Benthic structure and cryptic mortality in a Caribbean mesophotic coral reef bank system, the Hind Bank Marine Conservation District, U.S. Virgin Islands

Smith, Tyler B.; Blondeau, Jeremiah; Nemeth, Richard S.; Pittman, Simon J.; Calnan, J. M.; Kadison, Elizabeth; Gass, Jordan

doi:10.1007/s00338-009-0575-8

Cited by 63 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…That said, high spatio-temporal variation in water clarity means that depth is generally a more practical proxy for long-term light intensity averages (see Armstrong et al 2006, Smith et al 2010, and Amado-Filho et al 2012 for examples). However, light alone is unlikely to be limiting at most of the depths studied, given that the kelp Ecklonia radiata is found at high densities at depths of ca.…”

Section: Possible Drivers Of Observed Fish Assemblage Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinct cross-shelf gradient in mesophotic reef fish assemblages in subtropical eastern Australia

Pearson¹,

Stevens²

2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The hypothesized importance of mesophotic (30 to 150 m depth) reefs justifies the recent trend in scientific scrutiny of these systems. However, to enable assessment of complex concepts such as connectivity and reef dynamics, baseline assemblage characteristics must first be established. This study used baited remote underwater video (BRUV) technology to investigate the assemblage structure of predatory and scavenging fishes across 4 mesophotic reef bands at ca. 30 to 82 m depth, at 2 locations 25 km apart in subtropical eastern Australia. We aimed to quantify patterns in predatory and scavenging fish assemblage structure at these reefs across the continental shelf and relate this to putative structuring environmental variables. Strong cross-shelf gradients were identified in species richness and overall assemblage composition. While the pattern of latitudinal affiliation did not change across the shelf, predatory and scavenging fish assemblages at non-adjacent reefs were statistically distinct (PERMANOVA interaction term p = 0.012), and best (but not well) explained by depth alone (BIOENV ρ = 0.396). A high proportion (15 to 45%) of the fish species at each reef band were found only within that band. These cross-shelf trends contrasted with those described from more complex shelf topography such as at the Solitary Islands (250 km south), and did not match published patterns of epibenthic assemblage structure. Our results highlight the need for detailed information on mesophotic reef assemblage structure to support marine conservation and reserve design initiatives, rather than relying on generalised trends from the literature.

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Section: Possible Drivers Of Observed Fish Assemblage Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinct cross-shelf gradient in mesophotic reef fish assemblages in subtropical eastern Australia

Pearson¹,

Stevens²

2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…However, some deep reefs have had extensive coral mortality and increases in algal cover from undetermined causes [214][215][216]. e severe mass bleaching in 1997-1998 affected corals at depths over 30 m [217].…”

Section: Biodiversity and Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Coral Reef Resilience through Biodiversity

Rogers

2013

ISRN Oceanography

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Irrefutable evidence of coral reef degradation worldwide and increasing pressure from rising seawater temperatures and ocean acidification associated with climate change have led to a focus on reef resilience and a call to “manage” coral reefs for resilience. Ideally, global action to reduce emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will be accompanied by local action. Effective management requires reduction of local stressors, identification of the characteristics of resilient reefs, and design of marine protected area networks that include potentially resilient reefs. Future research is needed on how stressors interact, on how climate change will affect corals, fish, and other reef organisms as well as overall biodiversity, and on basic ecological processes such as connectivity. Not all reef species and reefs will respond similarly to local and global stressors. Because reef-building corals and other organisms have some potential to adapt to environmental changes, coral reefs will likely persist in spite of the unprecedented combination of stressors currently affecting them. The biodiversity of coral reefs is the basis for their remarkable beauty and for the benefits they provide to society. The extraordinary complexity of these ecosystems makes it both more difficult to predict their future and more likely they will have a future.

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“…Much of this focus has been on vertical zonation of steep slopes or walls (Grigg, 2006;Bongaerts et al, 2015), with the largest structuring forces suggested as light intensity and quality (Kahng and Kelley, 2007;Lesser et al, 2009), heterotrophic food supply (Leichter and Genovese, 2006) and temperature (Kobluk and Lysenko, 1994;Wolanski et al, 2004;Bak et al, 2005). However, recent observations have shown that bank mesophotic coral ecosystems, areas of hardbottom raised above the seafloor and supporting stony corals, show horizontal variations in coral community structure as well (Bridge et al, 2011(Bridge et al, , 2012, sometimes over scales <100's of meters (Smith et al, 2010). Thus, unknown forces acting along horizontal gradients are also important in structuring these communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These reefs represent part of the upper mesophotic coral zone (30-60 m depth) that is an extension of shallower reef systems . The geomorphological structure of these reefs has been shown to consist of a distinct linear shelf edge structure, termed the primary bank, backed by on shelf secondary, and tertiary bank reefs (Figure 1; also see Smith et al, 2010;Weinstein et al, 2014). The edge of the southeastern Puerto Rican shelf has not yet been characterized in situ, but high-resolution bathymetry shows the shelf edge feature as a semi-continuous ridge, with topographically higher areas that generally orient toward the southeast to south.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Potential Structuring Forces on a Shelf Edge Upper Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem in the US Virgin Islands

et al. 2016

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Mesophotic coral ecosystems are extensive light-dependent habitats that typically form between 30 and 150 m depth in the tropical oceans. The forces that structure the benthic communities in these ecosystems are poorly understood but this is rapidly changing with technological advances in technical diving and remote observation that allow large-scale scientific investigation. Recent observations of southeastern Puerto Rican Shelf of the US Virgin Islands have shown that this Caribbean mesophotic coral ecosystem has distinct habitats within the same depth ranges and across small horizontal distances (<<1 km), that range from sparse hardbottom to vibrant coral reefs with stony coral cover >25%. High-resolution bathymetric mapping of the shelf edge revealed a topographically distinct semi-continuous 71 km-long relict barrier reef bank system. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pattern of mesophotic habitat development of the shelf edge and use this data to narrow the potential long-term and large-scale structuring forces of this mesophotic coral ecosystem. We hypothesized from limited preliminary observations that the shelf edge coral cover was limited in shallower portions of the bank and on the seaward orientation. Through stratified random surveys we found that increasing depth and decreasing wave driven benthic orbital velocities were positively related to coral abundance on the shelf edge. In addition, low coral cover habitats of the shelf edge contrasted strongly with adjacent on shelf banks surveyed previously in the same depth range, which had relatively high coral cover (>30%). Predictions of benthic orbital velocities during major storms suggested that mechanical disturbance combined with low rates of coral recovery as a possible mechanism structuring the patterns of coral cover, and these factors could be targets of future research.

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Benthic structure and cryptic mortality in a Caribbean mesophotic coral reef bank system, the Hind Bank Marine Conservation District, U.S. Virgin Islands

Cited by 63 publications

References 36 publications

Distinct cross-shelf gradient in mesophotic reef fish assemblages in subtropical eastern Australia

Distinct cross-shelf gradient in mesophotic reef fish assemblages in subtropical eastern Australia

Coral Reef Resilience through Biodiversity

Potential Structuring Forces on a Shelf Edge Upper Mesophotic Coral Ecosystem in the US Virgin Islands

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