The Micronesia Challenge: Assessing the Relative Contribution of Stressors on Coral Reefs to Facilitate Science-to-Management Feedback

Houk, Peter; Camacho, Rodney; Johnson, Steven; McLean, Matthew; Maxin, Selino; Anson, J. H; Joseph, Eugene; Nedlic, Osamu; Luckymis, Marston; Adams, Katrina; Hess, Don; Kabua, Emma; Yalon, Anthony; Buthung, Eva; Graham, Curtis; Leberer, Trina; Taylor, Brett M.; Woesik, Robert van

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130823

Cited by 46 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The environmental factors used in this analysis are well-documented drivers of fish and coral assemblage structure across Micronesia [35], including wave energy, watershed size, fishing access, and pollution. Wave energy values were generated for each site using a 10-year record of wind-speed, fetch distance, and angle of wind exposure (Quicksat wind data sets from 1999 to 2009; https://winds.jpl.nasa.gov), [35].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wave energy values were generated for each site using a 10-year record of wind-speed, fetch distance, and angle of wind exposure (Quicksat wind data sets from 1999 to 2009; https://winds.jpl.nasa.gov), [35]. Watershed sizes (km 2 ) were measured in ArcGIS using United States Geological Survey topographic maps.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Latent variables accounted for multiple factors that together determine resilience, and were less sensitive to small localized disturbances. For instance, Micronesia reefs with high coral cover often have low diversity, while those with lower cover, following disturbances, generally have higher diversity, and both components are important indicators of resilience [35] Ecological attributes used to generate fish latent variables were fish assemblage biomass, predator biomass, biomass ratios of large-to-small bodied herbivores, Shannon-Weaver diversity, and species richness. Large herbivore species were defined as those with estimated asymptotic lengths over 40 cm, while small herbivore species were defined as those with asymptotic lengths under 40 cm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large herbivore species were defined as those with estimated asymptotic lengths over 40 cm, while small herbivore species were defined as those with asymptotic lengths under 40 cm. These attributes were chosen by a regional working group of scientists to represent key ecological functions [35]. The individual attributes were standardized and averaged together to generate latent variables.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, scientists generally agree that reefs are in decline, but disagree on the magnitude of individual drivers of decline and how to prevent them [11,27,28]. Three prominent drivers of reef decline can be synthesized from existing literature, which many not be mutually exclusive: 1) increased disturbance frequencies from climate change [29–31], 2) pollution [32–34], and 3) fishing [15,35,36]. Identifying the relative magnitude of these potentially synergistic drivers of decline is important because previous studies have concluded that our ability to mitigate global change is negligible compared to our ability to manage local stressors [37,38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Local Stressors, Resilience, and Shifting Baselines on Coral Reefs

et al. 2016

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Understanding how and why coral reefs have changed over the last twenty to thirty years is crucial for sustaining coral-reef resilience. We used a historical baseline from Kosrae, a typical small island in Micronesia, to examine changes in fish and coral assemblages since 1986. We found that natural gradients in the spatial distribution of fish and coral assemblages have become amplified, as island geography is now a stronger determinant of species abundance patterns, and habitat forming Acropora corals and large-bodied fishes that were once common on the leeward side of the island have become scarce. A proxy for fishing access best predicted the relative change in fish assemblage condition over time, and in turn, declining fish condition was the only factor correlated with declining coral condition, suggesting overfishing may have reduced ecosystem resilience. Additionally, a proxy for watershed pollution predicted modern coral assemblage condition, suggesting pollution is also reducing resilience in densely populated areas. Altogether, it appears that unsustainable fishing reduced ecosystem resilience, as fish composition has shifted to smaller species in lower trophic levels, driven by losses of large predators and herbivores. While prior literature and anecdotal reports indicate that major disturbance events have been rare in Kosrae, small localized disturbances coupled with reduced resilience may have slowly degraded reef condition through time. Improving coral-reef resilience in the face of climate change will therefore require improved understanding and management of growing artisanal fishing pressure and watershed pollution.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Local Stressors, Resilience, and Shifting Baselines on Coral Reefs

et al. 2016

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Influence of ambient water intrusion on coral reef acidification in the Chuuk lagoon, located in the coral‐rich western Pacific Ocean

Lee

Noh

et al. 2016

Geophysical Research Letters

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Weekly carbonate chemistry condition data recorded between 2008 and 2014 in the Chuuk lagoon (7.3°N and 151.5°E) of the Federated States of Micronesia, located in the western Pacific Ocean, were analyzed. The results showed that, during periods of weak intrusion of ambient seawater from the surrounding open ocean, two internal biological processes (calcification and respiration) reinforced each other and together lowered the pH of the reef water for extended periods, ranging from a few to several months. The analysis indicated that reduced intrusion of ambient water is associated with periods of low wind speeds. Such conditions increase the residence time of reef water, thus promoting acidification by respiration and calcification. This phenomenon likely affects many other areas of the coral‐rich western Pacific Ocean, which contains 50% of global coral reefs and in which the degree of ambient water intrusion into the atolls has been shown to be closely associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation‐induced wind speed change.

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Identifying correlates of coral‐reef fish biomass on Florida’s Coral Reef to assess potential management actions

Zuercher

Kochan

Brumbaugh

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Coral reef fish assemblages are threatened globally, underscoring the need for data-driven management to reduce threats and restore populations. Comparing fishery management approaches is aided by a detailed understanding of the key factors controlling species' abundances.2. The aims of this study were to assess the importance of biophysical factors compared with fishing impacts on the biomass of reef fishes on Florida's Coral Reef and to evaluate the potential effects of common management interventions on fish biomass.3. Fishing impact was estimated using a fishery-independent modelling approach and the biomass of the snapper-grouper complex as a proxy for the effects of fishing. Using a separate subset of data from underwater fish surveys, estimated fishing impact was then combined with 18 biophysical variables to model the current biomass of all reef fish species, the snapper-grouper complex, grazing species and species collected for aquaria.4. Models explained between 51 and 64% of the variance in fish biomass for the fish groups. The strongest predictor of biomass in the snapper-grouper complex was fishing impact (accounting for 25.2% of the explained variance), whereas reef complexity was the strongest predictor for all other groups. 5. High-resolution maps were produced from the statistical models, including maps of current fish biomass and maps of potential biomass under several management scenarios: a no-take marine reserve, moderate and extensive coral restoration and the addition of artificial benthic structure. Adding structure had the largest single impact on predicted fish biomass (23-72% increase from current estimated levels). However, beneficial synergies emerged when combining habitat-based management and fishing closures, with some combinations resulting in a reef-wide averaged 89% increase in biomass relative to current estimated levels.6. The results suggest that conservation strategies aimed at protecting and increasing structural reef complexity should be an important part of fishery management discussions.

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The Micronesia Challenge: Assessing the Relative Contribution of Stressors on Coral Reefs to Facilitate Science-to-Management Feedback

Cited by 46 publications

References 48 publications

Local Stressors, Resilience, and Shifting Baselines on Coral Reefs

Local Stressors, Resilience, and Shifting Baselines on Coral Reefs

Influence of ambient water intrusion on coral reef acidification in the Chuuk lagoon, located in the coral‐rich western Pacific Ocean

Identifying correlates of coral‐reef fish biomass on Florida’s Coral Reef to assess potential management actions

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