Spatial patterns of fish standing biomass across Brazilian reefs

Morais, Renato A.; Ferreira, Carlos E. L.; Floeter, Sergio R.

doi:10.1111/jfb.13482

Cited by 66 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…Distance from the coast was an important factor, explaining the higher richness, abundance and biomass recorded in islands further from the coast. This factor has demonstrated to influence fish assemblages structure in several coral and rocky reefs around the world [79– 82] and also in the Brazilian Province [11, 13, 23, 48]. The first hypotheses we raise to explain the higher richness and abundance in offshore islands may be related to the total area of rocky reefs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Network of small no-take marine reserves reveal greater abundance and body size of fisheries target species

Rolim

Langlois

Rodrigues

et al. 2018

Preprint

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24No-take marine reserves (NTRs), i.e. areas with total fishing restrictions, have been 25 established worldwide aiming to provide biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. Brazil has 26 established NTRs, but currently lacks scientific knowledge and understanding of their 27 ecological role, particularly regarding rocky reefs in subtropical regions. Consequently, this 28 study aimed to contrast NTR, from the 30 year old Tupinambás Ecological Station, and 29 comparable fished sites across a coastal biogeographic gradient to investigate the effect of 30 fishing and habitat variability on the abundance and body-size of rocky reef fish. We used 31 Baited Remote Underwater stereo-Video (stereo-BRUVs) and Diver Operated stereo-Video 32 (stereo-DOVs) systems to simultaneously sample reef fish and habitat. Model selection and 33 results identified habitat and biogeographic variables, such as distance from shore, as important 34 predictor variables, explaining several aspects of the fish assemblage. The effect of protection 35 was important in determining the abundance and body-size of targeted species, in particular for 36 epinephelids and carangids. Conversely, species richness was correlated with habitat 37 complexity and not with protection status. This is the first study to publish data using these 38 novel survey methods in the Southeastern Atlantic and demonstrate their utility, in combination 39 with an established network of NTR's, to provide benchmarks for conservation and fisheries 40 management. 41 42 43 EventMeasure, GAM.46 47No-take marine reserves (NTRs) have been established worldwide as a management 48 strategy mostly aiming to recover marine biodiversity from effects of fisheries. It is well 49 documented that these areas can provide refuge to marine life, increasing local abundance, 50 species richness, body size and the reproductive capacity of fish [1][2][3][4]. 51Networks of NTRs can be used to investigate effects of fishing across biogeographic 52 gradients, with the aim of estimating benchmarks for conservation and fisheries management. 53Besides facing direct fisheries effects from biomass removal, NTRs have also highlighted 54 indirect effects, where the removal of large carnivores in areas without protection can result in 55 a higher abundance of prey species, leading to a trophic reorganization [5][6][7]. 56It is also well documented that fish assemblage structure will vary with physical, 57 chemical and biological factors across biogeographic and habitat gradients through space [8-58 10]. In particular, distance from the coast and topographic complexity have shown to increase 59 species richness, abundance and biomass of reef fish [11][12][13][14][15][16]. It is therefore important for any 60 investigation of the effects of fishing to be able to control for these covariates across any inside 61 versus outside NTR comparison. 62Brazil has 8500 km of coastline and a territorial sea that, together with the Exclusive 63 Economic Zone, encompasses 4 million km 2 . Of this area, 26.4% is protected by...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Network of small no-take marine reserves reveal greater abundance and body size of fisheries target species

Rolim

Langlois

Rodrigues

et al. 2018

Preprint

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“…Sharks have been threatened globally and are the first to decline in abundance or disappear after being fished (e.g., Ferretti, Worm, Britten, Heithaus, & Lotze, ; Graham, Spalding, & Sheppard, ; Myers, Baum, Shepherd, Powers, & Peterson, ). Shark fishing has been invoked as a likely cause of regional extirpation elsewhere in the Atlantic (Morais et al, ; Ward‐Paige et al, ), and even local extinction of a shark population in an isolated Mid‐Atlantic island has been likely caused by fishing (Luiz & Edwards, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Underwater visual surveys (UVSs) along transects of 40 m 2 (20 x 2 m) were used to estimate reef fish richness (i.e., species per unit area), numerical abundance of individuals and biomass. This method consists on identifying, counting and estimating the size (total length in cm) of all fish individuals observed both in the water column (in the layout phase) and on the bottom (in the returning phase; Morais et al, ). We performed 139 UVSs between 5 and 30 m of depth.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the last 15 years, studies focused on oceanic islands have revealed remarkable features, such as unusual high fish biomass and peculiar benthic communities (e.g., Sandin et al, 2008;Stevenson et al, 2007;Williams et al, 2013;Quimbayo et al, 2018). The high abundance and biomass of large predators and herbivorous species in these isolated systems contrasts with more accessible reef systems (Friedlander et al, 2003(Friedlander et al, , 2010Graham & McClanahan, 2013;Morais, Ferreira, & Floeter, 2017;Williams et al, 2015). These ob- showing that human-related variables explain reef fish assemblage biomass around the world (Bellwood, Hoey, & Hughes, 2012;Cinner, Graham, Huchery, & Macneil, 2013;Mora et al, 2011;Williams et al, 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Spatial patterns and drivers of fish and benthic reef communities at São Tomé Island, Tropical Eastern Atlantic

