Linking home ranges to protected area size: The case study of the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Protected areas not allowing extractive activities (here called fully protected area) are a spatially explicit conservation management tool commonly used to ensure populations persistence. This is achieved when an adequate fraction of a species' population spends most of its time within the boundaries of the protected area. Within a marine context, home ranges represent a tractable metric to provide guidance and evaluation of fully protected areas. We compiled peer-reviewed literature specific to the home ranges of finfishes and invertebrates of ecological and/or commercial importance in the Mediterranean Sea, and related this to the size of 184 Mediterranean fully protected areas. We also investigated the influence of fully protected areas size on fish density in contrast to fished areas with respect to home ranges. Home range estimations were available for 11 species (10 fishes and 1 lobster). The European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas had the smallest home range (0.0039 ± 0.0014 km2; mean ± 1 SE), while the painted comber Serranus scriba (1.1075 ± 0.2040 km2) had the largest. Approximately 25% of Mediterranean fully protected areas are larger than 2 times the size of the largest home range recorded. Fish densities were significantly higher when fully protected areas were larger than the home range, while no change in density occurred when home ranges were larger than fully protected areas. These results display a direct link between the effectiveness of fully protected areas and species' home range, suggesting that fully protected areas of at least 3.6 km2 may increase the density of local populations of these coastal marine species.

Assessing spillover from marine protected areas and its drivers: A meta‐analytical approach

“…A slight effect of FPA size on spillover was also found; it suggests that the set of MPAs included in our study covers a range of sizes representing a trade‐off between the inclusion of the home ranges of most species and the optimal size for spillover to neighbouring areas. In fact, the size of a FPA should include the full home ranges of the species that you intend to protect in order to obtain high conservation benefits (Di Franco et al., 2018; Weeks, Green, Joseph, Peterson, & Terk, 2017).…”

A multidisciplinary analytical framework to delineate spawning areas and quantify larval dispersal in coastal fish

“…preferential habitats). Indeed, the overall contribution of adults to broad-scale dispersal can be reasonably neglected since these stages are rather territorial, especially littoral fishes that show strong site fidelity (Di Franco et al, 2018).…”

“…Moreover, larvae of D. sargus in the field have been mainly observed at around 10 m depth (Olivar and Sabatés, 1997). Both species have similar adult sedentary behavior, with individuals home ranges that are typically smaller or equal to 1 km 2 (Alós et al, 2012;Di Lorenzo et al, 2014;Di Franco et al, 2018). Concerning the preferential habitat of adults, D. sargus and D. vulgaris inhabit coastal rocky reefs, Posidonia oceanica meadows and coralligenous formations (Guidetti, 2000;Harmelin-Vivien et al, 1995;Lenfant and Planes, 1996).…”

“…It contrasts with the openness and continuous coastlines of temperate systems, such as the Mediterranean Sea, where spawning areas are largely unknown. In addition, while knowledge about fish home range exists (Di Franco et al, 2018), the way it is usually defined disregards the reproductive movements, despite observational evidence that many coastal fishes move offshore during the spawning season (Aspillaga et al, 2016;Giacalone et al, 2018).…”

Connectivity is Everything

“…Nevertheless, the implications of incorporating the movement of fishes into MPA design are clear. Di Franco et al (2018) showed that significant increased densities within Mediterranean marine reserves occurred only for those cases were reserve size was larger than species home range.…”