CotSim—an interactive Acanthaster planci metapopulation model for the central Great Barrier Reef

CotSim is a size-structured metapopulation model of the crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci) on the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The populations of starfish and the coral cover on 269 individual reefs are modelled for up to 200 years. Starfish are represented as larvae, two age classes of juveniles and three size classes of adults. Coral can either be modelled as a single type or as two types each with a characteristic growth rate, equilibrium cover and susceptibility to starfish predation. Reefs are connected using simulated dispersal data for A. planci on the central GBR. These data were generated using a particle tracking program where simulated currents displaced particles representing dispersing larvae after an A. planci spawning episode. The dispersal data represented patterns expected from the 1976/77 to 1989/90 spawning season. The starfish growth model is a density-dependent matrix model. When coral cover is low, survival within classes is low and the transitions into larger classes is impeded. In contrast, at high coral cover the reverse patterns occur. Both the starfish and coral data are filtered through an interpretation model to generate observed patterns. The starfish interpretation model represents the important difficulty in detecting smaller adults. Results from the model using the default parameters correspond with published patterns of starfish/coral dynamics and the overall patterns of starfish outbreaks on the GBR.The model is an interactive event-driven 32-bit Windows application requiring Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51/4.0. Most parameters are able to be altered by the user with three tabbed dialogue boxes (for the simulation, starfish and coral parameters). Biologically justifiable default parameters are provided for all parameters. Parameters and initial starfish populations are stored in simple coded ASCII files. Simulations are controlled using ‘Run’, ‘Pause/Continue’ and ‘Stop’ operations. Maps of the GBR illustrate the spatial and temporal structure of the metapopulation dynamics including the patterns of dispersal. Once paused, populations on individual reefs can be examined using two types of plots (time series and single time bar charts). Overall patterns can be displayed using latitude versus time plots of observed reef state. Starfish populations and coral cover can be edited, which enables users of the model to become associated with some of the key issues regarding large-scale starfish control programs. Results from the model can be written to ASCII files for additional analysis. The speed of a simulation is able to be controlled and colours for important graphical elements can be altered. CotSim includes indexed online context-sensitive help and a graphical install routine. The program adheres to published guidelines for Windows applications.     

珊瑚礁生态系统修复研究进展

健康的珊瑚礁生态系统具有造礁、护礁、固礁、防浪护岸、防止国土流失的功能。同时, 珊瑚礁生态系统生物多样性极高, 被称为海洋中的“热带雨林”。我国南海拥有200多个珊瑚岛、礁与沙洲, 是世界海洋珊瑚礁最丰富的区域之一。近年来, 由于全球气候变化和围填海等人类活动的影响, 珊瑚礁生态系统受到了不同程度的影响或破坏, 危及海洋生态与岛礁安全, 珊瑚礁生态系统的修复至关重要。本文对珊瑚礁生态系统的现状、修复方法及存在的问题进行了总结, 并在此基础上创新性地提出了基于系统的珊瑚礁多维生态系统修复模式并付诸实践, 以期提供更有效的珊瑚礁生态系统修复新方法。     

Socio-economic aspects of artificial reefs: Considerations for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Artificial reefs are used to enhance recreational fishing and diving opportunities in the marine environment. Until recently, demand for artificial reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) has been low due to the high value placed on the natural ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and the abundance of fishing and diving opportunities it provides. In the GBRMP, where there are multiple stakeholder groups with diverse and often conflicting values and opinions, the deployment of artificial reefs will be a complex and controversial social issue. We review the available socio-economic literature regarding the deployment, use, and management of artificial reefs, and aim to identify and understand potential socio-economic issues and information gaps surrounding deployment of artificial reefs in the GBRMP. We also outline a strategy to guide decision-making and maximize the socio-economic value of artificial reefs should they be deployed in the GBRMP.     

