Condition of remote reefs off southwest Cuba
There are few comprehensive studies on the condition of reefs that are remote from direct anthropogenic pressures and, therefore, ecological baseline data are scarce. To help address this deficiency, the community condition of the little-studied remote reefs along a 200-kmlong tract bordering the G...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
2010-04-01
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| Series: | Ciencias Marinas |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/1670 |
| _version_ | 1797279478289793024 |
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| author | PM Alcolado IE Morgan PA Kramer RN Ginsburg P Blanchon E de la Guardia V Kosminin S González-Ferrer M Hernández |
| author_facet | PM Alcolado IE Morgan PA Kramer RN Ginsburg P Blanchon E de la Guardia V Kosminin S González-Ferrer M Hernández |
| author_sort | PM Alcolado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
There are few comprehensive studies on the condition of reefs that are remote from direct anthropogenic pressures and, therefore, ecological baseline data are scarce. To help address this deficiency, the community condition of the little-studied remote reefs along a 200-kmlong tract bordering the Gulf of Batabano (southwest Cuba) was assessed. The reef-front coral communities (38 sites), where Montastraea spp. is the most common coral, were homogeneous along the entire reef tract. The reef-crest coral communities (30 sites), however, could be differentiated into three geographically distinct areas by their abundances of Acropora palmata and Diploria clivosa; the former predominated at 26 of the 30 reef-crest sites, but most colonies were “standing dead”. This observation is similar to the massive declines of acroporid coral populations that have been documented throughout the Caribbean region. Mean coral cover (19–26%) was similar to the regional average (19–23%), but was surprisingly high (72%) at a protected reef-crest site close to an extensive mainland coastal mangrove (Ciénaga de Zapata). At this site, A. palmata and other acroporids were abundant and healthy, and Diadema antillarum density was higher than in the other surveyed areas. Reduced hurricane impact at this more sheltered site may have either circumvented a synergy with overfishing, hurricane destruction, and recruitment failure (widely reported at other degraded reefs), or maintained a high diademid population that facilitated coral recruitment and allowed rapid coral recovery following damage.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:25:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-acec45f1b10e44caa42436ecf30e8384 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0185-3880 2395-9053 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:25:57Z |
| publishDate | 2010-04-01 |
| publisher | Universidad Autónoma de Baja California |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ciencias Marinas |
| spelling | doaj.art-acec45f1b10e44caa42436ecf30e83842024-03-03T18:03:34ZengUniversidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaCiencias Marinas0185-38802395-90532010-04-0136210.7773/cm.v36i2.1670Condition of remote reefs off southwest CubaPM Alcolado0IE Morgan1PA Kramer2RN Ginsburg3P Blanchon4E de la Guardia5V Kosminin6S González-Ferrer7M Hernández8Instituto de OceanologíaUniversity of MiamiThe Nature ConservancyUniversity of MiamiUniversidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaCentro de Investigaciones MarinasDepartment of Environmental ProtectionInstituto de OceanologíaInstituto de Oceanología There are few comprehensive studies on the condition of reefs that are remote from direct anthropogenic pressures and, therefore, ecological baseline data are scarce. To help address this deficiency, the community condition of the little-studied remote reefs along a 200-kmlong tract bordering the Gulf of Batabano (southwest Cuba) was assessed. The reef-front coral communities (38 sites), where Montastraea spp. is the most common coral, were homogeneous along the entire reef tract. The reef-crest coral communities (30 sites), however, could be differentiated into three geographically distinct areas by their abundances of Acropora palmata and Diploria clivosa; the former predominated at 26 of the 30 reef-crest sites, but most colonies were “standing dead”. This observation is similar to the massive declines of acroporid coral populations that have been documented throughout the Caribbean region. Mean coral cover (19–26%) was similar to the regional average (19–23%), but was surprisingly high (72%) at a protected reef-crest site close to an extensive mainland coastal mangrove (Ciénaga de Zapata). At this site, A. palmata and other acroporids were abundant and healthy, and Diadema antillarum density was higher than in the other surveyed areas. Reduced hurricane impact at this more sheltered site may have either circumvented a synergy with overfishing, hurricane destruction, and recruitment failure (widely reported at other degraded reefs), or maintained a high diademid population that facilitated coral recruitment and allowed rapid coral recovery following damage. https://www.cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/1670AGRRAcoral reefDiademahealth assessmenthurricanesCuba |
| spellingShingle | PM Alcolado IE Morgan PA Kramer RN Ginsburg P Blanchon E de la Guardia V Kosminin S González-Ferrer M Hernández Condition of remote reefs off southwest Cuba Ciencias Marinas AGRRA coral reef Diadema health assessment hurricanes Cuba |
| title | Condition of remote reefs off southwest Cuba |
| title_full | Condition of remote reefs off southwest Cuba |
| title_fullStr | Condition of remote reefs off southwest Cuba |
| title_full_unstemmed | Condition of remote reefs off southwest Cuba |
| title_short | Condition of remote reefs off southwest Cuba |
| title_sort | condition of remote reefs off southwest cuba |
| topic | AGRRA coral reef Diadema health assessment hurricanes Cuba |
| url | https://www.cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/1670 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pmalcolado conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT iemorgan conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT pakramer conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT rnginsburg conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT pblanchon conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT edelaguardia conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT vkosminin conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT sgonzalezferrer conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba AT mhernandez conditionofremotereefsoffsouthwestcuba |