Multivariate objective analysis of the coastal circulation of Barbados, West Indies: implication for larval transport

Paris, Claire B.; Cowen, Robert K.; Lwiza, Kamazima M. M.; Wang, Dong Ping; Olson, Donald B.

doi:10.1016/s0967-0637(02)00033-x

Cited by 52 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Coupled biophysical models rich in mechanistic details have become the most efficient tools in larval transport studies (45). A spatially explicit 3D individual-based model developed by Paris et al (46,47) and adapted for the wider Caribbean (26) was used to model spatial patterns of larval supply for a typical genus of brooding coral (Agaricia) and the dominant parrotfish species, S. viride. An ocean circulation module uses daily outputs of the high-resolution (6-7 km) Atlantic HYbrid Coordinates Ocean Model forced by real daily winds to represent present-day oceanographic conditions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic cascade facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve

Mumby

Harborne

Williams

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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337

260

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Reduced fishing pressure and weak predator-prey interactions within marine reserves can create trophic cascades that increase the number of grazing fishes and reduce the coverage of macroalgae on coral reefs. Here, we show that the impacts of reserves extend beyond trophic cascades and enhance the process of coral recruitment. Increased fish grazing, primarily driven by reduced fishing, was strongly negatively correlated with macroalgal cover and resulted in a 2-fold increase in the density of coral recruits within a Bahamian reef system. Our conclusions are robust because four alternative hypotheses that may generate a spurious correlation between grazing and coral recruitment were tested and rejected. Grazing appears to influence the density and community structure of coral recruits, but no detectable influence was found on the overall size-frequency distribution, community structure, or cover of corals. We interpret this absence of pattern in the adult coral community as symptomatic of the impact of a recent disturbance event that masks the recovery trajectories of individual reefs. Marine reserves are not a panacea for conservation but can facilitate the recovery of corals from disturbance and may help sustain the biodiversity of organisms that depend on a complex three-dimensional coral habitat.biodiversity ͉ coral reef ͉ grazing ͉ predation M arine reserves have become one of the most widely adopted tools for managing commercially important fishes and protecting marine biodiversity (1). Several direct effects of reserves are relatively straightforward to anticipate: Reduced fishing mortality usually increases the biomass of target and bycatch species of fishes (2, 3), and reserve status may help prevent acute anthropogenic disturbance such as destructive fishing practices that damage benthic communities (4). However, by enhancing the abundance of fishery species, reserves may also exert indirect impacts on other nonfishery species that naturally interact with fishery species through processes of predation and competition (5).Because the indirect effects of reserves on biodiversity arise from species interactions and trophic cascades (6), they are generally complex and may have surprising outcomes (7,8). We reported such complex outcomes in a study of The Bahamas' Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (ECLSP), which, at 442 km 2 , is one of the largest and most successful marine reserves in the Caribbean. The ECLSP is a rare example in which sustained fisheries exclusion has resulted in a high biomass of predatory fishes (2 kg per 100 m 2 ). Our a priori hypothesis was that high levels of piscivorous fishes such as the Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) would exert top-down predatory impacts on grazing fishes (a prey item) and, by reducing the biomass of grazers, promote increases in the cover of macroalgae. However, the hypothesis was not supported because large-bodied species of grazer (parrotfish) were found to experience a size-escape from predation, and therefore the expected negative effects of trophic casc...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic cascade facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve

Mumby

Harborne

Williams

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

337

260

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“…2a). The island-scale flow at Barbados is dominated by a combination of large fluctuations in current direction (typically reversing twice every 20 d; Paris et al 2002) and intrusions of low-salinity water entrained by North Brazil Current (NBC) rings originating from the Amazon (Kelly et al 2000;Paris et al 2002). External forcing by NBC rings is characterized by a strong signal on the local circulation (Paris et al 2002), with a concomitant increased variability in local recruitment cycles (Sponaugle and Cowen 1996b).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The time parameters specified in Table 2 were at first estimated by computing the autocovariance function of the deterministic velocities and then adjusted by comparing trajectories of particles with floats (see Paris et al 2002) and with observed displacements of larval patches (see Results section). In addition, the horizontal diffusivity coefficient (K x ) resulting from this imposed stochastic movement was adjusted to match the horizontal eddy diffusivity characterized by the spatial scales prescribed by the Eularian velocity grid size (L x , L y ; see Okubo 1971) and was estimated by…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct evidence of a biophysical retention mechanism for coral reef fish larvae

