Mexico. Condition of Coral Reef Ecosystems in Central-Southern Quintana Roo, Mexico (Part 1: Stony Corals and Algae)

Ruiz-Zárate, Miguel-Ángel; Hernández-Landa, Roberto C.; González‐Salas, Carlos; Núñez-Lara, Enrique; Arias-Gonzalez, J. Ernesto

doi:10.5479/si.00775630.496-18.318

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In the Caribbean these species have contributed with the greatest relative live coral cover and are distributed from depths of 0-85 m (Sorokin, 1995;Kramer, 2003) dominating the forereef habitats (Mumby et al, 2008). In this study O. annularis and O. faveolata species complex were the most important reef builders in the nsMBRS, which agrees with other reports on this area (Gutiérrez et al, 1993;Ruíz-Zárate et al, 2003). Likewise, this study shows P. astreoides is another specie that significantly contributes for coral assemblage structure, due to its high frequency and coverage throughout the analyzed reefs at the beginning of 2000s.…”

Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitysupporting

confidence: 91%

“…O. annularis, O. faveolata, P. strigosa, Siderastrea spp., and P. astreoides were the dominant species in these zones. These results corroborate those found by other studies in the nsMBRS (Gutiérrez et al, 1993;Jordán-Dahlgren, 1993;Jordán-Dahlgren and Rodríguez-Martínez, 2003;Ruíz-Zárate et al, 2003). The Orbicella species complex is characterized by possessing high rates of survival, regeneration from lesions and sediment cleaning (Lang and Chornesky, 1990;Sorokin, 1995;Brown, 1997).…”

Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitysupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The acroporids did not present a significant contribution to the coral assemblages, as reported in previous studies (Jordán-Dahlgren, 1993). Since 1990 these species have decreased and in many of the reefs their skeletons are in growing position, which indicates biological mortalities, perhaps caused by the white band disease (Jordán-Dahlgren and Rodríguez-Martínez, 2003;Ruíz-Zárate et al, 2003), which has caused massive mortalities in other Caribbean reefs (Kramer, 2003).…”

Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reef architectural complexity increases, and it is highest, on reef sites dominated by large, massive coral species, such as Orbicella spp., than in sites dominated by short-lived and stress-resistant coral species as Porites and Agaricia (Alvarez-Filip et al, 2011. Live coral cover directly influences coral species richness, given that the majority of them recruit and establish themselves on live coral (Nzali et al, 1998;Ruíz-Zárate et al, 2003). The topographic complexity produced mainly by the architecture of corals favors the survival and establishment of juvenile corals because it provides more nooks and crannies that are used as refuges to escape from grazing fish and environmental stress (Miller et al, 2000).…”

Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coral biodiversity and bio-construction in the northern sector of the mesoamerican reef system

Rodríguez‐Zaragoza

Arias‐González

2015

Front. Mar. Sci.

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As the impact of anthropogenic activity and climate change continue to accelerate rates of degradation on Caribbean coral reefs, conservation and restoration faces greater challenges. At this stage, it is of particular importance in coral reefs to recognize and to understand the structural spatial patterns of benthic assemblages. We developed a field-based framework of a Caribbean reefscape benthic structure by using hermatypic corals as an indicator group of global biodiversity and bio-construction patterns in 11 reefs of the northern sector of the mesoamerican barrier reef system (nsMBRS). Four hundred and seventy four video-transects (50 m long by 0.4 m wide) were performed throughout a gradient of reef complexity from north to south (∼400 km) to identify coral species, families and ensembles of corals. Composition and abundance of species, families and ensembles showed differences among reefs. In the northern zone, the reefs had shallow, partial reef developments with low diversities, dominated by Acropora palmata, Siderastrea spp., Pseudodiploria strigosa, and Agaricia tenuifolia. In the central and southern zones, reefs presented extensive developments, high habitat heterogeneity, and the greatest diversity and dominance of Orbicella annularis and Orbicella faveolata. These two species determined the structure and diversity of corals in the central and southern zones of the nsMBRS and their bio-construction in these zones is unique in the Caribbean. Their abundance and distribution depended on the reef habitat area, topographic complexity and species richness. Orbicella species complex were crucial for maintaining the biodiversity and bio-construction of the central and southern zones while A. palmata in the northern zones of the nsMBRS.

