Dispersal Patterns of Coastal Fish: Implications for Designing Networks of Marine Protected Areas

Franco, Antonio; Gillanders, Bronwyn M.; Benedetto, Giuseppe E. De; Pennetta, Antonio; Leo, Giulio A. De; Guidetti, Paolo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031681

Cited by 98 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(100 reference statements)

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“…Beldade 2000, Hindell andJenkins 2004). Diplodus sargus spawn in coastal areas and after that eggs and larvae disperse at the scale of 100-200 km forced by marine currents, reaching nursery habitats such as estuaries (Franco et al 2012). Also, the occurrence of the larvae of the MS S. pilchardus in the lower estuary is more related to oceanic circulation and water advection effects than to active habitat selection, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Gonçalves¹,

Correia²,

Atanasova³

et al. 2015

Sci. Mar.

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Summary: Salt marsh areas in the Guadiana estuary are important nursery sites for many fish species of commercial and recreational value. More effective protection measures should be adopted as the area is highly affected by anthropogenic and natural threats. Studying larval fish communities in these impacted nursery areas will be relevant to the management of local ecosystems and to larval fish ecology in general. Spatial and seasonal distribution and the effect of environmental factors on the larval fish community of this ecosystem were studied for one year (April 2010 to March 2011). Larvae were sampled monthly in parallel with phytoplankton and zooplankton. Hydrological data and physical parameters were monitored. A decision tree model was used to assess the influence of environmental factors on the larval fish community. A total of 130 larvae and 1171 eggs were caught. Diplodus sargus, Sardina pilchardus, and Pomatoschistus microps were the most abundant larval fish species. The peaks of fish larvae abundance occurred in March and April. The output of the model demonstrates that the abundance of larval fish is determined by the abundance of eggs, zooplanktonic food, and water flood and flow. This study shows the importance of the Guadiana salt marsh as an area for fish nursery and highlights the need for conservation of this area.Keywords: larval fish; salt marsh; Guadiana estuary; fish eggs; food availability; flooding events; river flow.Factores ambientales que afectan a la comunidad de larvas de peces en las marismas del estuario del Guadiana (Algarve, Portugal) Resumen: Las zonas de marisma en el estuario del Guadiana constituyen zonas de cría importantes para muchas especies de peces de valor comercial y recreativo. Deberían ser adoptadas unas medidas de protección más efectivas ya que el área está altamente afectada por amenazas tanto antropogénicas como naturales. El estudio de las comunidades de larvas de pez en estas áreas de cría más impactadas será relevante para la gestión del ecosistema local y para la ecología de las larvas de pez en general. La distribución espacial y estacional, y el efecto de factores ambientales en las comunidades de larvas de pez de este ecosistema fueron estudiados durante un año (abril de 2010-marzo de 2011). El muestreo de las larvas fue realizado mensualmente en paralelo con el de fitoplancton y zooplancton. También fueron monitoreados datos hidrológicos y parámetros físicos. Un modelo de Árbol de Decisión fue utilizado para evaluar la influencia de factores ambientales en la comunidad de larvas de pez. Fueron recogidos un total de 130 larvas y 1171 huevos. Diplodus sargus, Sardina pilchardus y Pomatoschistus microps fueron las especies más abundantes. Los picos de abundancia de larvas de pez ocurrieron en marzo y abril. Los resultados del modelo demuestran que la abundancia de larvas de pez viene determinada por la abundancia de huevos, la comida zooplanctónica, los eventos de inundación y el caudal del río. Este estudio muestra la importancia de las marismas del Gua...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Gonçalves¹,

Correia²,

Atanasova³

et al. 2015

Sci. Mar.

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“…From a management perspective, successful schemes for species with segregated subpopulations have to address concomitantly estuarine habitats used by juveniles and coastal habitats used by adult populations (Di Franco et al, 2012). Increased availability and quality of estuarine juvenile habitats can be particularly important to improve recruitment success and estuarine fish production, which could be achieved through specific actions of habitat protection and restoration ).…”

Section: Estuarine Habitat Quality and Juvenile Contribution To Adultmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat quality of estuarine nursery grounds: Integrating non-biological indicators and multilevel biological responses in Solea senegalensis

Fonseca

Vasconcelos

Tanner

et al. 2015

Ecological Indicators

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“…following larval dispersal) is a key predictor of the level of protection offered by marine protected areas (MPAs) (Heupel et al 2006, Di Franco et al 2012). Some species range over scales of meters (Lindholm et al 2006), whereas others range across oceans (Weng et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Umbrella species in marine systems: using the endangered humphead wrasse to conserve coral reefs

Weng¹,

Pedersen²,

Raye³

et al. 2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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Extinction risk is closely tied to body size, home range, and species distribution. Quantifying home range is critical for conservation, and can enable the use of concepts such as 'umbrella species', whose conservation protects other species due to shared habitat. To determine the value of the humphead wrasse as an umbrella species for coral reef conservation, we conducted a multi-year study of humphead wrasse home range at Palmyra Atoll, Central Tropical Pacific, tagging juvenile, female, and male individuals with acoustic transmitters. We quantified home range using 2 metrics, length and area, and determined if these metrics were related to the sex and maturity status of the individual. We recorded individual movements during 5030 fishdays, yielding detailed records for 14 individuals comprising 3 juveniles, 5 females, and 6 males. The home range of humphead wrasse measured over a 2 yr study was 0.4 to 14 km and changed with ontogeny. Females had larger home ranges than other reef fishes studied to date (n = 68), indicating value as an umbrella species for coral reefs. We compared the home range of the species to the size distribution of tropical marine protected areas (MPAs), and used a model to estimate the MPA length necessary to retain humphead wrasse. Most MPAs are too small to effectively protect the humphead wrasse.

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Dispersal Patterns of Coastal Fish: Implications for Designing Networks of Marine Protected Areas

Cited by 98 publications

References 70 publications

Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)

Habitat quality of estuarine nursery grounds: Integrating non-biological indicators and multilevel biological responses in Solea senegalensis

Umbrella species in marine systems: using the endangered humphead wrasse to conserve coral reefs

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