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García-Urueña R, Kitchen SA, Schizas NV. Fine scale population structure of Acropora palmata and Acropora cervicornis in the Colombian Caribbean. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13854. [PMID: 36061746 PMCID: PMC9438773 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Using a standardized SNP array, we identified two populations of Acropora cervicornis and one population of A. palmata in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. San Andrés was the most genetically differentiated location for both species. An average pairwise FST value of 0.131 and 0.050 between San Andrés and neighboring collection sites was estimated, for A. cervicornis and A. palmata, respectively. Based on population patterns of both acroporid species, we inferred that Magdalena River is not a barrier of genetic connectivity among Colombian populations. Genetic comparisons between the Colombian coast of Caribbean with other Caribbean locations agree with previous studies for both species, where four populations were identified in A. cervicornis and three in A. palmata. Our results support published bio-physical model predictions and highlight the Panama-Colombia gyre as a possible isolating mechanism within the western Caribbean. However, the genetic diversity in both species was about half (mean HE per site = 0.321 in A. palmata and 0.369 in A. cervicornis) than previous estimates in acroporid populations in the Caribbean. The lower genetic diversity as well their relative isolation and high levels of reef degradation may be of particular conservation concern that may require species-specific management coupled with science-based restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocio García-Urueña
- Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia
| | - Sheila A. Kitchen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States of America
| | - Nikolaos V. Schizas
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR, United States of America
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Remotely Sensing the Source and Transport of Marine Plastic Debris in Bay Islands of Honduras (Caribbean Sea). REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12111727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Plastic debris in the global ocean is considered an important issue with severe implications for human health and marine ecosystems. Here, we exploited high-resolution multispectral satellite observations over the Bay Islands and Gulf of Honduras, for the period 2014-2019, to investigate the capability of satellite sensors in detecting marine plastic debris. We verified findings with in situ data, recorded the spectral characteristics of floating plastic litter, and identified plastic debris trajectories and sources. The results showed that plastic debris originating from Guatemala’s and Honduras’ rivers (such as Motagua, Ulua, Cangrejal, Tinto and Aguan) ends up in the Caribbean Sea, mainly during the period of August to March, which includes the main rainfall season. The detected spatial trajectories indicated that floating plastic debris travels with an average speed of 6 km d−1, following primarily a southwest (SW) to northeast (NE) direction, driven by the prevailing sea surface currents. Based on several satellite observations, there is no indication of a specific accumulation point, since plastic debris is dispersed by the dynamic circulation in the broader region. Our findings provide evidence that satellite remote sensing is a valuable, cost-effective tool for monitoring the sources and pathways of plastic debris in marine ecosystems, and thus could eventually support management strategies in the global ocean.
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Populations of the coral species Montastraea cavernosa on the Belize Barrier Reef lack vertical connectivity. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7200. [PMID: 31076586 PMCID: PMC6510931 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43479-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Larval connectivity among and within coral reefs is important for sustaining coral metapopulations, enhancing ecosystem resilience through species and genetic diversity, and maintaining reef ecosystems’ structure and functions. This study characterized genetic structure and assessed horizontal and vertical connectivity among populations of the ubiquitous gonochoric broadcast spawning coral Montastraea cavernosa in Belize. Using nine polymorphic microsatellite loci, we genotyped M. cavernosa colonies from four depth zones at four study sites within Belizean marine management zones. Study sites were selected within South Water Caye Marine Reserve (3 sites) and Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve (1 site). Strong contemporary genetic differentiation was observed between relatively shallow M. cavernosa populations (10 m, 16 m) and relatively deep (25 m, 35 m) populations, coinciding with a transition from reef crest to reef slope. These results were consistent across both marine reserves. Vertical and horizontal migration models suggest that all populations were historically panmictic, with little unidirectional migration. The relative local isolation of shallow and mesophotic M. cavernosa populations in Belize, coupled with the importance of Belize’s upper mesophotic populations as potential larval sources for other areas in the Tropical Western Atlantic, reinforces the need for management strategies that conserve coral populations across all depth zones.