Paris

Cowen

2004

Limnology & Oceanography

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309

274

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We examine the hypothesis that reef fish larvae have some direct influence on their own dispersal and ability to recruit to their natal reef by tracking cohorts of bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) from hatching to settlement onto the reef, about 30 d later. We conducted high-resolution sampling during two consecutive years in a small area (15 km ϫ 20 km) off the west coast of Barbados, extending from depths of 0 to 100 m. Observations of discrete stage-specific larval patches of mean size of 29.4 and 13.2 km 2 for preflexion (1-5-d old) and flexion/postflexion (Ͼ5-d old) stages extending ca. 30 m in the vertical indicated that larvae initially dispersing as patches tend to stay in coherent patches throughout their pelagic duration. Highest concentrations of preflexion larvae within a patch were in the upper 20 m, while those of older larvae were always deeper. Downward migration of about 60 m throughout ontogeny within stratified currents represented a retention mechanism for locally spawned larvae. Most of the variability in estimated retention rates between daily cohorts occurred during the earliest stages as a result of the dynamic nature of surface currents experienced by larvae prior to the onset of vertical migration. Differences in residence time between experiments were consistent with observed intermonthly variability in recruitment strength, implying that pelagic processes can explain recruitment rates. These results provide empirical evidence for larval retention of coral reef fishes and stress the role of active behavior in larval transport.

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“…To extend the geo-graphical range toward shallow coastal areas, MICOM velocities were extrapolated from the interior into coastal regions within a 5 to 35°N and 55 to 90°W domain. Individual-based larval trajectories were simulated by coupling the resulting circulation model to a Lagrangian stochastic model (LSM, see Paris et al 2002). Species-specific reproductive information, larval-behavior estimates, and availability of settlement habitat were introduced as parameters to produce the most realistic larval-trajectory conditions that current information allows (Cowen et al 2003, see below).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval transport pathways from Cuban snapper (Lutjanidae) spawning aggregations based on biophysical modeling

Paris

Cowen²,

Claro³

et al. 2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

139

113

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The potential linkages among Cuba and geographically associated northwestern Caribbean locations were examined through simulated transport of snapper larvae for 5 harvested snapper species. The analyses are based on a coupled biophysical model incorporating realistic, intra-annual varying currents from a single year (1984), a Lagrangian stochastic scheme, and larval behaviors to find settlement habitat. Sequential runs centered on peak spawning months and lunar phases estimated the degree to which each spawning event contributes larvae to distant populations or to neighboring populations on the complex Cuban shelf. Results suggest that considerable levels of self-recruitment (ca. 37 to 80% total recruitment) structure Cuban snapper populations, in particular, those from the southern and north-central regions. The northern snapper populations exported larvae to the southern Bahamas, specifically to Cay Sal Bank (ca. 11 to 28% total recruitment), while, for more distant locations, the import of larvae from Cuba was negligible depending on the species. Regional oceanographic regimes for cubera, dog and gray snappers and site utilization (e.g. shelf geomorphology) for mutton snapper caused most within-species recruitment variability. However, a small lag in peak spawning times contributed significantly to high recruitment variability among species. Active virtual larvae stand a better chance of reaching settlement habitat, whereas spatial distribution of recruitment is similar but less structured (i.e. homogeneous low abundance) for passive larvae. This modeling approach produces spatio-temporal predictions of larval pathways with explicit measures of variance. Further, it allows for the quantification of relative levels of connectivity, a component needed in the design of marine reserve networks.

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Multivariate objective analysis of the coastal circulation of Barbados, West Indies: implication for larval transport

Cited by 52 publications

References 36 publications

Trophic cascade facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve

Trophic cascade facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve

Direct evidence of a biophysical retention mechanism for coral reef fish larvae

Larval transport pathways from Cuban snapper (Lutjanidae) spawning aggregations based on biophysical modeling

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