A groundwater-fed coastal inlet as habitat for the Caribbean queen conch Lobatus gigas—an acoustic telemetry and space use analysis

Dujon, Antoine

doi:10.3354/meps12123

Cited by 20 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…Connected to the Caribbean Sea by a 100 m wide channel, the inlet is ~1 km long, covers an area of ca. 110 000 m 2 and has a maximum depth of 3.5 m (Stieglitz & Dujon, , Figure a). A persistent inflow of low‐salinity groundwater maintains a permanent thermohaline stratification throughout the year, with salinity on the bottom ranging from 10 to 35 (Back et al, ; Stieglitz & Dujon, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The grey square represents the receiver defined as the root of the tree. Figure modified from Stieglitz and Dujon ()…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The queen conch is also observed outside its optimal niche in habitats such as groundwater‐fed coastal areas which are characterized by large variations in salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration (i.e. stressful for stenohaline species) and which are considered to be marginal for species typically found in fully marine habitats (Dujon, Stieglitz, Amice, & Webber, ; Stieglitz & Dujon, ; Stoner, ). Along the Yucatan Peninsula coastline (Mexico), an extensive underground cavern system channels water to coastal lakes, lagoons and submarine springs over the majority of the north‐west Yucatan coast (Figure ) and which accounts for >99% of the freshwater input in the area (Back, Hanshaw, Pyle, Plummer, & Weidie, ; Beddows, Smart, Whitaker, & Smith, ; Perry, Velazquez‐Oliman, & Marin, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…stressful for stenohaline species) and which are considered to be marginal for species typically F I G U R E 1 (a) Location of Xel-Há inlet (Yucatan peninsula, Mexico) in the Caribbean Sea, (b) Geographical distribution of the groundwater-fed coastal habitats (in red) along the north-eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The black polygons indicate the marine protected areas, the blue polygons the presence of freshwater, brackish lakes or lagoons located less than 20 km from the coastline and the green dots the locations in which the presence of queen conch has been documented with from North to South: (1) Isla Mujeres (Tello-Cetina, Rodríguez-Gil, & Rodríguez-Romero, 2005), (2) Cozumel Island (Lozano-Álvarez & Briones-Fourzán, 2007), (3) Xel-Há inlet (Stieglitz & Dujon, 2017, this study), (4) Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mazzotti et al, 2005) and (5) Banco Chinchorro (Tello-Cetina et al, 2005). The location of lakes and lagoons was obtained from Gondwe et al (2010) found in fully marine habitats (Dujon, Stieglitz, Amice, & Webber, 2019;Stieglitz & Dujon, 2017;Stoner, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The potential of marginal coastal nursery habitats for the conservation of a culturally important Caribbean marine species

Dujon

Peel

Amice

2020

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Identifying the potential of marginal habitats for species conservation is of key importance when their core high‐quality habitats are under substantial disturbances and threats. However, there is currently a knowledge gap on how useful marine marginal habitats may be for conserving endangered marine species. Here, we investigate the potential of groundwater‐fed coastal areas for the conservation of the queen conch, an economically and culturally important marine gastropod. Location The inlet of Xel‐Há, typical of groundwater‐fed coastal areas widely distributed along the Yucatan Peninsula coast in Mexico and partially protected by a network of marine protected areas. Methods We tracked 66 queen conchs (Lobatus gigas) using acoustic telemetry over a period of 3.5 years. We investigated for ontogenetic niche shift using a network analysis and by modelling their growth. Results The queen conchs exhibited the same ontogenetic niche shift required to complete their life cycle in this marginal habitat as they do in offshore core habitats. A total of 33 individuals departed the inlet and migrated from shallow groundwater‐affected nursery grounds to deeper marine habitats more suitable for breeding aggregation. Main conclusions As the broad‐scale movement behaviour of queen conch in this inlet is similar to that observed on the overfished core habitats, our findings suggest that groundwater‐fed coastal areas should be included in conservation planning for an effective management of this species within a network of marine protected areas.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The grey square represents the receiver defined as the root of the tree. Figure modified from Stieglitz and Dujon ()…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The potential of marginal coastal nursery habitats for the conservation of a culturally important Caribbean marine species