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Rippe JP, Matz MV, Green EA, Medina M, Khawaja NZ, Pongwarin T, Pinzón C JH, Castillo KD, Davies SW. Population structure and connectivity of the mountainous star coral, Orbicella faveolata, throughout the wider Caribbean region. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:9234-9246. [PMID: 29187964 PMCID: PMC5696396 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
As coral reefs continue to decline worldwide, it becomes ever more necessary to understand the connectivity between coral populations to develop efficient management strategies facilitating survival and adaptation of coral reefs in the future. Orbicella faveolata is one of the most important reef-building corals in the Caribbean and has recently experienced severe population reductions. Here, we utilize a panel of nine microsatellite loci to evaluate the genetic structure of O. faveolata and to infer connectivity across ten sites spanning the wider Caribbean region. Populations are generally well-mixed throughout the basin (FST = 0.038), although notable patterns of substructure arise at local and regional scales. Eastern and western populations appear segregated with a genetic break around the Mona Passage in the north, as has been shown previously in other species; however, we find evidence for significant connectivity between Curaçao and Mexico, suggesting that the southern margin of this barrier is permeable to dispersal. Our results also identify a strong genetic break within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System associated with complex oceanographic patterns that promote larval retention in southern Belize. Additionally, the diverse genetic signature at Flower Garden Banks suggests its possible function as a downstream genetic sink. The findings reported here are relevant to the ongoing conservation efforts for this important and threatened species, and contribute to the growing understanding of large-scale coral reef connectivity throughout the wider Caribbean.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Rippe
- Department of Marine Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Mikhail V Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin TX USA
| | - Elizabeth A Green
- Quantitative and Systems Biology University of California Merced CA USA
| | - Mónica Medina
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Smithsonian Institution Washington DC USA
| | - Nida Z Khawaja
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin TX USA
| | - Thanapat Pongwarin
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin TX USA
| | - Jorge H Pinzón C
- Department of Molecular Biology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas TX USA
| | - Karl D Castillo
- Department of Marine Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Sarah W Davies
- Department of Marine Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA.,Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin TX USA.,Department of Biology Boston University Boston MA USA
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5
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Baumann JH, Townsend JE, Courtney TA, Aichelman HE, Davies SW, Lima FP, Castillo KD. Temperature Regimes Impact Coral Assemblages along Environmental Gradients on Lagoonal Reefs in Belize. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162098. [PMID: 27606598 PMCID: PMC5015988 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by global and local anthropogenic stressors such as rising seawater temperature, nutrient enrichment, sedimentation, and overfishing. Although many studies have investigated the impacts of local and global stressors on coral reefs, we still do not fully understand how these stressors influence coral community structure, particularly across environmental gradients on a reef system. Here, we investigate coral community composition across three different temperature and productivity regimes along a nearshore-offshore gradient on lagoonal reefs of the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS). A novel metric was developed using ultra-high-resolution satellite-derived estimates of sea surface temperatures (SST) to classify reefs as exposed to low (lowTP), moderate (modTP), or high (highTP) temperature parameters over 10 years (2003 to 2012). Coral species richness, abundance, diversity, density, and percent cover were lower at highTP sites relative to lowTP and modTP sites, but these coral community traits did not differ significantly between lowTP and modTP sites. Analysis of coral life history strategies revealed that highTP sites were dominated by hardy stress-tolerant and fast-growing weedy coral species, while lowTP and modTP sites consisted of competitive, generalist, weedy, and stress-tolerant coral species. Satellite-derived estimates of Chlorophyll-a (chl-a) were obtained for 13-years (2003-2015) as a proxy for primary production. Chl-a concentrations were highest at highTP sites, medial at modTP sites, and lowest at lowTP sites. Notably, thermal parameters correlated better with coral community traits between site types than productivity, suggesting that temperature (specifically number of days above the thermal bleaching threshold) played a greater role in defining coral community structure than productivity on the MBRS. Dominance of weedy and stress-tolerant genera at highTP sites suggests that corals utilizing these two life history strategies may be better suited to cope with warmer oceans and thus may warrant protective status under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin H. Baumann
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Marine Sciences, 3202 Murray and Venable Halls, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599–3300, United States of America
| | - Joseph E. Townsend
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Marine Sciences, 3202 Murray and Venable Halls, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599–3300, United States of America
| | - Travis A. Courtney
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Marine Sciences, 3202 Murray and Venable Halls, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599–3300, United States of America
- Northeastern University, Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences; 430 Nahant Rd, Nahant, MA, United States of America
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093–0202, United States of America
| | - Hannah E. Aichelman
