Macroalgae reveal nitrogen enrichment and elevated N:P ratios on the Belize Barrier Reef

Lapointe, Brian E.; Tewfik, Alexander; Phillips, Myles

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112686

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Using our toolkit, we saw that nearshore MPAs such as Swallow Caye, Corozal Bay, Port Honduras, and South Water Caye had the highest z-scores based on Kd (490) alone. This is supported by previous studies that show physical connectivity as evidence through chlorophyll-a between land and the BBRRS (Soto et al, 2009), sewage plumes off Caye Caulker, Belize (Emrich et al, 2017), and excess nutrients near Belize City (Lapointe et al, 2021). Deviating from the typical use of thermal data for indices, Canto et al created a light-based index for the Great Barrier Reef based on MODIS Kd data.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…The coral reef needs clear water and consistent temperature regimes to thrive (Emrich et al, 2017;Helmuth et al, 2020). Global climate change (Martín-Arias et al, 2022), pollution (Emrich et al, 2017;Blanke et al, 2021), mining and dredging (Maidens and Burke, 2005), marine transportation (Callejas et al, 2021), algal blooms (Lapointe et al, 2021), and overfishing stand to threaten the reef ecosystems of the BBRRS (Gibson et al, 1998). Recreational tourism is also seen as a threat to the reef system (Diedrich, 2007) which accounts for over 40% of the nation's GDP (Cheng et al, 2021).…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A GEE toolkit for water quality monitoring from 2002 to 2022 in support of SDG 14 and coral health in marine protected areas in Belize

Callejas

Osborn

Lee

et al. 2022

Front. Remote Sens.

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Coral reefs are highly diverse ecosystems that provide many goods and ecosystem services globally. Coral reef ecosystems are also threatened by environmental stressors from anthropogenic sources and shifting climates. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (“Life Below Water”) addresses the need to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, seas, and marine ecosystems, including reef systems. Belize’s coral reef system is the second largest in the world, providing sources of income to Belizeans through tourism and fisheries as well as coastline protection. In order to conserve their marine ecosystems, Belize has a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) throughout their coastal waters. Using Aqua MODIS satellite imagery from 2002 to 2022, Google Earth Engine, and RStudio, we present a workflow to calculate stress days on MPAs and a coral vulnerability index based on sea surface temperature (SST) and Kd (490), a proxy of water clarity. The Corozal Bay, Swallow Caye, Port Honduras, and South Water Caye MPAs had the highest percentages of stress days and coral vulnerability stress index score based on these two parameters among the 24 MPAs analyzed. Additionally, SST in the warmest month of the year in Belize were seen to increase across all MPAs from 2002 to 2022 (p < 0.01). This GEE toolkit provides a straightforward and accessible tool to help governments monitor both water quality and risks to coral reefs in accordance with SDG 14.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A GEE toolkit for water quality monitoring from 2002 to 2022 in support of SDG 14 and coral health in marine protected areas in Belize

Callejas

Osborn

Lee

et al. 2022

Front. Remote Sens.

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“…Nutrient regimes in coral reefs across the world have been successfully described using macroalgal stable isotopes and tissue nutrients (Dailer et al 2010; Adam et al 2021; Lapointe et al 2021b; Vaughn et al 2021). Knowledge of the nutrient regimes from shallow to mesophotic reefs throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago, informed by known land‐use practices and their recent changes, could be used to identify areas that are likely to be influenced by point and nonpoint pollution around the Main Hawaiian Islands via increased nitrogen loading in macroalgal tissue (Lapointe and Bedford 2011; Dailer et al 2012a,b; Amato et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) and tissue nitrogen in shallow‐water and mesophotic macroalgae differ between the Main Hawaiian Islands and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Strait