In situ observations of fish associated with coral reefs off Ireland

The abundance and behaviour of fish on and around coral reefs at Twin Mounds and Giant Mounds, carbonate mounds located on the continental shelf off Ireland (600-1100 m), were studied using two Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives. We recorded 30 fish taxa on the dives, together with three species of Scleractinia (Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata and Desmophyllum cristagalli) and a diverse range of other corals (Antipatharia, Alcyonacea, and Stylasteridae). Stands of live coral provided the only habitat in which Guttigadus latifrons was observed whereas Neocyttus helgae was found predominantly on structural habitats provided by dead coral. Significantly more fish were found on structurally complex coral rubble habitats than on flatter areas where coral rubble was clogged with sand. The most common species recorded was Lepidion eques (2136 individuals), which always occurred a few cm above bottom and was significantly more active on the reefs than on sedimentary habitats. Synaphobranchus kaupii (1157 indiv.), N. helgae (198 indiv.) and Micromesistius poutassou (116 indiv.) were also common; S. kaupii did not exhibit habitat-related differences in behaviour, whilst N. helgae was more active over the reefs and other structured habitats whereas M. poutassou was more active with decreasing habitat complexity. Trawl damage and abandoned fishing gear was observed at both sites. We conclude that Irish coral reefs provide complex habitats that are home to a diverse assemblage of fish utilising the range of niches occurring both above and within the reef structure.     

Protection of marine benthic habitats in the Pacific islands. A case study of Guam

Guam consists of a single main island surrounded by shallow fringing coral reefs. The marine species and ecology of Guam's coral reefs have been studied extensively, especially through programs of the University of Guam's Marine Laboratory. In addition to overfishing and destructive fishing practices, the marine benthic communities of Guam have been damaged by major storm waves; loss of corals to crown of thorns starfish predation; damage by recreational swimmers, divers and watercraft operators; grounding of ships and pollutant discharges of sewage and of stormwater. But the most serious damage is due to accelerated siltation, sedimentation and turbidity due to erosion related to land use practices. Steps are being taken to protect Guam's coral reefs and coastal waters through legislation, regulations, permit systems and policies. Environmental impact assessments, Guam's Coral Reef Initiative and controls by the Guam Seashore Protection Commission help greatly in the protection of Guam's marine benthic environment, while new legislation and research to protect Guam's coral reefs is underway.     

Evidence of a common understanding of proximate and distal drivers of reef health

Marine management has typically prioritised natural science methodological traditions as an evidence base for decision-making; yet better integration of social science methods are increasingly shown to provide a more comprehensive picture to base management decisions. Specifically, perceptions-based assessments are gaining support, as they can provide efficient and holistic evaluation regarding management issues. This study focuses on coral reefs because they are particularly threatened ecosystems, due to their ecological complexity, socio-economic importance, and the range of environmental drivers that impact them. Research has largely concentrated on assessing proximate threats to coral reefs. Less attention has been given to distal drivers, such as socio-economic and governance factors. A common understanding of threats related to coral reef degradation is critical for integrated management that takes account of peoples’ concerns. This study compares perceptions of drivers of reef health among stakeholders (n = 110) across different sectors and governance levels, in four Caribbean countries. Interview data identified 37 proximate and 136 distal drivers, categorised into 27 themes. Five sub-groups of themes connecting proximate and distal drivers were identified. Perceptions of two of these narratives, relating to ‘fishing and socioeconomic issues’ and ‘reef management and coastal development’, differed among respondents from different countries and sectors respectively. However, the findings highlight a shared perception of many themes, with 18 of the 27 (67%) mentioned by > 25% of respondents. This paper highlights the application of perceptions data for marine management, demonstrating how knowledge of proximate and distal drivers can be applied to identify important issues at different context-specific scales.     

Benthic Foraminifera as ecological indicators for water quality on the Great Barrier Reef

Benthic foraminifera are established indicators for Water Quality (WQ) in Florida and the Caribbean. However, nearshore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and other Pacific regions are also subjected to increased nutrient and sediment loads. Here, we investigate the use of benthic foraminifera as indicators to assess status and trends of WQ on GBR reefs. We quantified several sediment parameters and the foraminiferan assemblage composition on 20 reefs in four geographic regions of the GBR, and along a water column nutrient and turbidity gradient. Twenty-seven easily recognisable benthic foraminiferan taxa (>63 μm) were distinguished. All four geographic regions differed significantly (p < 0.05, ANOSIM) in their assemblage composition, and a redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that sediment parameters only explained a small proportion of the variance in the assemblage composition. On nine reefs along a previously studied water quality gradient, foraminifera showed a distinct shift in assemblage composition towards larger symbiont-bearing taxa from turbid inner shelf towards clearer outer shelf reefs. A RDA separated symbiotic and aposymbiotic (heterotrophic) taxa. In addition, total suspended solid and water column chlorophyll a concentrations were negatively correlated, and optical depth and distance to the mainland were positively correlated, with the abundance of symbiont-bearing taxa. Several large foraminifera were identified as indicators for offshore, clear water conditions. In contrast, heterotrophic rotaliids and a species retaining plastids (Elphidium sp.) where highly characteristic for low light, higher nutrient conditions. Application of the FORAM index to GBR assemblage composition showed a significant increase in the value of this index with increased distance from the mainland in the Whitsunday region (r² = 0.75, p < 0.001), and therefore with increasing light and decreased nutrient availability. We conclude that it will be possible to apply this index to GBR and possibly other Pacific reefs after some adaptations and additional experimental work on species-specific limiting factors.     

