Spatial and temporal changes in reef fish assemblages on disturbed coral reefs, north Pacific coast of Costa Rica

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. e12532
Author(s):  
Gustavo Arias‐Godínez ◽  
Carlos Jiménez ◽  
Carlos Gamboa ◽  
Jorge Cortés ◽  
Mario Espinoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Changes

Benefits of protection on reef fish assemblages in a human impacted region in Costa Rica

2019 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 165-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Beita-Jiménez ◽  
Juan José Alvarado ◽  
Sebastián Mena ◽  
Ana Gloria Guzmán-Mora
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblages

scholarly journals Cuando la conservación no puede seguir el ritmo del desarrollo: Estado de salud de los ecosistemas coralinos del Pacífico Norte de Costa Rica

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (1-1) ◽  
pp. 280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan José Alvarado ◽  
Andrés Beita-Jiménez ◽  
Sebastián Mena ◽  
Cindy Fernández ◽  
Jorge Cortés ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Actual State ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
The North ◽  
Invasive Seaweed ◽  
Live Coral Cover ◽  
The North Pacific

Abstract: When conservation can keep up with development´s pace: Health status of coral ecosystems in the North Pacific of Costa Rica. Coral reefs are diverse and productive ecosystems, despite this, they are being threatened by human activities that enhance the detrimental impact of the natural phenomenon’s like Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB). The north Pacific of Costa Rica has been characterized as one of the best regions for the coral reefs development in the country. However, many of these ecosystems are being lost as a result of eutrophication, overfishing, invasive species and others impacts that affect the region. In the present study, live coral cover in the north Pacific was 5.0 ± 10.4(s.d.) %, with a domination in the ecosystems by turf algae. Twenty-six invertebrate taxa were registered in the region with the predominance of the sea urchin Diadema mexicanum. Ninety-four species of reef fish were identified. Snappers and some planktivores species were the groups with the highest frequency and abundance. The localities previously studied in the 1990 decade, presented a mean live coral cover between 40-50 %, whereby the actual state of the reef reflect a significant deterioration. This decline in coral cover is due to natural events like the El Niño, as well as the decrease in water quality in the region. In recent years, proliferations of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa sertularioides and high densities of bioerosive sea urchins have been reported, mainly associated with HAB events. Likewise, fish communities have low biomass, especially in the vicinity of fishing villages. The state of the reefs in the North Pacific is worrying and requires actions for its recovery and conservation, for which there must be better planning of the development of projects and activities on the coast. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(Suppl. 1): S280-S308. Epub 2018 April 01. 

A comparison of coral reef and coral community fish assemblages in Pacific Panama and environmental factors governing their structure

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (7) ◽  
pp. 1331-1341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Benfield ◽  
Laura Baxter ◽  
Hector M. Guzman ◽  
James M. Mair
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Size Composition ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Percentage Cover ◽  
Dimensional Scaling ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Habitat Variables

We compared the reef fish assemblages of two habitats, coral reefs and coral communities (rocky substratum with coral colonies), in the Las Perlas Archipelago in Pacific Panama and attempted to determine associations with habitat variables. We used a modified Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) survey to record fish species and quadrat transects to determine benthic composition. Multivariate non-parametric multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) ordinations were performed in PRIMER and univariate correlations were used to determine relationships. The reef fish of coral communities were significantly more diverse and species rich than those of coral reefs. The two habitats had significantly different species and size composition, but trophic and family groups overlapped between habitats. Topography, exposure, and the percentage cover of branching and massive corals correlated significantly with differences in fish parameters. The reef fish assemblages of this region appear to be determined more by the larger scale structural features that characterize the two habitats than by features that vary over small scales within the habitats.

The effect of coral reef degradation on the trophic structure of reef fishes from Bahía Culebra, North Pacific coast of Costa Rica

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Arias-Godínez ◽  
Carlos Jiménez ◽  
Carlos Gamboa ◽  
Jorge Cortés ◽  
Mario Espinoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Reef Degradation ◽  
Coral Reef Degradation

scholarly journals Evaluating the efficacy of management zones in the FKNMS: Integrating visual and photogrammetric surveys, and passive acoustics to characterize reef fish assemblages and spawning activity across coral reef management regimes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayelyn Simmons ◽  
DelWayne Bohnenstiehl ◽  
David Eggleston
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Marine Ecology ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Passive Acoustics ◽  
Low Frequencies

