Kajsa C., et al.
(författare)
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Long-term effects of the 1998 coral bleaching event on reef fish assemblages
- 2006
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Ingår i: Marine Ecology Progress Series. - : Inter-Research Science Center. - 0171-8630 .- 1616-1599. ; 315, s. 237-247
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coral bleaching events constitute compound disturbances often resulting in coral death as well as successive degradation of the reef framework. The 1997/1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was the most severe on record and affected coral reefs worldwide. The present study examined the response of fish assemblages in plots of transplanted coral before and after the 1998 bleaching. Multidimensional scaling ordinations (MDS) demonstrate significant changes in assemblage composition related to habitat alteration. Within-site variability increased with disturbance, the increase being most apparent following substrate erosion. The differences in long-term responses as opposed to short-term responses were striking. Six mo after coral death, total abundance as well as taxonomic richness had increased at one of the sites, but not the other, whereas 6 yr later, both measures had decreased significantly at both sites. Functional groups, with documented affiliations with coral, were significantly influenced by the habitat alteration. Herbivore abundance increased as an immediate response to bleaching, but was subsequently decimated in eroded habitat. The loss of structural complexity had major detrimental effects on the entire fish community. In conclusion, we present evidence of severe and long-lasting secondary impacts of a catastrophic bleaching event, with no apparent recovery. The discrepancies between short-term and long-term responses underline the importance of long-term monitoring of fish assemblages following habitat alteration.
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| 6. |
- Garpe, Kajsa C, et al.
(författare)
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Non-random habitat use by coral reef fish recruits in Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania
- 2007
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Ingår i: African Journal of Marine Science. - : Informa plc. - 1814-232X. ; 29:2, s. 187-199
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The habitat use by nearly 3 000 reef fish recruits, comprising 56 taxa, at seven sites in Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania, were examined. The study was carried out following the 1998 global coral bleaching event and all sites but one were dominated by dead coral and rubble. Mean recruit densities ranged between 0.1 m-2 and 0.7 m-2 among sites. Although live coral represented only 15% of the overall substrate composition, almost half of all observed recruits were found associated with this substrate. Pooled across all sites, 46% of the recruits used live coral cover in disproportion to availability. Principal component analyses were applied to explore microhabitat use by the 11 most common recruit taxa in comparison to availability. Among these taxa, 10 exhibited nonrandom microhabitat use and six associated with live coral in disproportion to availability. A comparison with the adult fish community revealed that adult abundances of four of the six coral selective recruit taxa were significantly correlated with live coral. The study demonstrated that reef fish recruits use microhabitats non-randomly and that a substantial proportion is selective towards live coral.
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| 7. |
- Graham, Nicholas A. J., et al.
(författare)
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Extinction vulnerability of coral reef fishes
- 2011
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 14:4, s. 341-348
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- P>With rapidly increasing rates of contemporary extinction, predicting extinction vulnerability and identifying how multiple stressors drive non-random species loss have become key challenges in ecology. These assessments are crucial for avoiding the loss of key functional groups that sustain ecosystem processes and services. We developed a novel predictive framework of species extinction vulnerability and applied it to coral reef fishes. Although relatively few coral reef fishes are at risk of global extinction from climate disturbances, a negative convex relationship between fish species locally vulnerable to climate change vs. fisheries exploitation indicates that the entire community is vulnerable on the many reefs where both stressors co-occur. Fishes involved in maintaining key ecosystem functions are more at risk from fishing than climate disturbances. This finding is encouraging as local and regional commitment to fisheries management action can maintain reef ecosystem functions pending progress towards the more complex global problem of stabilizing the climate.
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| 8. |
- Wilson, S. K., et al.
(författare)
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Crucial knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Biology. - : The Company of Biologists. - 0022-0949 .- 1477-9145. ; 213:6, s. 894-900
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Expert opinion was canvassed to identify crucial knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes. Scientists that had published three or more papers on the effects of climate and environmental factors on reef fishes were invited to submit five questions that, if addressed, would improve our understanding of climate change effects on coral reef fishes. Thirty-three scientists provided 155 questions, and 32 scientists scored these questions in terms of: (i) identifying a knowledge gap, (ii) achievability, (iii) applicability to a broad spectrum of species and reef habitats, and (iv) priority. Forty-two per cent of the questions related to habitat associations and community dynamics of fish, reflecting the established effects and immediate concern relating to climate-induced coral loss and habitat degradation. However, there were also questions on fish demographics, physiology, behaviour and management, all of which could be potentially affected by climate change. Irrespective of their individual expertise and background, scientists scored questions from different topics similarly, suggesting limited bias and recognition of a need for greater interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Presented here are the 53 highest-scoring unique questions. These questions should act as a guide for future research, providing a basis for better assessment and management of climate change impacts on coral reefs and associated fish communities.
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- Andersson, Mathias H., et al.
(författare)
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Epibenthic colonization of concrete and steel pilingsin a cold-temperate embayment : a feld experiment
- 2009
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Ingår i: Helgoland Marine Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1438-387X .- 1438-3888. ; 63:3, s. 249-260
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With large-scale development of offshore wind farms, vertical structures are becoming more common in open water areas. To examine how vertical structures of different materials may be colonized by epibenthic organisms, an experiment was carried out using steel and concrete pilings constructed to resemble those commonly used in wind farm constructions as well as in bridges, jetties and oil platforms. The early recruitment and succession of the epibenthic communities were sampled once a month for the first 5 months and then again after 1 year. Further, the fish assemblages associated with the pillars were sampled and compared to natural areas. The main epibenthic species groups, in terms of coverage, diVered between the two materials at five out of six sampling occasions. Dominant organisms on steel pillars were the barnacle Balanus improvisus,the calcareous tubeworm Pomatoceros triqueter and the tunicate Ciona intestinalis. On the concrete pillars, the hydroid Laomedea sp. and the tunicates Corella parallelogramma and Ascidiella spp. dominated. However, there was no different in coverage at different heights on the pillars or in biomass and species abundance at different directions (north-east or south-west) 5 months after submergence. Fish showed overall higher abundances and species numbers on the pillars (but no difference between steel and concrete)compared to the surrounding soft bottom habitats but not compared to natural vertical rock walls. Two species were attracted to the pillars, indicating a reef effect; Gobiusculus flavescens and Ctenolabrus rupestris. The bottom-dwelling gobies, Pomatoschistus spp., did not show such preferences.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Mathias H., et al.
(författare)
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Fish and sessile assemblages associated with wind-turbineconstructions in the Baltic Sea
- 2010
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Ingår i: Marine and Freshwater Research. - 1323-1650 .- 1448-6059. ; 61:6, s. 642-650
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Offshore wind farms are being built at a high rate around the world to meet the demand for renewable energy. We studied fish and sessile communities on and around offshore wind-turbine foundations in the southern Baltic Sea, 7 years after construction, using visual census techniques to determine how fish, sessile-invertebrate and algal communities are affected by the introduction of such structures. Fish assemblages were dominated by two-spotted gobies (Gobiusculus flavescens) that were found in large shoals in close association with the vertical surface. At the seabed, close to the foundation, the black goby (Gobius niger) was recorded in large numbers. The most obvious difference in fish densities was found between wind-power foundations extending through the entire water column and the surrounding open waters. Fouling assemblages on the vertical foundation surfaces and at the seabed just below differed from those at the seabed further away by having higher coverage of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and less algal growth. The results from the present study suggest that the introduction of offshore wind turbines in marine waters could have a positive effect on fish numbers and the presence of sessile invertebrates
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