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(1 - 2 of 2)
- Title
- Disentangling the effects of fishing and environmental forcing on demographic variation in an exploited species
- Description
- Species targeted by fishing often recover in abundance and size within marine protected areas (MPAs) resulting in increased reproductive potential. However, in some situations, concomitant changes in the abundance of predators, competitors, or prey within MPAs, or strong gradients in the surrounding environmental seascape may counteract the purported benefits making it more difficult to predict how species will respond to protection. We used a network of MPAs in California, spanning a large temperature gradient, to investigate the drivers of demographic variability in the commercially important red sea urchin Mesocentrotus franciscanus. We investigated how demographic metrics varied geographically in response to protection, temperature, and the main sea urchin resource, the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera. We found significant conservation benefits to this fished sea urchin within MPAs designated six years prior to the beginning of this study. Within MPAs, red sea urchins were generally larger resulting in greater adult biomass density and reproductive biomass density. In addition, kelp density was an important explanatory variable of all red sea urchin demographic traits examined (adult size, gonadosomatic index [GSI], density, adult biomass density, and reproductive biomass density). Kelp density was positively correlated with red sea urchin GSI and adult size, but the relationships with density, adult biomass density, and reproductive biomass density were complex and the directionality changed depending on the region (or environmental setting) examined. Our results demonstrate that kelp, red sea urchin reproduction, and the effects of spatial management on demographic processes are tightly coupled with the oceanographic regime. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
- Author
- Teck, Lorda, Shears, Bell, Cornejo-Donoso, Caselle, Hamilton, Gaines
- Title
- Benthic processes and overlying fish assemblages drive the composition of benthic detritus on a central Pacific coral reef,
- Description
- While detrital material is recognized as an important food source on coral reefs, its role in reef food webs remains unclear. We quantified standing stock and input rates to the detrital resource pool in exposed forereef and protected backreef habitats of Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and measured the trophic structure of the overlying fish assemblage. While detrital standing stock was 1.6 times higher on the backreef than on the forereef, detrital input rates were 1.7 to 2.9 times higher on the forereef. Planktivores were the most abundant guild in the fore reef habitat, and stable isotope signatures of detritus reflected a greater input from pelagic sources (i.e. depleted in 13C). In contrast, herbivores and detritivores numerically dominated the backreef habitat and detrital stable isotope signatures appeared to be predominately of benthic origin (i.e. enriched in 13C). Through total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen analyses we found that benthic detritus may represent a significant nutritional source. Converting total nitrogen into maximum protein estimates, we found high benthic deposition of protein (104 to 124 mg m-2 d-1) and organic carbon (184 to 190 mg m -2 d-1), but very low standing stocks of these materials (protein: 5 to 6 mg m-2, organic carbon: 46 to 63 mg m-2). While high water flow rates may explain low standing stocks of detritus in forereef habitats, the lower flow rates in backreef habitats suggest that removal of this material is via consumption by abundant roving detritivorous fishes. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that reef fish detritivory represents a significant consumer-mediated energy pathway, promoting nutrient recycling by linking many elements of a complex food web. © Inter-Research 2013., Cited By (since 1996):1, Fish and Fisheries, CODEN: MESED, ,
- Author
- Max, Hamilton, Gaines, Warner
- Date
- 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z