1
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Caldwell JM, Liu G, Geiger E, Heron SF, Eakin CM, De La Cour J, Greene A, Raymundo L, Dryden J, Schlaff A, Stella JS, Kindinger TL, Couch CS, Fenner D, Hoot W, Manzello D, Donahue MJ. Multi-Factor Coral Disease Risk: A new product for early warning and management. Ecol Appl 2024:e2961. [PMID: 38522943 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Ecological forecasts are becoming increasingly valuable tools for conservation and management. However, there are few examples of near-real-time forecasting systems that account for the wide range of ecological complexities. We developed a new coral disease ecological forecasting system that explores a suite of ecological relationships and their uncertainty and investigates how forecast skill changes with shorter lead times. The Multi-Factor Coral Disease Risk product introduced here uses a combination of ecological and marine environmental conditions to predict the risk of white syndromes and growth anomalies across reefs in the central and western Pacific and along the east coast of Australia and is available through the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Watch program. This product produces weekly forecasts for a moving window of 6 months at a resolution of ~5 km based on quantile regression forests. The forecasts show superior skill at predicting disease risk on withheld survey data from 2012 to 2020 compared with predecessor forecast systems, with the biggest improvements shown for predicting disease risk at mid- to high-disease levels. Most of the prediction uncertainty arises from model uncertainty, so prediction accuracy and precision do not improve substantially with shorter lead times. This result arises because many predictor variables cannot be accurately forecasted, which is a common challenge across ecosystems. Weekly forecasts and scenarios can be explored through an online decision support tool and data explorer, co-developed with end-user groups to improve use and understanding of ecological forecasts. The models provide near-real-time disease risk assessments and allow users to refine predictions and assess intervention scenarios. This work advances the field of ecological forecasting with real-world complexities and, in doing so, better supports near-term decision making for coral reef ecosystem managers and stakeholders. Secondarily, we identify clear needs and provide recommendations to further enhance our ability to forecast coral disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie M Caldwell
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA
- High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Gang Liu
- NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Coral Reef Watch, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Erick Geiger
- NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Coral Reef Watch, College Park, Maryland, USA
- Global Science & Technology, Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Scott F Heron
- Physical Sciences and Marine Geophysics Laboratory, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - C Mark Eakin
- Corals and Climate, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Jacqueline De La Cour
- NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Coral Reef Watch, College Park, Maryland, USA
- Global Science & Technology, Inc., Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Austin Greene
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Jen Dryden
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Audrey Schlaff
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jessica S Stella
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tye L Kindinger
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Courtney S Couch
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Douglas Fenner
- Lynker Technologies, LLC, Contractor, NOAA Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Whitney Hoot
- Guam Coral Reef Initiative, Government of Guam, Hagatña, Guam, USA
| | - Derek Manzello
- NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Coral Reef Watch, College Park, Maryland, USA
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2
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Richardson LE, Heenan A, Delargy AJ, Neubauer P, Lecky J, Gove JM, Green JAM, Kindinger TL, Ingeman KE, Williams GJ. Local human impacts disrupt depth-dependent zonation of tropical reef fish communities. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1844-1855. [PMID: 37749400 PMCID: PMC10627831 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02201-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The influence of depth and associated gradients in light, nutrients and plankton on the ecological organization of tropical reef communities was first described over six decades ago but remains untested across broad geographies. During this time humans have become the dominant driver of planetary change, requiring that we revisit historic ecological paradigms to ensure they capture the dynamics of contemporary ecological systems. Analysing >5,500 in-water reef fish surveys between 0 and 30 m depth on reef slopes of 35 islands across the Pacific, we assess whether a depth gradient consistently predicts variation in reef fish biomass. We reveal predictable ecological organization at unpopulated locations, with increased biomass of planktivores and piscivores and decreased primary consumer biomass with increasing depth. Bathymetric steepness also had a striking influence on biomass patterns, primarily for planktivores, emphasizing potential links between local hydrodynamics and the upslope propagation of pelagic subsidies to the shallows. However, signals of resource-driven change in fish biomass with depth were altered or lost for populated islands, probably due to depleted fish biomass baselines. While principles of depth zonation broadly held, our findings expose limitations of the paradigm for predicting ecological dynamics where human impacts confound connections between ecological communities and their surrounding environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adel Heenan
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, UK
| | - Adam J Delargy
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, UK
- School for Marine Science & Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA, USA
| | | | - Joey Lecky
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, HI, USA
- IBSS Corporation, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Jamison M Gove