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Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitysupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitysupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion Coral Structure and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Coral biodiversity and bio-construction in the northern sector of the mesoamerican reef system

Rodríguez‐Zaragoza

Arias‐González

2015

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Several studies have analyzed the structure of hermatypic coral assemblages (Karlson & Cornell, 2002;Ruiz-Zárate et al, 2003;Ruiz-Zárate 2005) or the condition of the reefs (Kramer, 2003;AriasGonzález et al, 2008;Carpenter et al, 2008;AlvarezFilip et al, 2011aAlvarezFilip et al, , 2011bArias-González et al, 2011) in the Caribbean Sea. At present, the reefs of this reef province have different degrees of health, with species of Montastraea having the greatest coverage (Kramer, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variation of hermatypic coral assemblages in Cayos Cochinos Archipelago, Honduras

Rodríguez‐Zaragoza

Silva

Ruiz-Zárate

et al. 2012

lajar

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ABSTRACT. Spatial variations of hermatypic coral assemblages were evaluated at five sites in Cayos Cochinos Archipelago, Honduras, in February 2008. Richness and coverage of corals and other benthic morpho-functional groups were estimated using 56 videotransects. Topographic complexity and depth were also measured by transect. Twenty-two coral taxa were recorded for Cayos Cochinos. Total species richness was similar (16 and 17 taxa) at all sites, whereas species richness by transect was different among sites (6-12 taxa). Shannon diversity showed weak differences among sites (1.46-2.13), whereas Pielou evenness was not different among sites. Simpson dominance was low with weak differences among sites (0.15-0.27). The total cover of hermatypic coral was 16.5% at Roatan Bank, 10.5% at Salamandinga, 9.7% at Punta Pelicanos, 7.6% at La Grupera, and 6.9% at Mariposales. The ANOSIM revealed assemblages of different corals between sites, except between La Grupera, Punta Pelicanos, and Salamandinga. The NMDS associated La Grupera, Punta Pelicanos, and Salamandinga given the greater contribution of Porites astreoides, Agaricia agaricites, and Montastraea annularis; whereas the NMDS differentiated Mariposales and Roatan Bank, which had more dissimilar assemblages with a greater predominance of Montastraea cavernosa, Agaricia agaricites, and Diploria labyrinthiformis. According to the BIO-ENV method, coral composition and abundance were correlated with the cover of articulated calcareous algae, sandy substrate, total hermatypic corals, rockycalcareous substrate, fleshy macroalgae, and hydrocorals. In general, the differences found in the coral assemblages of Cayos Cochinos could be due to geomorphological characteristics as well as the effects of human activities in the study area.

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How effective are marine parks in protecting their coral reef ecosystem? A study case in the Mexican Caribbean

Díaz-Osorio

Schmitter‐Soto

Vega‐Zepeda

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

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1. In the Mexican Caribbean, marine protected areas have been established to tackle marine ecosystem degradation caused by the coastal development that started in Cancún in the 1970s and extended south to the border with Belize in the 1990s.It is crucial to assess their effectiveness for conservation of the reef ecosystem, but also the perception of stakeholders, because the objective would be unattainable without their participation.2. This study evaluated the conservation status and the management effectiveness of National Park Xcalak Reefs (PNAX), in the southernmost Mexican Caribbean. In addition to interviewing local stakeholders to recognize issues related to the administration and functioning of PNAX, four zones with different use restrictions inside the park were evaluated, using ecological indicators (diversity and abundance of fishes, coral diversity and cover, and macroalgal cover) and ecological knowledge by interviewing local stakeholders, mostly fishers and conservation personnel.3. The results suggest that one of the restricted-use zones is in good condition, with a higher abundance of fishes and coral cover, and a lower cover of fleshy macroalgae and turf, compared with the other zones in the protected area. On the other hand, the core area presents bad indicators, such as a higher macroalgal cover and lower abundance of fishes, suggesting poor management or insufficient enforcement.4. Although mistrust and lack of communication between fishers and conservation authorities may limit the achievement of conservation goals, some programmes involving active participation of local people, for example lionfish culling and coastal vegetation restoration, have had a good impact on the coral reef community.

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Mexico. Condition of Coral Reef Ecosystems in Central-Southern Quintana Roo, Mexico (Part 1: Stony Corals and Algae)

Cited by 14 publications

References 7 publications

Coral biodiversity and bio-construction in the northern sector of the mesoamerican reef system

Coral biodiversity and bio-construction in the northern sector of the mesoamerican reef system

Spatial variation of hermatypic coral assemblages in Cayos Cochinos Archipelago, Honduras

How effective are marine parks in protecting their coral reef ecosystem? A study case in the Mexican Caribbean

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