Assessment of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem Connectivity for Proposed Expansion of a Marine Sanctuary in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico: Population Genetics

Studivan, Michael S.; Voss, Joshua D.

doi:10.3389/fmars.2018.00152

Cited by 15 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(134 reference statements)

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“…Therefore, recurrent larval exchanges between banks may be sufficient to allow the sustainability of M. cavernosa populations in this region, although it is isolated from other MCEs. Both the larval dispersal model from our study and genetic data from Studivan and Voss (2018; associate manuscript) suggest (2013, 2014, and 2015). SHAL, shallow; MESO, mesophotic. that the NW GOM is well mixed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…Given the possibility that individual coral colonies can live hundreds of years, a relatively rare larval dispersal event from one bank to the other is likely enough to observe low population differentiation between two banks. More importantly, the results from the demographic (this study), and genetic Studivan and Voss (2018;associate manuscript) connectivity suggest that the reduced demographic connectivity is sufficient to sustain high genetic connectivity between all banks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Our study focuses on 3 years: 2013, 2014, and 2015. These 3 years correspond to the same years during which Studivan and Voss (2018;associate manuscript) collected the coral samples used to assess the genetic population structure of M. cavernosa. To answer our study's objectives, different simulations were performed.…”

Section: Larval Dispersal Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem Connectivity for Proposed Expansion of a Marine Sanctuary in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico: Larval Dynamics

et al. 2018

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In coral reef ecosystems, mesophotic coral habitat ( >30 m to the end of the photic zone) are extensions of shallow reefs and contribute to the persistence of coral reef populations. In the North West Gulf of Mexico (NW GOM), the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) is an isolated reef ecosystem comprising contiguous shallow and mesophotic reefs habitats on two central banks along the margin of the continental shelf. A future expansion of the sanctuary is proposed to include additional mesophotic banks and aims at building a network of protected areas in the NW GOM to ensure the persistence of the coral reef populations inhabiting the sanctuary. To evaluate the feasibility of this expansion and investigate the overall dynamics of coral species in the region, we studied the patterns of larval connectivity of Montastraea cavernosa, a common depth generalist coral species, using a larval dispersal modeling approach. Our results highlighted larval exports from the NW GOM banks to the northeastern and southwestern GOM, larval connectivity between all banks investigated in this study, and the potential for exporting larvae from mesophotic to shallower reefs. Our study associated with Studivan and Voss (2018; associate manuscript) demonstrates the relevance of combining modeling and genetic methods to consider both demographic and genetic timescales for the evaluation of the connectivity dynamics of marine populations. In the case of the NW GOM, both studies support the future management plan for expanding FGBNMS.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

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Assessment of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem Connectivity for Proposed Expansion of a Marine Sanctuary in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico: Larval Dynamics

et al. 2018

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“…Due to scuba diving constrains, comparatively fewer explorations have been conducted in the lower photic zone, below 10 m depth, where coral reefs can still be constructional (Morri et al, 1995;Bianchi et al, 1997) and even exhibit high coral cover in some cases (Sheppard, 1980). Although mesophotic reefs are rarely included in reef assessments (Pyle et al, 2016;Garavelli et al, 2018;Studivan and Voss, 2018a), there is a growing interest to investigate the upper mesophotic coral-reef ecosystems, 30 m to 50 m depth, for their potential to serve as thermal refuge (Semmler et al, 2016). Nevertheless, ecological information on mesophotic reefs in the Maldives is poor compared to that on shallow reefs (Morri et al, 1995(Morri et al, , 2010Bianchi et al, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Local Pressures on Maldivian Coral Reef Resilience Following Repeated Bleaching Events, and Recovery Perspectives

2020

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Two severe heat waves triggered coral bleaching and mass mortality in the Maldives in 1998 and 2016. Analysis of live coral cover data from 1997 to 2019 in shallow (5 m depth) reefs of the Maldives showed that the 1998 heat wave caused more than 90% of coral mortality leaving only 6.8 ± 0.3% of survived corals in all the shallow reefs investigated. No significant difference in coral mortality was observed among atolls with different levels of human pressure. Maldivian reefs needed 16 years to recover to the prebleaching hard coral cover values. The 2016 heat wave affected all reefs investigated, but reefs in atolls with higher human pressure showed greater coral mortality than reefs in atolls with lower human pressure. Additionally, exposed (ocean) reefs showed lower coral mortality than those in sheltered (lagoon) reefs. The reduced coral mortality in 2016 as compared to 1998 may provide some support to the Adaptive Bleaching Hypothesis (ABH) in shallow Maldivian reefs, but intensity and duration of the two heat waves were different. Analysis of coral cover data collected along depth profiles on the ocean sides of atolls, from 10 to 50 m, allowed the comparison of coral mortality at different depths to discuss the Deep Refuge Hypothesis (DRH). In the upper mesophotic zone (i.e., between 30 and 50 m), coral mortality after bleaching was negligible. However, live coral cover did not exceed 15%, a value lower than coral survival in shallow reefs. Low cover values of corals surviving in the mesophotic reefs suggest that their role as refuge or seed banks for the future recovery of some species in shallow-water reefs of the Maldives may be small. The repeatedly high coral mortality after bleaching events and the long recovery period, especially in sites with human pressure, suggest that the foreseen increased frequency of bleaching events would jeopardize the future of Maldivian reefs, and ask for reducing local pressures to improve their resilience.

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“…The generation time for M . cavernosa is unknown, but based on the size threshold for sexual maturity and the long lifespan of colonies 43,54 predicted patterns of migration are likely estimated over the order of thousands of years 55 . These results suggest that barriers to migration across these depth zones may have developed more recently than migration analyses are able to predict.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Populations of the coral species Montastraea cavernosa on the Belize Barrier Reef lack vertical connectivity

Eckert

Studivan

Voss

2019

Sci Rep

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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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Assessment of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem Connectivity for Proposed Expansion of a Marine Sanctuary in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico: Population Genetics

Cited by 15 publications

References 69 publications

Assessment of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem Connectivity for Proposed Expansion of a Marine Sanctuary in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico: Larval Dynamics

Assessment of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem Connectivity for Proposed Expansion of a Marine Sanctuary in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico: Larval Dynamics

Influence of Local Pressures on Maldivian Coral Reef Resilience Following Repeated Bleaching Events, and Recovery Perspectives

Populations of the coral species Montastraea cavernosa on the Belize Barrier Reef lack vertical connectivity

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