New technological approaches in marine ecology, such as (1) passive acoustics to characterize underwater soundscapes, and (2) habitat photogrammetry, which provides high-res, 3D images of habitats, can facilitate efficient and accurate assessments of coral reefs. In collaboration with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) and NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), multidisciplinary, non-invasive research approaches provide transformative ways to characterize reef fish biodiversity as well as the ecological function of essential, hard-bottom habitats. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) is an ideal study system due to several replicate marine reserve types in addition to existing historical data on reef fish and benthic communities. Underwater soundscape results show significantly different spectral patterns for each site, such that protected sites displayed higher average spectra in low frequencies than fished sites. Additionally, species and family-specific fish chorusing was identified during crepuscular hours at several protected sites. Photogrammetry surveys produced a 3D elevation model used to characterize differences in coral composition contributing to vertical relief. Initial results suggest biodiversity and other ecosystem metrics generally increase with level of protection. These data provide critical baseline evaluations for Post- Hurricane Irma impacts and may assist in monitoring the recovery of coral reefs.

scholarly journals Volatility in coral cover erodes niche structure, but not diversity, in reef fish assemblages

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Han Tsai ◽  
Hugh PA Sweatman ◽  
Löic M Thibaut ◽  
Sean R Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Deterministic Processes ◽  
Diversity Systems ◽  
Commonness And Rarity

Environmental fluctuations are becoming increasingly volatile in many ecosystems, highlighting the need to better understand how stochastic and deterministic processes shape patterns of commonness and rarity, particularly in high-diversity systems like coral reefs. Here, we analyse reef fish time-series across the Great Barrier Reef to show that approximately 75% of the variance in relative species abundance is attributable to deterministic, intrinsic species differences. Nevertheless, the relative importance of stochastic factors is markedly higher on reefs that have experienced stronger coral cover volatility. By contrast, alpha diversity and species composition are independent of coral cover volatility but depend on environmental gradients. Our findings imply that increased environmental volatility on coral reefs erodes assemblage's niche structure, an erosion that is not detectable from static measures of biodiversity.

scholarly journals Evaluating the efficacy of management zones in the FKNMS: Integrating visual and photogrammetric surveys, and passive acoustics to characterize reef fish assemblages and spawning activity across coral reef management regimes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayelyn Simmons ◽  
DelWayne Bohnenstiehl ◽  
David Eggleston
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Marine Ecology ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Passive Acoustics ◽  
Low Frequencies

New technological approaches in marine ecology, such as (1) passive acoustics to characterize underwater soundscapes, and (2) habitat photogrammetry, which provides high-res, 3D images of habitats, can facilitate efficient and accurate assessments of coral reefs. In collaboration with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) and NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), multidisciplinary, non-invasive research approaches provide transformative ways to characterize reef fish biodiversity as well as the ecological function of essential, hard-bottom habitats. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) is an ideal study system due to several replicate marine reserve types in addition to existing historical data on reef fish and benthic communities. Underwater soundscape results show significantly different spectral patterns for each site, such that protected sites displayed higher average spectra in low frequencies than fished sites. Additionally, species and family-specific fish chorusing was identified during crepuscular hours at several protected sites. Photogrammetry surveys produced a 3D elevation model used to characterize differences in coral composition contributing to vertical relief. Initial results suggest biodiversity and other ecosystem metrics generally increase with level of protection. These data provide critical baseline evaluations for Post- Hurricane Irma impacts and may assist in monitoring the recovery of coral reefs.

Fishes on coral reefs: changing roles over the past 240 million years

Paleobiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. R. Goatley ◽  
David R. Bellwood ◽  
Orpha Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Lower Jaw ◽  
Nocturnal Feeding ◽  
Fossil Fish ◽  
Changing Roles ◽  
Fossil Reef ◽  
Over Time

Key morphological traits reveal changes in functional morphospace occupation of reef fish assemblages over time. We used measurements of key functional attributes (i.e., lower jaw length and orbit diameter) of 208 fossil fish species from five geological periods to create bivariate plots of functional morphological traits through time. These plots were used to examine possible function and ecological characteristics of fossil reef fish assemblages throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. A previously unknown trend of increasing orbit diameter over time became apparent. The Teleostei are the principal drivers of this change. The Eocene appears to mark a dramatic increase in two previously rare feeding modes in fishes: nocturnal feeding and high-precision benthic feeding. Interestingly, members of the Pycnodontiformes had relatively large eyes since the Triassic and appear to be the ecological precursors of their later teleost counterparts and may have been among the earliest nocturnal feeding fishes. Our results highlight potential changes in the roles of fishes on coral reefs through time.

scholarly journals Simulated overfishing and natural eutrophication promote the relative success of a non-indigenous ascidian in coral reefs at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Roth ◽  
Ines Stuhldreier ◽  
Celeste Sánchez-Noguera ◽  
Susana Carvalho ◽  
Christian Wild
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Relative Success ◽  
The Pacific
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