Herbivore abundance and grazing intensity on a Caribbean coral reef

Lewis, Sara M.; Wainwright, Peter C.

doi:10.1016/0022-0981(85)90206-0

Cited by 202 publications

(159 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Especially in sheltered localities, grazing by large herbivores governs community structure and so defense against herbivores is critical to survival (Hay and Taylor, 1985;Hay et al, 1983Hay et al, , 1988Hay et al, , 1994Lewis and Wainwright, 1985;Steneck, 1997). Halimeda species in such environments possess precursors of intra-siphonal toxic acids as well as enhanced calcification (Duffy and Hay, 1990;Hay, 1997;Paul, 1997;Stark et al, 1969).…”

Section: Historical Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular systematics, historical ecology, and phylogeography of Halimeda (Bryopsidales)

Kooistra

Coppejans

Payri

2002

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

126

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Halimeda (Bryopsidales), a genus of calcified, segmented green seaweeds, abounds in reefs and lagoons throughout the tropics. To investigate phylogenetic, phylogeographic, and historic ecological relationships of the genus, the nuclear rDNA including the SSU and both ITS regions were sequenced. A maximum likelihood tree revealed the following: (1) there were anatomical and morphological synapomorphies for five well-supported lineages; (2) the last common ancestor of one lineage invaded sandy substrata; those of two other lineages established in wave-affected habitats, whereas the cenancestor of the remaining two lineages occupied sheltered rocky slopes. Yet, several species adapted to new habitats subsequently, resulting in several cases of convergence; (3) all lineages separated into Atlantic and Indo-Pacific daughters, likely resulting from the rise of the Panamanian Isthmus. Each daughter pair gave rise to additional convergent species in similar habitats in different oceans; (4) Halimeda opuntia, the only monophyletic pantropical species detected so far, dispersed from the Indo-Pacific into the Atlantic well after the closure event; (5) minor SSU-sequence differences across species and phylogeographic patterns of vicariance indicated a relatively recent diversification of the extant diversity. Cretaceous and Early Tertiary fossil look-alikes of modern species must then have resulted from iterative convergence. Ó

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Section: Historical Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular systematics, historical ecology, and phylogeography of Halimeda (Bryopsidales)

Kooistra

Coppejans

Payri

2002

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

126

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“…In the Caribbean, parrotfish (Labridae, Scarinae) are the dominant herbivores on middepth (5-15 m) forereefs (9)(10)(11), helping keep large seaweeds in check and facilitating the recovery and growth of corals (12)(13)(14). However, parrotfish are an important fishery species (15), and their depletion can lead to a flip in coral population dynamics that locks reefs into a persistent degraded state (16).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tradeoffs between fisheries harvest and the resilience of coral reefs

Bozec

O’Farrell

Bruggemann

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

121

114

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Many countries are legally obliged to embrace ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management. Reductions in bycatch and physical habitat damage are now commonplace, but mitigating more sophisticated impacts associated with the ecological functions of target fisheries species are in their infancy. Here we model the impacts of a parrotfish fishery on the future state and resilience of Caribbean coral reefs, enabling us to view the tradeoff between harvest and ecosystem health. We find that the implementation of a simple and enforceable size restriction of >30 cm provides a win:win outcome in the short term, delivering both ecological and fisheries benefits and leading to increased yield and greater coral recovery rate for a given harvest rate. However, maintaining resilient coral reefs even until 2030 requires the addition of harvest limitations (<10% of virgin fishable biomass) to cope with a changing climate and induced coral disturbances, even in reefs that are relatively healthy today. Managing parrotfish is not a panacea for protecting coral reefs but can play a role in sustaining the health of reefs and highquality habitat for reef fisheries. M uch effort in ecosystem-based fishery management has been directed to reducing the detrimental impacts of fishing gear on the ecosystem, including bycatch and habitat damage (1, 2). A more complex consideration is maintaining the ecosystem function of the target species. A well-known example is the importance of forage fish and krill to the diet of large fish, sea birds, and marine mammals (3-5), which generates a tradeoff between human and nonhuman (natural) consumption of the stock. Measuring such direct trophic tradeoffs is challenging enough (6), but some ecosystem functions act through complex ecological interactions that might involve multiple trophic levels and result in nonlinear impacts on the ecosystem (7). Perhaps not surprisingly, there has been little progress in modifying fishing activity to take account of these compound ecological processes (8).The impacts of fishing are particularly severe in the most complex of marine ecosystems, coral reefs. In the Caribbean, parrotfish (Labridae, Scarinae) are the dominant herbivores on middepth (5-15 m) forereefs (9-11), helping keep large seaweeds in check and facilitating the recovery and growth of corals (12-14). However, parrotfish are an important fishery species (15), and their depletion can lead to a flip in coral population dynamics that locks reefs into a persistent degraded state (16). A shift to macroalgal dominance offers relatively little value to fisheries, because much of the primary production is lost to detrital pathways rather than fish-based consumption (17). Macroalgal dominance usually is associated with less complex coral habitats, which in turn are associated with lower biodiversity and fewer ecosystem functions (18). Although several countries [e.g., Belize, Bonaire, and Bermuda (19)] have implemented a ban on parrotfish harvest, most jurisdictions either have no fisheries restrictions ...