基于LSH方法的珊瑚礁鱼类竞争压力查询和资源分配方法

基于海洋大数据查询技术的珊瑚礁鱼类保护策略是海洋科学研究的重要课题, 其中鱼群竞争状况对鱼类保护具有重要意义。研究鱼群竞争状况就必须模型化鱼群与珊瑚礁的依赖关系。作为一个简单有效的大数据模型, 图模型是表达这个关系的实用模型。文章提出表达珊瑚礁鱼类种群和珊瑚礁资源依赖关系的竞争图建模方法, 并提出基于局部敏感哈希(Local Sensitive Hashing, LSH)的鱼类种群竞争压力竞争图查询方法, 得到鱼类种群的实时竞争压力状况; 然后根据LSH查询结果, 分析出需要优先保护的鱼类种群; 最后对这些需要优先保护的鱼类种群设计了基于构建人工礁的资源分配方法, 使得区域内珊瑚礁鱼类总体竞争状况改善。     

Relative and combined effects of habitat and fishing on reef fish communities across a limited fishing gradient at Ningaloo

Habitat degradation and fishing are major drivers of temporal and spatial changes in fish communities. The independent effects of these drivers are well documented, but the relative importance and interaction between fishing and habitat shifts is poorly understood, particularly in complex systems such as coral reefs. To assess the combined and relative effects of fishing and habitat we examined the composition of fish communities on patch reefs across a gradient of high to low structural complexity in fished and unfished areas of the Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. Biomass and species richness of fish were positively correlated with structural complexity of reefs and negatively related to macroalgal cover. Total abundance of fish was also positively related to structural complexity, however this relationship was stronger on fished reefs than those where fishing is prohibited. The interaction between habitat condition and fishing pressure is primarily due to the high abundance of small bodied planktivorous fish on fished reefs. However, the influence of management zones on the abundance and biomass of predators and target species is small, implying spatial differences in fishing pressure are low and unlikely to be driving this interaction. Our results emphasise the importance of habitat in structuring reef fish communities on coral reefs especially when gradients in fishing pressure are low. The influence of fishing effort on this relationship may however become more important as fishing pressure increases.     

Impact of monsoon-driven circulation on phytoplankton assemblages near fringing reefs along the east coast of Hainan Island,China

Monsoonal hydrodynamic prevails over the east coast of Hainan Island induced by southwest monsoon (SWM) and northeast monsoon (NEM) which drives coastal Ekman divergence/convergence cycle and the reversal of Guangdong coastal current (GCC) between the sGCC in the SWM season and nGCC in the NEM season. We report the control of such hydrodynamics on biological properties such as phytoplankton assemblages in the east coast of Hainan Island. Physico-chemical and biological observations were carried out in two oceanographic cruises along the east coast of Hainan Island during SWM period (July–August) of 2008 and NEM period (March–April) of 2009. Results indicated that phytoplankton assemblages in coastal regions (fringing reefs and coastal shelf) changed dramatically accompanied with the reverse of monsoonal hydrodynamic processes, with chain-forming diatoms (mainly, Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Thalassionema nitzschioides) dominating during SWM cruise when coastal Ekman divergence and the sGCC were prevailed, but the pelagic Noctiluca scintillans and Trichodesmium erythraeum dominating during NEM cruise when coastal Ekman convergence and the nGCC were prevailed. Furthermore, phytoplankton assemblages in fringing reefs along coastline were somewhat different from ones of coastal shelf, as fringing reefs are just located at dynamic boundary of offshore (or onshore) Ekman transport processes. Offshore diffusion of pelagic cells (such as T. erythraeum) driven by offshore Ekman transport process led to the lower abundance of T. erythraeum in fringing reefs than ones in coastal shelf during SWM cruise; on the contrary, onshore aggregation of pelagic cells (such as N. scintillans and T. erythraeum) driven by onshore Ekman transport process leads to higher abundances of N. scintillans and T. erythraeum in fringing reefs than ones in coastal shelf during NEM cruise; especially, N. scintillans formed bloom in fringing reefs. Last, we suggested that hydrodynamic processes must be taken into account in scientific management of fringing coral reefs health of the east coast of Hainan Island, especially during northeast monsoon season when blooming specie cells (such as N. scintillans) could be introduced from eutrophic South China mainland coast to the east coast of Hainan Island and piled to high-abundance at fringing reefs by monsoonal hydrodynamics.     