Dujon

Peel

Amice

2020

Diversity and Distributions

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“…Caribbean populations of L. gigas are isolated by larval dispersal (Truelove et al, 2017) and once local populations become depleted they are slow to rebound (Glazer & Delgado, 2003;Glazer, unpublished). Other than their larval phase, L. gigas are relatively sedentary, with home ranges on the scale of 10,000 m 2 (Doerr & Hill, 2013;Stieglitz & Dujon, 2017), thus MPAassociated replenishment of outside areas is directly through the ecological process of larval spillover.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological spillover from a marine protected area replenishes an over‐exploited population across an island chain

Kough

Belak

Paris

et al. 2019

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Quantifying successful ecological spillover from marine protected areas (MPAs) is challenging yet crucial for conservation planning. The queen conch (Lobatus gigas) supports an iconic Bahamian fishery, but populations are declining. Here we provide evidence for MPAs as a solution: showing that a well-enforced MPA supplies ecological spillover through larval supply. Dive surveys throughout the Exuma Cays, including a centrally-located MPA, provided information on abundance, size, and age. Data showed higher-adult abundance within the MPA and positive associations between enforcement and conch size and age. A biophysical model estimated that MPA larvae settled in unprotected areas, and that MPA larval sources included unprotected sites with densities too low for reproduction. The MPA is currently sustaining nearby populations, yet its future is in jeopardy without upstream larval sources. Our results and consultations with stakeholders regarding management of the Bahamian conch fishery support creating a network of MPAs that exchange larvae for a sustainable future.

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Queen ConchLobatus gigaspopulation estimates and age structure suggest a potential natural refuge on the Cay Sal Bank, The Bahamas

Souza

Kough

2020

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Cultural and economic demands for queen conch, Lobatus gigas (Linnaeus, 1758), have led to the overexploitation of this iconic species throughout its range in the wider Caribbean. Fisheries managers have responded in many ways, from remaining idle to placing moratoriums on conch harvest, yet heavily harvested conch populations have been slow to recover, and descriptions of natural baselines are missing.2. The study describes a population of conch surveyed on the isolated, partially submerged, carbonate platform known as the Cay Sal Bank, The Bahamas, using traditional and interpolation techniques. Counts and shell measurements of conch within six study areas were obtained using 118 timed dive surveys over shallow water habitat (<20 m).3. The density and standing stock of adult conch were calculated using raw estimates, estimates retroactively standardized by distance, and estimates from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) kriging interpolation. All methods result in similar abundance estimates and include one of the highest abundances of conch found for decades in legally fishable waters within the Caribbean. 4. Shell measurements revealed multiple-year cohorts within the nurseries encountered, suggesting consistent recruitment. Lip thickness, a proxy for age, significantly increased with distance to Nassau in unprotected areas within The Bahamas, and Cay Sal Bank contains the second oldest average population observed in legally fishable waters. 5. Media reports show that remote Bahamian banks are increasingly threatened by poaching as fishers deplete accessible stocks. Biophysical models demonstrate potential larval connectivity from Cay Sal Bank to both the Grand and Little Bahamas banks. We suggest protecting Cay Sal Bank as a modern baseline for conservation management and as a larval source located upstream of major Bahamian fishing grounds.

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A groundwater-fed coastal inlet as habitat for the Caribbean queen conch Lobatus gigas—an acoustic telemetry and space use analysis

Cited by 20 publications

References 48 publications

The potential of marginal coastal nursery habitats for the conservation of a culturally important Caribbean marine species

The potential of marginal coastal nursery habitats for the conservation of a culturally important Caribbean marine species

Ecological spillover from a marine protected area replenishes an over‐exploited population across an island chain

Queen ConchLobatus gigaspopulation estimates and age structure suggest a potential natural refuge on the Cay Sal Bank, The Bahamas

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