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“…The high energy, shallow spur and groove zone o f the barrier reef at San Andrks was (Geister, 1977) Lewis & Wainwright, 1985;Steneck & Dethier, 1994;Diaz-Pulido & Diaz, in press) (Geister, 1992). This could explain the lower degree o f mostality found in the A. pabnnta stands on the barrier reef outer base than in those of the lagoon (see Peters, 1984 Lewis & Wainwright, 1985;Morrison, 1988;DiazPulido & Diaz, in press).…”

Section: Spatial Patterns O F Coral Death Vs Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This could explain the lower degree o f mostality found in the A. pabnnta stands on the barrier reef outer base than in those of the lagoon (see Peters, 1984 Lewis & Wainwright, 1985;Morrison, 1988;DiazPulido & Diaz, in press). The greater depths also imply lower turbulence during storms, and prevent heating-up and the associated stress during calms.…”

Section: Spatial Patterns O F Coral Death Vs Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotic changes in the reef complex of San Andres Island (Southeastern Caribbean Sea, Columbia) occuring over three decades

Zea¹,

Geister²,

Garzón-Ferreira³

et al. 1998

Atoll Research Bulletin

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San Andrbs Island (SW Caribbean, Colombia), an uplifted oceanic atoll of Miocene origin, consists of a well-developed coral and carbonate bank-barrier reef con~plex. From a former cotton and coconut economy in 1953, it became a major trade and tourist center currently having a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants in a land area of just 25 km2 . Human activities directly affecting the marine environment have included dredge and fill operations, shipwrecks and groundings, disposal of urban waste, thennal pollution, over-fishing, construction along the shoreline, and diving, boating and beachgoing activities. From qualitative observations carried out from 1968 to 1979, and qualiand quantitative resurveys made in 1992 to 1996, major biotic changes became evident in the upper insular platform (0-25 m in depth). These were: a detectable decline in live coral cover (to an overall mean of 30 % of hard substrata in 1992), extensive recent coral mortality (overall mean in 1992 of 52% of total live i . dead coral cover), almost total disappearance of the long-spined urchin Diadema anrillarum and the sea-fan Gorgonia venlalina, proliferation of algae (to about 60-70% cover of the overall reef hard substrata in 1992), and an almost total absence of commercial reef organisms, including both carnivores and herbivores. With exceptions due to localized so!id and sewage disposal, coastal construction and ship groundings, coral death followed a spatial pattern of increased values in lagoonal, enclosed environments and lower values in high energy zones and in deep reef areas. The higher coral death in shallow lagoonal areas was intcrpveted as being directly caused by a greater susceptibility of coral species making up the shallow reef frameworks (i.e., Acroporu, Porites) to hurricane and storm damage and to diseases. Indirectly, it may have been caused by the effect of the prevalent regime in lagoonal areas of higher illumination (allowing greater algal growth after the die-off of Diadema), low turbulence and limited water flushing (causing higher susceptibility to bleaching and diseases, and lower rates of natural and artificial lesion regeneration), and by a higher incidence of lethal or chronic effects of anthropogenic activities. San Andris constitutes a typical example of the widespread phenomenon of over-development and poor planning of small islands. Its growing recreational tourism, which is based mostly on attractive and "healthy" seascapes, will soon be seriously threatened.

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Herbivore abundance and grazing intensity on a Caribbean coral reef

Cited by 202 publications

References 23 publications

Molecular systematics, historical ecology, and phylogeography of Halimeda (Bryopsidales)

Molecular systematics, historical ecology, and phylogeography of Halimeda (Bryopsidales)

Tradeoffs between fisheries harvest and the resilience of coral reefs

Biotic changes in the reef complex of San Andres Island (Southeastern Caribbean Sea, Columbia) occuring over three decades

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