Evidence for the bioerosion of deep-water corals by echinoids in the Northeast Atlantic

In situ video observations of echinoids interacting with deep-sea coral are common in the deep-sea, but paradoxically the deep-sea literature is devoid of reports of bioerosion by extant echinoids. Here we present evidence of contemporary bioerosion of cold-water coral by four species of deep-sea echinoids, Gracilechinus elegans, Gracilechinus alexandri, Cidaris cidaris, and Araeosoma fenestratum, showing that they actively predate on the living framework of reef building corals, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, in the NE Atlantic. Echinoid specimens were collected in six canyons located in the Bay of Biscay, France and two canyons on the north side of the Porcupine Bank and Goban Spur, Ireland. A total of 44 live specimens from the four taxa (9 of G. elegans, 4 of G. alexandri, 21 of C. cidaris and 10 of A. fenestratum) showed recent ingestion of the coral infrastructure. Upon dissection, live coral skeleton was observed encased in a thick mucus layer within the gastrointestinal tract of G. elegans and G. alexandri while both live and dead coral fragments were found in C. cidaris and A. fenestratum. Echinoid bioerosion limits the growth of shallow-water reefs. Our observations suggest that echinoids may also play an important role in the ecology of deep-water coral reefs.     

Analysis on coral reefs mapping using SPOT5 data at the Dongsha Atoll

Coral reefs are an sensitive-to-environment complex marine ecosystem. The ecosystem of corals is rich in biodiversity. Remote sensing offers a powerful tool for categorizing coral reefs and is the most cost-effective approach for the large-scale reef survey. The Dongsha Atoll, more than 300 km2 with an average depth of 10 m, is located at the northern continental margin of the South China Sea. It has been abused by destructive fishing during recent decades. Three satellite imageries (Quickbird2, ETM and SPOT5) are used to evaluate the capabilities of SPOT5 imagery to provide data that are useful for categorizing the current distribution of coral reefs therein. During the data processing, unsupervised classification functions are adopted for ETM and SPOT5 data, while the supervised classification method is used for Quickbird2. The classes are (or not) merged into coral reef, and then will be operated by vectorization, simplification, and topological analysis. There are 1 331 coral reefs larger than 100 m2 with a detection limit of 3×3 pixels at the multi-band data of Quickbird2, which is taken as the comparison baseline. The results extracted from SPOT5 and ETM images are less in number and area than those from the Quickbird2 image, whereas the results from SPOT5 data are better than those of ETM data at the silty lagoon due to its higher resolution. SPOT5 XS band 2 fails to distinguish the deep substrate inside the atoll compared with ETM data because of its poor penetration capability. Only SPOT XS band 1 cannot be used to differentiate coral reef from sand bottom. Merging the SPOT5 multi-bands data with the spatial resolution of SPOT5 pan-data and referring to ETM imagery are expected to provide an optimal satellite-based approach for mapping of coral reefs.     

中国珊瑚礁资源状况及其药用研究调查 Ⅱ.资源衰退状况、保护与管理

对中国珊瑚礁资源衰退状况和原因进行了调查和分析.结果表明,中国南海珊瑚礁资源衰退状况严重,珊瑚礁破坏率高达 90%以上,其中,占全国珊瑚礁总面积98%的海南,80%～95%的珊瑚礁受到破坏.除自然因素外,对珊瑚礁资源的不当的、过度的开发利用,社会经济发展带来的海洋环境污染等人为因素,是珊瑚礁资源衰退的主要原因.建立南中国海珊瑚礁生态系统保护与管理国际合作机制,正确评估珊瑚礁的生态功能与价值,建立珊瑚礁自然保护区及监测网络系统,是中国珊瑚礁资源保护性开发利用的可行对策.     

