Taxonomic and functional assemblage structure of coral reef fishes from Jardines de la Reina (Caribbean Sea, Cuba)

Abstract

The Jardines de la Reina (JR) archipelago includes one of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Caribbean Sea. However, there is limited understanding about the assemblage structure of its coral reef fishes. We aim to (1) describe the spatial patterns of fish assemblages and their potential drivers along the reef system and (2) compare several metrics of assemblages inside and outside the MPA. We surveyed the ichthyofauna at 12 sites (inside and outside the MPA) along ~200 km of reef tract using a diver-operated stereo-video system. We identified 31323 fishes, represented by 95 species and 24 functional groups, including large rare and threatened species of parrotfishes and groupers. The biomass of fishes from the Lutjanidae, Serranidae, and Scaridae families was higher than that in other Caribbean reefs. Site and depth explained the larger fraction of variance in most of the evaluated metrics, suggesting the importance of local environmental heterogeneity. Fish assemblages did not show a significant gradient along the JR tract from the center of the MPA to the periphery. Distance to the center of the MPA explained some of the variability in the abundance, functional richness, and multivariate structure of assemblages. Our results do not show that fish assemblages inside the MPA are healthier than those outside. Instead, the ichthyofauna is abundant and both taxonomically and functionally diverse both inside and outside the MPA probably as a result of a spillover effect. The successful combination of natural and management-associated features likely results in an overall good ecological status of fish assemblages in JR.

Coral reef fish assemblages exhibit signs of depletion in two protected areas from the eastern of Los Canarreos archipelago (Cuba, Caribbean Sea)

“…For instance, assemblages were taxonomically and functionally diverse with 84 species and 27 functional groups, indicating high diversity and complementarity of functions that are associated with healthy coral reefs (often within successful MPAs) ( Bellwood et al, 2004 , 2019 ; Micheli et al, 2014 ). In addition, a few sites showed higher biomass of important families ( e.g ., Lutjanidae, Carangidae, Haemulidae) than others from the Greater Caribbean ( Vallès & Oxenford, 2014 ) and similar biomass as in the successful Jardines de la Reina National Park ( Navarro-Martínez et al, 2022 ) ( Table 3 ). Nevertheless, considering the rather deficient management history from these areas (see above), such “high” diversity features are likely remnants of the coral reef fish assemblages that used to inhabit the region ( Jackson, 1997 ).…”

“…In this regard, only the abundance of threatened fish species and the multivariate structure of fishes, showed significant differences based on MPA status. Threatened species are those whose population size and geographic range have been reduced, usually as result of habitat deterioration and overfishing ( IUCN, 2012 ); and they are useful indicators of protection effectiveness in MPAs and habitat availability ( Navarro-Martínez et al, 2022 ). However, despite the significant MPA effect, threatened species were scarcely represented in most of our survey sites.…”

“…However, several multispecies schools (Lutjanidae, Haemulidae and Carangidae) were observed along other survey sites resulting in high biomass (>12 kg 125 m −2 ) in both protected and non-protected sites. The fish families Lutjanidae, Haemulidae, Carangidae, Serranidae, and Scaridae usually show scarce biomass in deteriorated coral reefs where fisheries are allowed or MPA’s enforcement is ineffective ( Valdivia, Cox & Bruno, 2017 , Duran et al, 2018 , Navarro-Martínez et al, 2022 ). This fact responds to their ecological role and to their historical extraction in non-protected areas through fisheries, including Cuban waters ( Baisre, 2018 ).…”

Cleaning symbiosis in coral reefs of Jardines de la Reina National Park

“…1 ) currently has more than 950 km 2 under the National System of Protected Areas in Cuba, with the management category of National Park ( Pina-Amargós et al, 2014 ) and consists of an extensive chain of cays associated with mangrove islands and stretches of coral reef facing the Caribbean Sea. The reef structure in this area includes a reef terrace between 5 and 15 m deep, followed by a rocky slope culminating in a sandy esplanade, with the formation of large spur and groove area and a reef drop-off ( Navarro-Martínez et al, 2022 ).…”

“…According to the criteria of Losey (1972) and Quimbayo et al (2018b) , we considered that there were cleaning interactions when physical contact between client and cleaner was detected. Client species were classified in functional groups following the criteria of Micheli et al (2014) and Navarro-Martínez et al (2022) with modifications according to Choat, Clements & Robbins (2004) , Bonaldo, Hoey & Bellwood (2014) and Adam et al (2015) and threat category according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Functional groups were based on the combination of two functional traits: mobility and feeding guild as previously described in Navarro-Martínez et al (2022) ( Table S1 ).…”