et al. 2018

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Marine communities vary across spatial scales due to changes in habitat structure, wave exposure, depth and anthropogenic activities. Here, we quantitatively characterized, for the first time, the reef fish assemblages and benthic communities in six sites around São Tomé Island, in the Tropical Eastern Atlantic region. We performed 139 underwater visual census and 112 photo‐quadrats across six sites around the island to explore the relative importance of exposure, depth and topographic complexity as drivers of fish and benthic reef communities. Planktivores were the most important trophic group, in terms of both fish abundance and biomass. Small fishes (0–7 cm) dominated the abundance, whereas biomass was mainly concentrated in 8–15 and 16–30 cm body size classes. About 30% of the total benthic cover was composed of turf algae and circa of 28% of calcareous coralline algae, whereas corals were comparably less abundant (only 8%). Among these, Montastraea cavernosawas the most abundant coral (46% of the coral cover and 4% of total benthic cover). Wave exposure was the most important driver of the reef fish assemblages and was also important for benthic communities. Also, fish species composition seemed to respond, although weakly, to benthic composition. Topographic complexity had little effect on the indicators of fish assemblages but seemed to drive some changes in benthic cover. Overall, our results evidence the dominance of small planktivorous reef fish assemblages and of turf algal communities in São Tomé. Taken together, they support the idea of benthic communities shaped by wave action, with minor importance of corals, and of important energetic contribution from planktonic material. We also suggest that the relatively low biomass of medium and large fish species reflects the long‐term fishing pressure in São Tomé Island.

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“…On the other hand, some no-take MPAs within fisheries management zones showed recovery potential (Francini-Filho & Moura, 2008a), as did strict no-entry marine reserves (Anderson et al, 2014). Although the establishment of MPAs alone does not ensure the recovery of reef communities (Cox, Valdivia, McField, Castillo, & Bruno, 2017), in Brazil, even paper parks and poorly enforced MPAs have more abundant fish fauna than open areas (Floeter, Halpern, & Ferreira, 2006;Francini-Filho & Moura, 2008b;Morais, Ferreira, & Floeter, 2017). At the global scale, protection from fishing has the potential to recover fish biomass within a few decades, and fishery restrictions can maintain fish biomass above half of the "pristine" state on reef environments (MacNeil et al, 2015).…”

Section: Conservation Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

South‐western Atlantic reef fishes: Zoogeographical patterns and ecological drivers reveal a secondary biodiversity centre in the Atlantic Ocean

Pinheiro

Rocha

Macieira

et al. 2018

Diversity and Distributions

152

157

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Aim To present an updated database of fish species recorded on south‐western Atlantic reef environments and to explore the ecological drivers of the structure, the latitudinal gradient of biodiversity and the centre of endemism in this peripheral province. Location South‐western Atlantic (SWA): Brazilian and Argentinian Provinces. Methods A database composed of 733 fish species along 23 locations in the SWA (00°55′ N to 43°00′ S) was compiled based on primary data, literature and museum records. Cluster and beta diversity analyses were carried out to evaluate faunal overlaps among locations and subprovinces. “Target‐area‐distance effect” and “stepping stones dispersal” hypotheses for assemblage composition were tested through Mantel tests. Relationships between the distribution patterns and ecological traits of reef fish species were investigated through generalized linear mixed‐effect models. Results Out of the 733 fish species, 405 are SWA resident reef fishes, of which 111 (27%) are endemics and 78 are threatened with extinction. Cluster analysis detected six subprovinces in the SWA structured following the target‐area‐distance model, and with no evidence for a latitudinal gradient in diversity. The greatest overall richness and endemic species richness were found in the east–south‐eastern region. Depth range, habitat use and body size were the main drivers of SWA reef fish assemblage structure. Main conclusions The Brazilian and Argentinian coasts constitute different provinces structured by oceanographic barriers and environmental filters. Similarities among oceanic islands indicate connectivity driven by stochastic and ecological factors. Species richness and endemism indicate that peripheral provinces may also bear centres of origin and biodiversity, patterns driven by parapatric/ecological speciation and the overlap between tropical and subtropical reef fish species. Ecological drivers of reef fish distribution, such as habitat specialization and body size, support hypotheses of speciation in the periphery. New approaches for spatial planning, marine protected areas and off‐reserve marine management are essential for the conservation and sustainability of SWA reef fishes.

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Spatial patterns of fish standing biomass across Brazilian reefs

Cited by 66 publications

References 110 publications

Network of small no-take marine reserves reveal greater abundance and body size of fisheries target species

Network of small no-take marine reserves reveal greater abundance and body size of fisheries target species

Spatial patterns and drivers of fish and benthic reef communities at São Tomé Island, Tropical Eastern Atlantic

South‐western Atlantic reef fishes: Zoogeographical patterns and ecological drivers reveal a secondary biodiversity centre in the Atlantic Ocean

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