The effects of trophic interactions and spatial competition on algal community composition on Hawaiian coral reefs

Much of coral reef ecology has focused on how human impacts change coral reefs to macroalgal reefs. However, macroalgae may not always be a good indicator of reef decline, especially on reefs with significant sea urchin populations, as found in Kenya and Hawaii. This study tests the effects of trophic interactions (i.e. herbivory by fishes and sea urchins) and spatial competition (between algae and coral) on algal community structure of reefs surrounding two Hawaiian Islands that vary in their level of human impacts. Reef‐building organisms (corals and crustose coralline algae) were less abundant and turf algae were more abundant on Maui as compared to Lanai, where human impacts are lower. In contrast to previous studies, we found no evidence that macroalgae increased with human impacts. Instead, low turf and macroalgal abundance were best explained by the interactive effects of coral cover and sea urchin abundance. Fishing sea urchin predators appeared to have cascading effects on the benthic community. The absence of sea urchin predators and high sea urchin densities correspond to a disproportionately high abundance of turf and crustose coralline algae. We propose that high turf algal abundance is a better indicator of reef decline in Hawaii than high macroalgal abundance because turf abundance was highest on reefs with low coral cover and few fish. The results of this study emphasize that understanding changes in community composition are context‐dependent and that not all degraded reefs look the same.     

基于Sentinel-2卫星影像的海南西岛珊瑚礁识别和变化分析

珊瑚礁是海洋中最重要的生态系统之一, 近年来在全球气候变化和人为干扰加剧的影响下, 我国南海珊瑚礁总体处于快速退化状态。以海南西岛珊瑚礁为例, 基于Sentinel-2系列卫星10 m空间分辨率影像, 利用面向对象分类法(object-based image analysis, OBIA)对2017年12月~2018年3月和2021年12月两个时期的海南西岛珊瑚礁底质进行了识别分类, 并进行珊瑚礁面积变化分析。将2021年12月的分类结果与现场调查数据进行对比验证, 总分类精度和Kappa系数分别为83.3%和0.71。对比两个时期珊瑚礁底质分类结果表明, 西岛西侧珊瑚礁覆盖面积未出现明显变化, 东侧珊瑚礁显示恢复趋势。本文研究表明, 10 m地面分辨率卫星系列影像和面向对象的阈值分类方法可以对海南西岛珊瑚礁进行较为准确的识别和变化分析, 监测结果可为海南岛沿岸西岛等小型岛礁珊瑚保护及修复提供参考。     

SPOT5数据东沙环礁珊瑚礁遥感能力分析

对于大面积的大比例尺珊瑚礁遥感制图而言,SPOT5数据是一种高性价比卫星遥感资料.以Quickbird2数据对东沙环礁珊瑚礁的分类、解译的矢量结果作为该区域实际的珊瑚礁分布,以此为基础分析SPOT5数据的珊瑚礁遥感制图能力.SPOT5只有两个水体穿透信道,从基于光谱数据的分类角度看,以XS1通道为准的珊瑚礁信息提取易将高反射的沙底质归为珊瑚礁;以XS2通道为准的珊瑚礁分布制图存在提取不足问题.由于空间分辨率提高,对潟湖淤泥质中的珊瑚礁提取能力较强,要优于ETM数据.结合ETM数据及PCA融合后的SPOT5的遥感解译结果,能提高SPOT5数据的制图能力.     

Ecological assessment to detect imminent change in coral reefs of Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park,Turks and Caicos Islands

Coral reefs of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCIs) (Caribbean Sea) constitute some of the few pristine coral reef systems in the world and play a crucial role in the islands’ economy because they support rich fisheries catches and tourism development. Ambitious development plans involving increase in fishing and tourism pressures are about to bring changes in coastal zone resources of the TCIs associated with increased sediments and nutrients and reduced predation by herbivorous fish on coral reefs. Understanding change is critical when attempting to protect the resources that these coral reefs support and to adopt proper management strategies. Yet, an environmental assessment program to detect imminent human‐induced changes on the surrounding reefs of the TCIs is lacking. Thus, (i) we obtained baseline data on benthic composition and coral community structure at seven reef sites of representative reefs of the TCIs within the Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea National Park (ACLSNP) of South Caicos Island and (ii) performed a priori statistical power analysis to calculate replication requirements for safely and confidently detecting small (δ = 0.1), medium (δ = 0.3), and large (δ = 0.5) effect sizes for a number of relevant to anticipated changes, univariate, benthic indices and for power β = 0.95. The platforms of the margin reefs studied (9–12 m depth) appeared rather variable regarding benthic composition but quite homogeneous regarding hard coral community structure. Mean percent cover of algal functional groups was 0.1 ± 0.3 (mean ± sd) percent for coralline algae and Halimeda, 0.1 ± 0.6 (mean ± sd) percent for macroalgae, 21.7 ± 33 (mean ± sd) percent for turf algae and 4.8 ± 4.0 (mean ± sd) percent for hard coral cover. The dominant benthic component, however, was carbonate substrate (mean ± sd = 30.4 ± 34.3), thus indicating an accreting reef framework. Mean hard coral density, colony size and recruit density were 5.5 ± 1.8 (mean ± sd) corals per 20‐m line transect, 13.0 ± 2.3 (mean ± sd) cm maximum colony diameter, and 1.3 ± 1.4 (mean ± sd) recruits per square foot, respectively. Due to high natural variance, hard coral colony size and density were practically the most sensitive indices in detecting even small size changes on benthos. Also, the geometric mean of log‐transformed colony size‐frequency distributions of the most abundant hard coral taxa, i.e. Montastrea annularis, Agaricia spp., Siderastrea spp. and Porites asteroides were practically sensitive for the same purpose. We hope that the study will optimize the spatial component of a necessary environmental impact assessment program on coral reefs of the TCIs once the natural spatial variability of the system has been assessed and sensitive, benthic, univariate indices have been identified for representative reference coral reef sites of the TCIs.     