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | | | - Tye L Kindinger
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Kurt E Ingeman
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Department of Environmental Studies, Linfield University, McMinnville, OR, USA
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3
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Winston M, Oliver T, Couch C, Donovan MK, Asner GP, Conklin E, Fuller K, Grady BW, Huntington B, Kageyama K, Kindinger TL, Kozar K, Kramer L, Martinez T, McCutcheon A, McKenna S, Rodgers K, Shayler CK, Vargas-Angel B, Zgliczynski B. Coral taxonomy and local stressors drive bleaching prevalence across the Hawaiian Archipelago in 2019. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269068. [PMID: 36048764 PMCID: PMC9436070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hawaiian Archipelago experienced a moderate bleaching event in 2019—the third major bleaching event over a 6-year period to impact the islands. In response, the Hawai‘i Coral Bleaching Collaborative (HCBC) conducted 2,177 coral bleaching surveys across the Hawaiian Archipelago. The HCBC was established to coordinate bleaching monitoring efforts across the state between academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies to facilitate data sharing and provide management recommendations. In 2019, the goals of this unique partnership were to: 1) assess the spatial and temporal patterns of thermal stress; 2) examine taxa-level patterns in bleaching susceptibility; 3) quantify spatial variation in bleaching extent; 4) compare 2019 patterns to those of prior bleaching events; 5) identify predictors of bleaching in 2019; and 6) explore site-specific management strategies to mitigate future bleaching events. Both acute thermal stress and bleaching in 2019 were less severe overall compared to the last major marine heatwave events in 2014 and 2015. Bleaching observed was highly site- and taxon-specific, driven by the susceptibility of remaining coral assemblages whose structure was likely shaped by previous bleaching and subsequent mortality. A suite of environmental and anthropogenic predictors was significantly correlated with observed bleaching in 2019. Acute environmental stressors, such as temperature and surface light, were equally important as previous conditions (e.g. historical thermal stress and historical bleaching) in accounting for variation in bleaching during the 2019 event. We found little evidence for acclimation by reefs to thermal stress in the main Hawaiian Islands. Moreover, our findings illustrate how detrimental effects of local anthropogenic stressors, such as tourism and urban run-off, may be exacerbated under high thermal stress. In light of the forecasted increase in severity and frequency of bleaching events, future mitigation of both local and global stressors is a high priority for the future of corals in Hawai‘i.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Winston
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science and School of Geographic Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawai‘i, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Thomas Oliver
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Courtney Couch
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Mary K. Donovan
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science and School of Geographic Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Gregory P. Asner
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science and School of Geographic Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Eric Conklin
- The Nature Conservancy, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Kimberly Fuller
- Division of Aquatic Resources (O‘ahu), Anuenue Fisheries Research Center, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Bryant W. Grady
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science and School of Geographic Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Brittany Huntington
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Kazuki Kageyama
- Division of Aquatic Resources (O‘ahu), Anuenue Fisheries Research Center, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Tye L. Kindinger
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Kelly Kozar
- Pacific Island Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, Hawai‘i National Park, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Lindsey Kramer
- Division of Aquatic Resources (Kona), Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Tatiana Martinez
- Division of Aquatic Resources (Maui), Wailuku, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Amanda McCutcheon
- Pacific Island Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, Hawai‘i National Park, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Sheila McKenna
- Pacific Island Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, Hawai‘i National Park, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Ku‘ulei Rodgers
- Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | | | - Bernardo Vargas-Angel
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Brian Zgliczynski
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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4
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McCoy KS, Huntington B, Kindinger TL, Morioka J, O'Brien K. Movement and retention of derelict fishing nets in Northwestern Hawaiian Island reefs. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 174:113261. [PMID: 34959103 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Derelict fishing nets pose hazards to marine systems as they travel through the ocean or become ensnared on coral reefs. Understanding of the movement of nets within shallow atolls can help to optimize operations to protect these shallow reefs. In 2018, six derelict fishing nets at Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Reef) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were tagged with satellite-transmitting buoys and tracked for three years. This study reveals that nets that enter the atoll from the northeast travel southwest towards the center of the atoll, and nets in the center can remain ensnared on the same reef for at least three years. This study shows that satellite buoys are a successful approach to tracking derelict net movement, and can inform future debris removal missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaylyn S McCoy
- Ecosystem Sciences Division, Archipelagic Research Program, Pacific, Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, HI, United States.
