Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management.
Structural change in both the habitat and reef-associated fish assemblages within spatially managed coral reefs can provide key insights into the benefits and limitations of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While MPA zoning effects on particular target species are well reported, we are yet to fully re...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23342078/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1818344281092390912 |
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| author | Mae M Noble Gregoor van Laake Michael L Berumen Christopher J Fulton |
| author_facet | Mae M Noble Gregoor van Laake Michael L Berumen Christopher J Fulton |
| author_sort | Mae M Noble |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Structural change in both the habitat and reef-associated fish assemblages within spatially managed coral reefs can provide key insights into the benefits and limitations of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While MPA zoning effects on particular target species are well reported, we are yet to fully resolve the various affects of spatial management on the structure of coral reef communities over decadal time scales. Here, we document mixed affects of MPA zoning on fish density, biomass and species richness over the 21 years since establishment of the Saba Marine Park (SMP). Although we found significantly greater biomass and species richness of reef-associated fishes within shallow habitats (5 meters depth) closed to fishing, this did not hold for deeper (15 m) habitats, and there was a widespread decline (38% decrease) in live hard coral cover and a 68% loss of carnivorous reef fishes across all zones of the SMP from the 1990s to 2008. Given the importance of live coral for the maintenance and replenishment of reef fishes, and the likely role of chronic disturbance in driving coral decline across the region, we explore how local spatial management can help protect coral reef ecosystems within the context of large-scale environmental pressures and disturbances outside the purview of local MPA management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:43:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-060b1f19fb2d4fad841563e2d6967564 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T16:43:59Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-060b1f19fb2d4fad841563e2d69675642022-12-21T23:38:13ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0181e5406910.1371/journal.pone.0054069Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management.Mae M NobleGregoor van LaakeMichael L BerumenChristopher J FultonStructural change in both the habitat and reef-associated fish assemblages within spatially managed coral reefs can provide key insights into the benefits and limitations of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While MPA zoning effects on particular target species are well reported, we are yet to fully resolve the various affects of spatial management on the structure of coral reef communities over decadal time scales. Here, we document mixed affects of MPA zoning on fish density, biomass and species richness over the 21 years since establishment of the Saba Marine Park (SMP). Although we found significantly greater biomass and species richness of reef-associated fishes within shallow habitats (5 meters depth) closed to fishing, this did not hold for deeper (15 m) habitats, and there was a widespread decline (38% decrease) in live hard coral cover and a 68% loss of carnivorous reef fishes across all zones of the SMP from the 1990s to 2008. Given the importance of live coral for the maintenance and replenishment of reef fishes, and the likely role of chronic disturbance in driving coral decline across the region, we explore how local spatial management can help protect coral reef ecosystems within the context of large-scale environmental pressures and disturbances outside the purview of local MPA management.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23342078/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Mae M Noble Gregoor van Laake Michael L Berumen Christopher J Fulton Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management. PLoS ONE |
| title | Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management. |
| title_full | Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management. |
| title_fullStr | Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management. |
| title_short | Community change within a Caribbean coral reef Marine Protected Area following two decades of local management. |
| title_sort | community change within a caribbean coral reef marine protected area following two decades of local management |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/23342078/?tool=EBI |
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