Spatial patterns and environmental risks of ringnet fishing along the Kenyan coast

Ringnet fishing began in the early 20th century and is practised worldwide, mainly to target nearshore pelagic species. The method was introduced to Kenya’s coastal waters by migrant fishers from Tanzania. However, the impacts of this fishing gear remain poorly assessed. We assessed the spatial distribution of ringnet fishing effort and its possible effects on ecosystem components, such as coral reefs, marine megafauna and marine protected areas, on the south coast of Kenya. We tracked 89 ringnet fishing trips made from December 2015 to January 2016 and used spatial multicriteria analysis to determine hotspots of possible environmental risks. The results showed that habitat type and bathymetric profile influenced the spatial distribution of ringnet fishing effort. Mixed seagrass and coral habitats had the highest concentration of the effort. Most of the habitats in the study area were moderately exposed to the impacts of the ringnet fishery. The study identifies high-risk areas that require spatial measures to minimise possible environmental risks of the gear both to habitats and to endangered sea turtles.     

Farming the reef: is aquaculture a solution for reducing fishing pressure on coral reefs?

This paper presents the results of an analysis to determine the financial and social feasibility of aquaculture technologies for live reef organisms, including food fish and marine ornamentals, as an alternative to wild capture of live reef organisms in nearshore waters in the Indo-Pacific region. The paper provides information and policy guidance for appropriate aquaculture technology application for Indo-Pacific nations, which are the source of most live reef organisms supplied for international trade. Cautionary evidence indicates that, under certain conditions, some forms of small-scale aquaculture of live coral reef organisms can be a useful solution for reducing fishing pressure on coral reefs.     

Off‐reef planktivorous reef fishes respond positively to decadal‐scale no‐take marine reserve protection and negatively to benthic habitat change

The effects of no‐take marine reserve (NTMR) protection and changes in benthic habitat on fusiliers (family Caesionidae) were investigated at four small Philippine offshore islands on time scales of 10–31 years. Fusiliers are highly mobile, schooling, medium‐sized planktivorous fish that generally feed “off‐reef.” For these reasons, and given the small size of the NTMRs (3.6–37.5 ha) in this study, it was predicted that fusilier density would be unlikely to show clear effects of NTMR protection, or to respond to changes in benthic habitat. In contrast to predictions, clear NTMR effects were observed on fusilier density at three of the four NTMRs, with durations of protection from 14 to 31 years. Furthermore, the study provided strong evidence that benthic variables, specifically cover of live hard coral and dead substratum, affect the density of fusiliers. This effect of benthic habitat on density was highlighted by several major environmental disturbances that caused shifts in the benthic habitat from live hard coral to dead substratum. For two of the three most abundant species of fusiliers individually, and for all three of them combined (Pterocaesio pisang + Caesio caerulaurea + Pterocaesio digramma/tessellata), as live hard coral cover decreased, fish density decreased. It is hypothesized that these “off‐reef” daytime feeders may have such a strong association with live hard coral cover because they use this habitat as nocturnal sleeping sites. Multivariate analyses indicated that, across all sites and times sampled, cover of live hard coral and dead substratum accounted for 38% of the variation in fish assemblage structure. These results are important as there are very few reports in the published literature of strong effects of NTMR protection or changes in benthic habitat on the density and assemblage structure of fusiliers.