Cost–benefit of different methods for monitoring invasive corals on tropical rocky reefs in the southwest Atlantic

Mantelatto, Marcelo Checoli; Fleury, Beatriz G.; Menegola, Carla; Creed, Joel C.

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2013.09.009

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The collection and photoquadrat methods require a considerable time cost in the laboratory to identify and quantify species (Table 3). The total time cost per area considered to be representative for each method is the highest for the collection method, intermediate for the photoquadrat method and the lowest for the in situ visual method (Table 3), as observed for Atlantic assemblages (Mantelatto et al 2013). The collection method is limited by both diving and laboratory time.…”

Section: Cost Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Several methods for studying rocky benthic assemblages have been compared in different locations (e.g. Dethier et al 1993, Mantelatto et al 2013, Schonberg 2015, but studies are lacking in the Mediterranean area (but see Benedetti-Cecchi et al 1996, Parravicini et al 2010, Piazzi et al 2014. More direct and quantitative comparisons between different methodologies are needed, especially comparing destructive vs. non-destructive methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cost-benefit of three different methods for studying Mediterranean rocky benthic assemblages

et al. 2017

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Summary:Here we compare the applicability, the information provided and the cost-benefit of three sampling methods usually used in the study of rocky benthic assemblages. For comparative purposes, sampling was performed seasonally and along a depth gradient (0-50 m) in the Cabrera Archipelago (western Mediterranean). The destructive scraping (collection) method was the least cost-effective but provided the best qualitative and quantitative information. The in situ visual method was the most time-effective but provided low levels of taxonomic resolution and its accuracy decreased with depth due to the increasing difficulty of recognizing species in situ due to nitrogen narcosis, reduced light and cold. The photoquadrat method showed intermediate values of cost-effectiveness and information but was not suitable for multilayered assemblages, as it only accounted for the overstory. A canonical correspondence analysis showed that depth was highlighted as the main environmental gradient (16.0% of variance) by the three methods. However, differences due to the sampling method (7.9% of variance) were greater than differences due to temporal variability (5.8% of variance), suggesting that the three methods are valid but their selection has to be carefully assessed in relation to the targeted assemblages and the specific goals of each study.Keywords: rocky benthic assemblages; destructive and non-destructive sampling methods; photoquadrats; depth gradient; seasonality. Costes y beneficios de tres métodos de estudio de comunidades en el bentos rocoso mediterráneoResumen: Este trabajo compara la aplicabilidad, la calidad de la información, los costes y los beneficios de tres métodos de muestreo usados habitualmente en el estudio de comunidades en el bentos rocoso mediterráneo. Para fines comparativos, el muestreo se realizó estacionalmente y a lo largo de un gradiente de profundidad (0-50 m) en el Archipiélago de Cabrera (Mediterráneo Occidental). El método destructivo de raspado (recolección) tuvo altos costes, pero proporcionó la información de mejor calidad, tanto a nivel cualitativo como cuantitativo. El método visual in situ fue el más eficiente en cuanto a la obtención de información, pero proporcionó una baja resolución taxonómica y su exactitud decreció con la profundidad debido a la dificultad de reconocer especies in situ bajo condiciones de narcosis, falta de luz y frío. El método fotográfico obtuvo valores intermedios de coste-beneficio, pero no fue adecuado para caracterizar comunidades estratificadas ya que solo tuvo en cuenta el estrato superior. Un análisis CCA mostró que el principal gradiente ambiental resaltado en todos los métodos era la profundidad (16.0% de la varianza). Sin embargo, las diferencias debidas al método de muestreo (7.9% de la varianza) fueron más grandes que las debidas a la variabilidad estacional (5.8% de la varianza). En consecuencia, los tres métodos son válidos para el muestreo de comunidades rocosas mediterráneas, pero su selección debe basarse en un análisis minucioso de las comun...

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Section: Cost Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost-benefit of three different methods for studying Mediterranean rocky benthic assemblages

et al. 2017

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“…Despite these limitations, the method using photos bring a superior accuracy in the assessment of relative cover based on a supervised semi-automated method of numerical classification. The used method also provides enhanced reproducibility and taxonomic resolution, when compared with underwater visual census, since images are stored in hard drives and may be analyzed repeatedly (Ohlhorst et al, 1988;Mantelatto et al, 2013). No less important, the coral SR per site was reasonably well estimated as indicated by the asymptotic shape of most of the curves of species accumulation vs. samples (Supplementary Material S7).…”

Section: The Spatial Scale Of Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small-Scale Variability Dominates Benthic Coverage and Diversity Across the Jardines de La Reina, Cuba Coral Reef System