Williams

Sherwood

et al. 2022

Limnology & Oceanography

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The Hawaiian Archipelago stretches 2500 km from the Main to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, represents a complex gradient of oceanographic and anthropogenic drivers, and has a high abundance and diversity of native and invasive macroalgae. These photosynthetic organisms occur in intertidal to mesophotic (30–150+ m) depths and absorb nitrogen with limited fractionation associated with their physiology and source. Our goal was to examine nitrogen dynamics from shallow to mesophotic reefs using compositional patterns of two well‐characterized macroalgal tissue parameters: stable isotope ratio of nitrogen and tissue nitrogen content. We collected 813 macroalgal samples from 13 islands/atolls between 0 and 117 m depths. Within the Main Hawaiian Islands, macroalgal tissue stable N isotope ratios were higher in mesophotic depths; N content was higher in shallow depths. However, within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, no differences in stable N isotope ratios and N content were found between shallow and mesophotic depths. Regionally, stable N isotope ratios varied along a gradient of anthropogenic and oceanographic processes (in Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, respectively), while N content reflected elevated nitrogen in the Main compared with the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Additionally, the invasive macroalga Avrainvillea lacerata had significantly higher N content than co‐occurring native bryopsidalean macroalgae at similar depths, and may be reshaping nutrient dynamics from shallow to mesophotic depths in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Nitrogen dynamics at mesophotic depths may be influenced by nearshore anthropogenically derived nitrogen via submarine groundwater discharge and/or inputs from deeper water within the Main Hawaiian Islands.

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“…The tropical coastal ecosystems where many SSF operate contain a high level of biodiversity but relatively low individual species abundance with many targeted species being poorly studied or unassessed in terms of fisheries sustainability (Johannes, 1998; Sadovy & Domeier, 2005; Costello et al, 2012). The issue of overfishing in these areas is often compounded by threats from local pollution, habitat degradation and climate change, which can cause interacting negative consequences for critical fish habitat and wild populations resulting in reduced rates of potential harvest and food shortages (Islam & Tanaka, 2004; Brander, 2010; Rogers, Blanchard & Mumby, 2014; Cochrane, 2020; Lapointe, Tewfik & Phillips, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simple length‐based approaches offer guidance for conservation and sustainability actions in two Central American small‐scale fisheries

Tewfik

Babcock

Phillips

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Many species targeted by multi-gear small-scale fisheries in developing countries are poorly studied in terms of fisheries sustainability even as their contributions to biodiversity, livelihoods, export earnings and food security are well documented.2. This study presents new information on more than 150 fish species that constitute the bulk of small-scale fishery landings in Belize and on the Pacific coast of Guatemala to provide guidance for improved biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. This includes a number of species listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List and Appendix II of CITES.3. Simple, length-based approaches and thresholds of size at maturity show that many of the elasmobranch and bony fish species examined have many immature individuals landed (Belize 51%, Guatemala 77%) across several gears. 4. In both countries, maximum size is negatively correlated with the intensity of overfishing for several common metrics: proportions of mature, optimal sized and mega-spawners. The disproportionate removal of the largest species first will have cascading effects on biodiversity, community structure and species interactions, as well as livelihood opportunities and food security for fishing communities. Status indicators, such as fishing mortality rate relative to natural mortality rateand estimates of depletion based on lengths are sensitive to the assumed values of life history parameters, indicating the importance of improved data on growth, maturity and mortality for these populations.6. Our study emphasizes the use of a combination of fisheries conservation strategies, including size and effort controls, in conjunction with the closed area concept (i.e. marine protected areas) and meaningful consultation with resource users in order to maximize benefits for nature and people.Alexander Tewfik and Elizabeth A. Babcock contributed equally to this research.

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Macroalgae reveal nitrogen enrichment and elevated N:P ratios on the Belize Barrier Reef

Cited by 20 publications

References 100 publications

A GEE toolkit for water quality monitoring from 2002 to 2022 in support of SDG 14 and coral health in marine protected areas in Belize

A GEE toolkit for water quality monitoring from 2002 to 2022 in support of SDG 14 and coral health in marine protected areas in Belize

Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) and tissue nitrogen in shallow‐water and mesophotic macroalgae differ between the Main Hawaiian Islands and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Simple length‐based approaches offer guidance for conservation and sustainability actions in two Central American small‐scale fisheries

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Macroalgae reveal nitrogen enrichment and elevated N:P ratios on the Belize Barrier Reef

Cited by 20 publications

References 100 publications

A GEE toolkit for water quality monitoring from 2002 to 2022 in support of SDG 14 and coral health in marine protected areas in Belize

A GEE toolkit for water quality monitoring from 2002 to 2022 in support of SDG 14 and coral health in marine protected areas in Belize

Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) and tissue nitrogen in shallow‐water and mesophotic macroalgae differ between the Main Hawaiian Islands and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Simple length‐based approaches offer guidance for conservation and sustainability actions in two Central American small‐scale fisheries

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Nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) and tissue nitrogen in shallow‐water and mesophotic macroalgae differ between the Main Hawaiian Islands and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands