The functional trophic role of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in the northern Mexican Caribbean: network analysis and ecosystem development

Ibarra-García, Esmeralda C.; Ortiz, Marco; Ríos‐Jara, Eduardo; Cupul-Magaña, Amílcar Leví; Hernández-Flores, Álvaro; Rodríguez‐Zaragoza, Fabián Alejandro

doi:10.1007/s10750-016-3049-3

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Comparison of the results from these two methods resulted in increased understanding of the system based on differences between the two evaluations (Table 3a, b). These indicators have been widely used to describe and compare a variety of ecosystems with different levels of organization, spatial sizes and geographic locations based on mass balanced trophic models (Patricio et al, 2006;Vassallo et al, 2006;Ibarra-García et al, 2016;González et al, 2016;Ortiz et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergy-based indicators for evaluating ecosystem health: A case study of three benthic ecosystem networks influenced by coastal upwelling in northern Chile (SE Pacific coast)

Berríos

Campbell

Ortiz

2018

Ecological Indicators

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It has been hypothesized that ecosystem health describes the state in which all processes operating within an ecosystem are functioning at a level of optimum efficiency to maximize system empower. In this study, systems analysis of networks and information flows is used within this definition of ecosystem health to assess the condition of the benthic ecosystems in three coastal bays in northern Chile. These highly productive ecosystems are characterized by the inflow of cold, nutrient-rich waters of low oxygen concentration derived from coastal upwelling of deep waters and the interruption of upwelling flow during El Niño events when warmer waters with higher oxygen and lower nutrient concentrations enter these coastal systems. Also, these ecosystems support important artisanal benthic fisheries and are affected by industrial activities in the coastal zone. Energy Systems Theory (EST) and Emergy Analysis 1 (EA) were applied to quantify the health of these benthic ecosystems and evaluate differences in their structure, organization and functional capacities, which are related to their emergy signatures. The marked dominance of these benthic ecosystems by nitrate from upwelling resulted in unbalanced emergy signatures, suggesting less development and system diversity compared to other coastal ecosystems with more balanced emergy signatures. Macro-descriptors and network properties, such as emergy-based ascendency and the quality-adjusted Shannon diversity index 2 were highest for Mejillones Bay, followed by Antofagasta and then Tongoy Bay. The Average Mutual Information (AMI) index adjusted for energy quality 3 and the emergy-based A/C (ascendency to capacity) ratio 4 , were higher for Tongoy Bay, suggesting functional differences in health among 1 Emergy is defined as the sum of the available energy (i.e., energy with the potential to do work) of one kind, e.g., solar joules, which is used-up, directly and indirectly, within an ecosystem for the production of goods and services. 2 The proportion of total system emergy flow allocated to each component. 3 The number and diversity of emergy-weighted interactions among the system components. 4 This index has been suggested as a maturity index.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergy-based indicators for evaluating ecosystem health: A case study of three benthic ecosystem networks influenced by coastal upwelling in northern Chile (SE Pacific coast)

Berríos

Campbell

Ortiz

2018

Ecological Indicators

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“…The governance of these areas in general and fall within the responsibility of CO-NANP, although it is also carried out with the support of other governments and civil society institutions [33]. In addition, different academic institutions are also involved in the evaluation of the protected species populations [35][36][37][38]. .…”

Section: Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (Oecms) Fis...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mexico on Track to Protect 30% of Its Marine Area by 2030

Perera-Valderrama,

Rosique-de la Cruz,

Caballero-Aragón

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Mexico has committed to protecting 30% of its marine territory by 2030 to comply with Target 3 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted during the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of meeting this commitment by determining the marine extent of conservation measures based on legally established Marine Protected Areas and areas that meet the criteria to be considered as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and determining the marine extent of areas proposed in various conservation planning exercises that can be created as any of the area-based instruments that exist in Mexico. The total coverage of existing and proposed areas was calculated by merging the dataset to remove duplicates and dissolving the boundaries between polygons to determine the total area. Spatial analysis was carried out in ArcGIS using geoprocessing tools. Currently, more than 25% of Mexico’s marine area is legally protected or conserved, with federal marine protected areas covering more than 22% of the Exclusive Economic Zone. The legally established areas that can be considered OECMs cover about 3% of the marine territory. We found that more than 9% of Mexico’s Economic Exclusive Zone contains areas of high conservation importance that are not covered by any area-based instrument. This study shows that Mexico has the potential to protect or conserve 32.8% of its marine territory by 2030.

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“…During the nearly four decades in which the IUCN Red List has been continuously reassessed, sustained population declines have changed the status of this species from vulnerable to endangered. Whale sharks are negatively impacted directly and indirectly (as bycatch) by fisheries working in whale shark aggregation areas, as well as by vessel collisions, inappropriate tourism, and new trade opportunities for whale shark byproducts such as fins, meat, and oil (Chen and Phipps, 2002;Li et al, 2012;Pierce and Norman, 2016;Ibarra-García et al, 2017). The conservation of whale sharks is challenging because of their slow growth and maturation rates, which make them vulnerable to overexploitation (Cortés, 2000;Vignaud et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel Insights Into the Genetic Population Connectivity of Transient Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Pacific Panama Provide Crucial Data for Conservation Efforts

2021

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The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is an endangered and highly migratory species, of which solitary individuals or aggregations are observed in oceans worldwide and for which conservation efforts are hindered by a lack of comprehensive data on genetic population connectivity. Tissue samples were collected from wandering whale sharks in Pacific Panama to determine genetic diversity, phylogeographic origin, and possible global and local connectivity patterns using a 700–800 bp fragment of the mitochondrial control region gene. Genetic diversity among samples was high, with five new haplotypes and nine polymorphic sites identified among the 15 sequences. Haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.83) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00516) were similar to those reported in other studies. Our sequences, in particular haplotypes PTY1 and PTY2, were similar to those previously reported in the Arabian Gulf and the Western Indian Ocean populations (a novel occurrence in the latter case). Haplotypes PTY3, PTY4, and PTY5 were similar to populations in Mexico and the Gulf of California. In contrast, the only populations to which our Panamanian sequences were genetically dissimilar were those from the Atlantic Ocean. The absence of reference sequences in GenBank from southern sites in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, such as Galapagos (Ecuador), Gorgona and Malpelo Islands (Colombia), and Coco Island (Costa Rica), reduced our capacity to genetically define regional patterns. Genetic differentiation and connectivity were also assessed using an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), which showed a similar population structure (five groups) to the neighbor-joining tree. Other population features based on neutrality tests, such as Tajima’s D and Fu’s Fs statistics, showed positive values for Panama of 0.79 and 1.61, respectively. Positive values of these statistics indicate a lack of evidence for population expansion among the sampled individuals. Our results agree with previous reports suggesting that whale sharks can travel over long distances and that transboundary conservation measures may be effective for species protection.

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The functional trophic role of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in the northern Mexican Caribbean: network analysis and ecosystem development

Cited by 14 publications

References 20 publications

Emergy-based indicators for evaluating ecosystem health: A case study of three benthic ecosystem networks influenced by coastal upwelling in northern Chile (SE Pacific coast)

Emergy-based indicators for evaluating ecosystem health: A case study of three benthic ecosystem networks influenced by coastal upwelling in northern Chile (SE Pacific coast)

Mexico on Track to Protect 30% of Its Marine Area by 2030

Novel Insights Into the Genetic Population Connectivity of Transient Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Pacific Panama Provide Crucial Data for Conservation Efforts

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