scholarly journals Marine biodiversity of a pristine coral reef in French Polynesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lecchini ◽  
Frédéric Bertucci ◽  
Lily Fogg ◽  
Camille Gache ◽  
Pascal Ung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Biodiversity Survey ◽  
Outer Slope ◽  
Top Predators

Understanding the natural state of coral reefs is paramount to evaluate the response of these ecosystems to local and global human impacts as well as management and conservation strategies. In French Polynesia, some islands are still pristine or uninhabited, such as Tupai atoll. Tupai has been uninhabited, with access to the lagoon prohibited since 2010. However, fishers from nearby islands often take from the outer reef slope at Tupai. Our marine biodiversity survey (coral, macro-invertebrates, and fish) conducted in 2019 highlighted a low density of commercial fish species and top-predators on the outer slope in comparison to the lagoon, where the top-predators represented 16% (of the density) of functional trophic groups. Our surveys also showed a high living coral cover (46%) on the outer slope of Tupai, perhaps due to the absence of both touristic sub-aquatic activities and local pollution from private and commercial activities. Overall, this initial scientific assessment of Tupai has granted an understanding of the spatial patterns of coral, macro-invertebrates, and fish assemblages in the absence of human impacts (i.e., in the lagoon), representing an ecological baseline that could inform conservation management strategies to ensure the preservation of coral reef ecosystem.

scholarly journals Comparative Effects of Different Disturbances in Coral Reef Habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie L. Trapon ◽  
Morgan S. Pratchett ◽  
Lucie Penin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
The North ◽  
Coral Composition

Degradation and loss of critical coastal habitats has significant ramifications for marine fisheries, such that knowledge of changes in habitat quality and quantity are fundamental to effective ecosystem management. This study explores changes in the structure of coral reef habitats, specifically changes in coral cover and composition, in Moorea, French Polynesia, to assess the independent and combined effects of different disturbances since 1979. During this period, reefs on the north coast have been subject to coral bleaching, severe tropical storms, as well as outbreaks ofAcanthaster. Coral cover varied significantly among years, showing marked declines during some, but not all, disturbances. The greatest rates of coral loss coincided with outbreaks ofA. planci. Moreover, successive disturbances have had differential effects among coral genera, leading to strong directional shifts in coral composition.Acroporais declining in abundance and coral assemblages are becoming increasingly dominated byPocillopora and Porites. Observed changes in the cover and composition of corals are likely to have further significant impacts on the reef fish assemblages. Given that significant disturbances have been mostly associated with outbreaks ofA. planci, rather than climate change, effective ecosystem management may reduce and/or delay impending effects of climate change.

scholarly journals Unexpected high vulnerability of functions in wilderness areas: evidence from coral reef fishes

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1844) ◽  
pp. 20160128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphanie D'agata ◽  
Laurent Vigliola ◽  
Nicholas A. J. Graham ◽  
Laurent Wantiez ◽  
Valeriano Parravicini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Wilderness Areas ◽  
High Species Richness

High species richness is thought to support the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions and services under changing environments. Yet, some species might perform unique functional roles while others are redundant. Thus, the benefits of high species richness in maintaining ecosystem functioning are uncertain if functions have little redundancy, potentially leading to high vulnerability of functions. We studied the natural propensity of assemblages to be functionally buffered against loss prior to fishing activities, using functional trait combinations, in coral reef fish assemblages across unfished wilderness areas of the Indo-Pacific: Chagos Archipelago, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Fish functional diversity in these wilderness areas is highly vulnerable to fishing, explained by species- and abundance-based redundancy packed into a small combination of traits, leaving most other trait combinations (60%) sensitive to fishing, with no redundancy. Functional vulnerability peaks for mobile and sedentary top predators, and large species in general. Functional vulnerability decreases for certain functional entities in New Caledonia, where overall functional redundancy was higher. Uncovering these baseline patterns of functional vulnerability can offer early warning signals of the damaging effects from fishing, and may serve as baselines to guide precautionary and even proactive conservation actions.

scholarly journals The Ecology of Coral Reef Top Predators in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Dale ◽  
Carl G. Meyer ◽  
Christian E. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Fore Reef ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
National Monument ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
The Pacific

Coral reef habitats in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) are characterized by abundant top-level predators such as sharks and jacks. The predator assemblage is dominated both numerically and in biomass by giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) and Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis). A lower diversity of predatory teleosts, particularly groupers and snappers, distinguishes the PMNM from other remote, unfished atolls in the Pacific. Most coral reef top predators are site attached to a “home” atoll, but move extensively within these atolls. Abundances of the most common sharks and jacks are highest in atoll fore reef habitats. Top predators within the PMNM forage on a diverse range of prey and exert top-down control over shallow-water reef fish assemblages. Ecological models suggest ecosystem processes may be most impacted by top predators through indirect effects of predation. Knowledge gaps are identified to guide future studies of top predators in the PMNM.

Spatiotemporal distribution of nocturnal coral reef fish juveniles in Moorea Island, French Polynesia

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lecchini ◽  
Yohei Nakamura ◽  
Makoto Tsuchiya ◽  
René Galzin
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Spatiotemporal Distribution ◽  
Fish Juveniles ◽  
Moorea Island

scholarly journals Commercial fish assemblages on New Caledonian fringing reefs submitted to different levels of ground erosion

1999 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 609-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Letourneur ◽  
Pierre Labrosse ◽  
Michel Kulbicki
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Fringing Reefs ◽  
Different Levels

STABILITY OF CORAL REEF FISH ASSEMBLAGES IMPACTED BY NUCLEAR TESTS

Ecology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
pp. 2578-2585 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Planes ◽  
R. Galzin ◽  
J-P. Bablet ◽  
P. F. Sale
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Nuclear Tests
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