| | - Brittany Huntington
- Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Tye L Kindinger
- Ecosystem Sciences Division, Archipelagic Research Program, Pacific, Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - James Morioka
- Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Kevin O'Brien
- Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, Honolulu, HI, United States
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5
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Green SJ, Dilley ER, Benkwitt CE, Davis ACD, Ingeman KE, Kindinger TL, Tuttle LJ, Hixon MA. Trait‐mediated foraging drives patterns of selective predation by native and invasive coral‐reef fishes. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J. Green
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6E 4R4 Canada
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Eric R. Dilley
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology Graduate Program University of Hawai'i Honolulu Hawai‘i 96822 USA
| | - Cassandra E. Benkwitt
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster LA14YQ UK
| | - Alexandra C. D. Davis
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6E 4R4 Canada
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Kurt E. Ingeman
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
| | - Tye L. Kindinger
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| | - Lillian J. Tuttle
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawai'i Kāne'ohe Hawaii 96744 USA
| | - Mark A. Hixon
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
- Department of Biology University of Hawai'i Honolulu Hawai‘i 96822 USA
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6
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Kindinger TL. Invasive predator tips the balance of symmetrical competition between native coral-reef fishes. Ecology 2018; 99:792-800. [PMID: 29490107 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The importance of competition and predation in structuring ecological communities is typically examined separately such that interactions between these processes are seldom understood. By causing large reductions in native prey, invasive predators may modify native species interactions. I conducted a manipulative field experiment in The Bahamas to investigate the possibility that the invasive Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans) alters competition between planktivorous fairy and blackcap basslets (Gramma loreto and Gramma melacara, respectively). Competition between these coral-reef fishes is known to have symmetrical effects on the juveniles of both species, whereby the feeding positions under reef ledges and growth rates of these individuals are hindered. Following baseline censuses of local populations of competing basslets, I simultaneously manipulated the abundance of lionfish on entire reefs, and the abundance of basslets in local populations under isolated ledges within each reef, resulting in three treatments: unmanipulated control populations of both basslets, reduced abundance of fairy basslet, and reduced abundance of blackcap basslet. For eight weeks, I measured the change in biomass and feeding position of 2-5 cm size classes of each basslet species and calculated the growth rates of ~2 cm individuals using a standard mark-and-recapture method. Experimental populations were filmed at dusk using automated video cameras to quantify the behavior of lionfish overlapping with basslets. Video playback revealed lionfish hunted across all ledge positions, regardless of which basslet species were present, yet lionfish differentially reduced the biomass of only juvenile (2 cm) fairy basslet. Predation reduced the effects of interspecific competition on juvenile blackcap basslet as evidenced by corresponding shifts in feeding position toward coveted front edges of ledges and increases in growth rates that were comparable to the response of these fish in populations where competition was experimentally reduced. Thus, an invasive marine predator altered the outcome of interspecific competition via differential predation, which tipped the balance of competition between native prey species from symmetrical to asymmetrical effects on juveniles. This study reveals a newly demonstrated context in which predation can indirectly facilitate prey, further broadening our understanding of the interactive effects of predation and competition in the context of invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tye L Kindinger
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
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7
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Piacenza SE, Barner AK, Benkwitt CE, Boersma KS, Cerny-Chipman EB, Ingeman KE, Kindinger TL, Lee JD, Lindsley AJ, Reimer JN, Rowe JC, Shen C, Thompson KA, Thurman LL, Heppell SS. Patterns and Variation in Benthic Biodiversity in a Large Marine Ecosystem. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0135135. [PMID: 26308521 PMCID: PMC4550249 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
While there is a persistent inverse relationship between latitude and species diversity across many taxa and ecosystems, deviations from this norm offer an opportunity to understand the conditions that contribute to large-scale diversity patterns. Marine systems, in particular, provide such an opportunity, as marine diversity does not always follow a strict latitudinal gradient, perhaps because several hypothesized drivers of the latitudinal diversity gradient are uncorrelated in marine systems. We used a large scale public monitoring dataset collected over an eight year period to examine benthic marine faunal biodiversity patterns for the continental shelf (55-183 m depth) and slope habitats (184-1280 m depth) off the US West Coast (47°20'N-32°40'N). We specifically asked whether marine biodiversity followed a strict latitudinal gradient, and if these latitudinal patterns varied across depth, in different benthic substrates, and over ecological time scales. Further, we subdivided our study area into three smaller regions to test whether coast-wide patterns