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Marine Sciences, 3202 Murray and Venable Halls, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599–3300, United States of America
| | - Sarah W. Davies
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Marine Sciences, 3202 Murray and Venable Halls, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599–3300, United States of America
- Northeastern University, Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences; 430 Nahant Rd, Nahant, MA, United States of America
| | - Fernando P. Lima
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigacao em Biodiversidade e Recursos Geneticos, Universitdade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Karl D. Castillo
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Marine Sciences, 3202 Murray and Venable Halls, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599–3300, United States of America
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Hogan JD, Thiessen RJ, Sale PF, Heath DD. Local retention, dispersal and fluctuating connectivity among populations of a coral reef fish. Oecologia 2011; 168:61-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2058-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2010] [Accepted: 06/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Beech T, Dowd M, Field C, Hatcher B, Andréfouët S. A stochastic approach to marine reserve design: Incorporating data uncertainty. ECOL INFORM 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2008.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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The stochastic nature of larval connectivity among nearshore marine populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:8974-9. [PMID: 18577590 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0802544105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many nearshore fish and invertebrate populations are overexploited even when apparently coherent management structures are in place. One potential cause of mismanagement may be a poor understanding and accounting of stochasticity, particularly for stock recruitment. Many of the fishes and invertebrates that comprise nearshore fisheries are relatively sedentary as adults but have an obligate larval pelagic stage that is dispersed by ocean currents. Here, we demonstrate that larval connectivity is inherently an intermittent and heterogeneous process on annual time scales. This stochasticity arises from the advection of pelagic larvae by chaotic coastal circulations. This result departs from typical assumptions where larvae simply diffuse from one site to another or where complex connectivity patterns are created by transport within spatially complicated environments. We derive a statistical model for the expected variability in larval settlement patterns and demonstrate how larval connectivity varies as a function of different biological and physical processes. The stochastic nature of larval connectivity creates an unavoidable uncertainty in the assessment of fish recruitment and the resulting forecasts of sustainable yields.
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Sheng J, Wang L, Andréfouët S, Hu C, Hatcher BG, Muller-Karger FE, Kjerfve B, Heyman WD, Yang B. Upper ocean response of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System to Hurricane Mitch and coastal freshwater inputs: A study using Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color data and a nested-grid ocean circulation model. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006jc003900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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10
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Andréfouët S, Ouillon S, Brinkman R, Falter J, Douillet P, Wolk F, Smith R, Garen P, Martinez E, Laurent V, Lo C, Remoissenet G, Scourzic B, Gilbert A, Deleersnijder E, Steinberg C, Choukroun S, Buestel D. Review of solutions for 3D hydrodynamic modeling applied to aquaculture in South Pacific atoll lagoons. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2006; 52:1138-55. [PMID: 16987532 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2006.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2006] [Accepted: 07/27/2006] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
A workshop organized in French Polynesia in November 2004 allowed reviewing the current methods to model the three-dimensional hydrodynamic circulation in semi-enclosed atoll lagoons for aquaculture applications. Mollusk (e.g. pearl oyster, clam) aquaculture is a major source of income for South Pacific countries such as French Polynesia or Cook Islands. This aquaculture now requires a better understanding of circulation patterns to improve the spatial use of the lagoons, especially to define the best area to set larvae collectors. The pelagic larval duration of the relevant species (<20 days) and the size of the semi-closed lagoons (few hundreds of km2) drive the specifications of the model in terms of the spatial and temporal scale. It is considered that, in contrast with fish, mollusk larvae movements are limited and that their cycle occurs completely in the lagoon, without an oceanic stage. Atolls where aquaculture is productive are generally well-bounded, or semi-closed, without significant large and deep openings to the ocean. Nevertheless part of the lagoon circulation is driven by oceanic water inputs through the rim, ocean swells, tides and winds. Therefore, boundary conditions of the lagoon system are defined by the spatial structure of a very shallow rim (exposition and number of hoas), the deep ocean swell climate, tides and wind regimes. To obtain a realistic 3D numerical model of lagoon circulation with adequate forcing, it is thus necessary to connect in an interdisciplinary way a variety of methods (models, remote sensing and in situ data collection) to accurately represent the different components of the lagoon system and its specific boundary conditions. We review here the current methods and tools used to address these different components for a hypothetical atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia), representative of the semi-closed lagoons of the South Pacific Ocean. We hope this paper will serve as a guide for similar studies elsewhere and we provide guidelines in terms of costs for all the different stages involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Andréfouët
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP A5 98848 Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia.
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