Hernández-Fernández

Zayas²,

Weber

et al. 2019

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Coral reefs are complex and biodiverse ecosystems that are undergoing significant change. Understanding reef composition and biodiversity at multiple spatial scales is necessary to track both large-scale and more subtle ecosystem changes. The Jardines de la Reina (JR) archipelago, located offshore of the island of Cuba, contains the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the Caribbean Sea but lacks multi-scale studies. In this contribution, we documented the diversity of scleractinian corals, octocorals, algae, and sponges across nested spatial scales spanning four orders of magnitude (10 1-10 5 m). In addition, we tested the hypothesis that species diversity followed a gradient along the ca. 200 km of reef tract. Across the archipelago, we examined benthic cover and species diversity within 255 photo-quadrats (25 × 25 cm) at 13 fore reef sites (two sampling locations per site, and 10 photo-quadrats per location). Small-scale (10 1 m) variability between photo-quadrats characterized the coral reef community structure in JR compared with local-(10 2 m) and mesoscale (10 4-10 5 m) variability. This finding suggests that biological processes (e.g., recruitment, competition) had primacy over hydrodynamics for driving the differences in reef community composition. However, the dominance of algae and low cover and diversity of scleractinian corals suggests the pervasive effects of global change on coral communities despite potential benefits provided by the MPA (e.g., oligotrophy and abundance of herbivores). There was no gradient of benthic community structure along the fore reef tract of JR; instead, a patchy distribution occurred in response to more subtle drivers acting at local scales. Overall, our multi-scale comparison was useful for differentiating the impacts of processes potentially impacting the JR reefs, thus providing important information to understand how reef communities are impacted by different environmental and anthropogenic stressors, and the potential benefits of MPAs.

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“…There is scientific consensus that we are experiencing a drastic global decline in total coral cover due to both natural and anthropogenic stresses (Gardner et al ; Graham et al ; De'ath et al ), which has flow on effects for ecosystem services (Pratchett et al ). As coral cover continues to fall, reliable monitoring data becomes a priority to inform effective management decisions that can prevent a further decline and encourage recovery of coral reefs (Aronson et al ; Houk and Van Woesik ; Mantelatto et al ). Yet, coral cover as a criterion alone may be ineffective for guiding management protocols (McClanahan et al ), as future monitoring programs need to consider the overall composition and structure of benthic assemblages and the processes that drive change in these communities (Hughes et al ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Deciding upon the most appropriate way to assess change in benthic communities should be based primarily on the type of information required, the repeatability of the method and the level of precision (Dumas et al ; Tyne et al ; Mantelatto et al ). Choice of method is typically constrained by field and analysis time, human expertize and available budget.…”

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confidence: 99%

Can diver operated stereo-video surveys for fish be used to collect meaningful data on benthic coral reef communities?

Bennett

Wilson

Shedrawi

et al. 2016

Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods

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Information for monitoring marine communities is increasingly collected using digital imagery and there is a need to understand how data collected using different methods compare. This study investigated the comparability of benthic data collected by downward facing diver operated stereo-video (DOV) with a forward facing stereo-DOV typically used in fish surveys. Data sets were collected by both methods from the same transect along which the benthos visible in each method was identified by taxonomy, growth form or substratum class. Analyses indicated that 77% of taxa were identified by both methods however, forward facing-DOV recorded 35 genera and downward-DOV 43 genera and there were significant (p < 0.05) differences in the percent cover of dominant benthic categories. The forward facing stereo-DOV detected significantly more vertically erect coral ( 10%), specifically branching genera Acropora, Echinopora, and Porites, and canopy forming algae, Sargassum spp., but proportionally less turf algae ( 20%) than the downward facing video. Cost-benefit optimization indicated that the forward facing video was more cost-effective at detecting broad scale change in coral, but less effective at detecting change in non-canopy forming algae compared to the downward video. Despite differences in detection of coral and algae, Deming regression analysis detected significant relationships between the percentages of common benthos recorded by both methods, enabling direct comparison between the data collected by each method at a broad scale level and for common benthos. Stereo-DOV surveys for fish can be considered a potential technique for the description of reef benthos that captures key elements of structural complexity, but is not necessarily suitable for taxonomic benthic monitoring.

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Cost–benefit of different methods for monitoring invasive corals on tropical rocky reefs in the southwest Atlantic

Cited by 17 publications

References 28 publications

Cost-benefit of three different methods for studying Mediterranean rocky benthic assemblages

Cost-benefit of three different methods for studying Mediterranean rocky benthic assemblages

Small-Scale Variability Dominates Benthic Coverage and Diversity Across the Jardines de La Reina, Cuba Coral Reef System

Can diver operated stereo-video surveys for fish be used to collect meaningful data on benthic coral reef communities?

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