of biodiversity held at regional scales, where local oceanographic processes tend to influence community structure and function. Overall, we found complex patterns of biodiversity on both the coast-wide and regional scales that differed by taxonomic group. Importantly, marine biodiversity was not always highest at low latitudes. We found that latitude, depth, substrate, and year were all important descriptors of fish and invertebrate diversity. Invertebrate richness and taxonomic diversity were highest at high latitudes and in deeper waters. Fish richness also increased with latitude, but exhibited a hump-shaped relationship with depth, increasing with depth up to the continental shelf break, ~200 m depth, and then decreasing in deeper waters. We found relationships between fish taxonomic and functional diversity and latitude, depth, substrate, and time at the regional scale, but not at the coast-wide scale, suggesting that coast-wide patterns can obscure important correlates at smaller scales. Our study provides insight into complex diversity patterns of the deep water soft substrate benthic ecosystems off the US West Coast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E. Piacenza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Allison K. Barner
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Cassandra E. Benkwitt
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Kate S. Boersma
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | | | - Kurt E. Ingeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Tye L. Kindinger
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Jonathan D. Lee
- Department of Geographic Information Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Amy J. Lindsley
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Jessica N. Reimer
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Jennifer C. Rowe
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Chenchen Shen
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Kevin A. Thompson
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Lindsey L. Thurman
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Selina S. Heppell
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
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8
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Piacenza SE, Thurman LL, Barner AK, Benkwitt CE, Boersma KS, Cerny-Chipman EB, Ingeman KE, Kindinger TL, Lindsley AJ, Nelson J, Reimer JN, Rowe JC, Shen C, Thompson KA, Heppell SS. Evaluating Temporal Consistency in Marine Biodiversity Hotspots. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133301. [PMID: 26200354 PMCID: PMC4511790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
With the ongoing crisis of biodiversity loss and limited resources for conservation, the concept of biodiversity hotspots has been useful in determining conservation priority areas. However, there has been limited research into how temporal variability in biodiversity may influence conservation area prioritization. To address this information gap, we present an approach to evaluate the temporal consistency of biodiversity hotspots in large marine ecosystems. Using a large scale, public monitoring dataset collected over an eight year period off the US Pacific Coast, we developed a methodological approach for avoiding biases associated with hotspot delineation. We aggregated benthic fish species data from research trawls and calculated mean hotspot thresholds for fish species richness and Shannon's diversity indices over the eight year dataset. We used a spatial frequency distribution method to assign hotspot designations to the grid cells annually. We found no areas containing consistently high biodiversity through the entire study period based on the mean thresholds, and no grid cell was designated as a hotspot for greater than 50% of the time-series. To test if our approach was sensitive to sampling effort and the geographic extent of the survey, we followed a similar routine for the northern region of the survey area. Our finding of low consistency in benthic fish biodiversity hotspots over time was upheld, regardless of biodiversity metric used, whether thresholds were calculated per year or across all years, or the spatial extent for which we calculated thresholds and identified hotspots. Our results suggest that static measures of benthic fish biodiversity off the US West Coast are insufficient for identification of hotspots and that long-term data are required to appropriately identify patterns of high temporal variability in biodiversity for these highly mobile taxa. Given that ecological communities are responding to a changing climate and other environmental perturbations, our work highlights the need for scientists and conservation managers to consider both spatial and temporal dynamics when designating biodiversity hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E. Piacenza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Lindsey L. Thurman
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Allison K. Barner
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Cassandra E. Benkwitt
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Kate S. Boersma
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
- Department of Biology, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | | | - Kurt E. Ingeman
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Tye L. Kindinger
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Amy J. Lindsley
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Jake Nelson
- Department of Geography, Environmental Sciences and Marine Resource Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
- Department of Information Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Jessica N. Reimer
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Jennifer C. Rowe
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Chenchen Shen
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Kevin A. Thompson
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Selina S. Heppell
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
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