Occurrence and Distribution of an Invasive Octocoral, Carijoa riisei in Malaysia’s Marine Park of Pulau Payar

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Normah S ◽  
◽  
Ismail MS ◽  
Md. Nizam I ◽  
Zaidnuddin I ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Remedial Actions ◽  
Carijoa Riisei ◽  
Study Sites

The occurrence of the invasive snowflake coral, Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) in Malaysian waters was reported after the species was first detected at Pulau Payar Marine Park in 2014. Its recent appearance in Pulau Payar highlights the need for baseline data concerning the distribution pattern and diversity of C. riisei within the Pulau Payar Marine Park and may enable effective remedial actions in controlling the overgrowth of this octocoral. The snowflake coral and other substrates were quantified over quadrats located randomly on a 50 m transects in three study sites, i.e. Coral Garden, Kaca Reef and Lembu Rock. The percent cover of each substrate category and diversity were determined using the Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe) software. The snowflake coral was most frequently observed at the depths of 10 to 20 m at each of the study sites. The area with highest coverage of this octocoral was in Kaca Reef at the depth of 20m. About one-third of the benthos and abiotic substrate at all sites was populated by C. riisei. Statistically, no significant differences were found between the distributions of C. riisei by sites. Using diversity indices, we were able to demonstrate the ability of this species to exploit a wide range of differing environments. This ability has allowed it to spread within this marine protected area. Based on this study, we suggested monitoring programs should be regularly conducted within Pulau Payar Marine Park, other reefs should be surveyed for its presence, and an effective mitigation program should be developed for the conservation of the marine ecosystems affected by this invasive species.

Infaunal macroinvertebrate assemblages of the eastern Great Australian Bight: effectiveness of a marine protected area in representing the region's benthic biodiversity

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 459 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Currie ◽  
Shirley J. Sorokin ◽  
Tim M. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Inner Shelf ◽  
Protection Zone ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Great Australian Bight ◽  
Deposit Feeding ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Marine reserves are used widely throughout the world to conserve biodiversity, but in many instances uncertainties exist over how well these areas represent biodiversity at a regional scale (i.e. 100–1000 km). In the present study, infaunal assemblages were examined in the eastern Great Australian Bight (GAB) to evaluate the efficacy of the Benthic Protection Zone of the GAB Marine Park in representing regional biodiversity. Distributional patterns in infauna were further examined in relation to epifaunal species composition and environmental conditions to investigate structural forcing. Grab samples of infauna were collected from the same 65 sites sampled in an earlier survey of epifauna. In total, 240 taxa belonging to 11 phyla were collected. Most taxa were uncommon, with 96% representing less than 2% of the total number of individuals collected and 39% occurring at only one site. Unlike the epifauna, the infauna of the eastern GAB does not appear to be particularly diverse. Sessile filter feeders dominated the infaunal communities of the inner shelf, whereas motile, deposit-feeding organisms dominated the shelf break. As was the case with the epifauna, the highest numbers of taxa and individuals were recorded near the head of the bight and in inner-shelf waters off the western Eyre Peninsula, where productivity is enhanced by upwelling. Cluster analysis identified three community groupings, which were strongly correlated with depth. All three communities and 72% (172) of the 240 taxa collected were represented within the Benthic Protection Zone of the GAB Marine Park, confirming findings from the epifaunal survey that this protected area is well placed to represent the benthic biodiversity of the eastern GAB.

Whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park: managing tourism in an Australian marine protected area

1997 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 259-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrin Davis ◽  
Simon Banks ◽  
Alastair Birtles ◽  
Peter Valentine ◽  
Michael Cuthill
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Whale Sharks

Incorporating dugong habitats into the marine protected area design for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Queensland, Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirstin Dobbs ◽  
Leanne Fernandes ◽  
Suzanne Slegers ◽  
Belinda Jago ◽  
Leanne Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Marine Park

scholarly journals ‘Reserve effect’ within a temperate marine protected area in the north-eastern Atlantic (Arrábida Marine Park, Portugal)

2013 ◽  
Vol 481 ◽  
pp. 11-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Horta e Costa ◽  
K Erzini ◽  
JE Caselle ◽  
H Folhas ◽  
EJ Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
The North ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Reserve Effect

scholarly journals Population Structure and Growth of the Threatened Pen Shell, Pinna rudis (Linnaeus, 1758) in a Western Mediterranean Marine Protected Area

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 785 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. NEBOT COLOMER ◽  
M. VÁZQUEZ-LUIS ◽  
J. R. GARCÍA-MARCH ◽  
S. DEUDERO
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Shell Width ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pen Shell ◽  
Absolute Growth ◽  
Slow Growing ◽  
Established Population

Coastal ecosystems are being extensively degraded by human activities. Benthic, slow-growing and long-lived species are highly vulnerable to these impacts. Marine protected areas might avoid biodiversity losses through habitat protection. The pen shell Pinna rudis is a protected species, but scarce data are available on its ecology and biology. The present study is a comprehensive ecological study encompassing several unknown aspects of the growth and inner record in relation to habitat types, density and size distribution. A total of 418 strip transects were conducted by scuba diving in the Marine Protected Area of Cabrera National Park (39.14° N, 2.96° E), during the summers of 2011, 2012 and 2013. Sampling was conducted across different habitats and depths exploring 152,146.35 m2 in total. Densities varied spatially within the park (from 0 to 6.89 ind./100 m2) corresponding to a wide range of sizes and ages. Most pen shells were patchily distributed and mainly concentrated in caves. Two hotspots with high densities represent the highest densities ever recorded worldwide, showing a possible link to high larval accumulation and settlement. The population size structure showed a unimodal distribution with shell width ranging from 6.2 to 25.0 cm, with an average shell width of 16.0 ± 3.4 cm. The absolute growth was asymptotic, with a maximum age and length of 28-31 years and 45 cm, respectively. This study on the biology and ecology of a well-established population of Pinna rudis in the Western Mediterranean could set a baseline for the conservation of this species in other areas.

Analysis of marine protected area management: The Marine Park of the Azores (Portugal)

Marine Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 119 ◽  
pp. 104104
Author(s):  
María Maestro ◽  
Juan Adolfo Chica-Ruiz ◽  
María Luisa Pérez-Cayeiro
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Area Management

scholarly journals Movement patterns of four coral reef fish species in a fragmented habitat in New Caledonia: implications for the design of marine protected area networks

2008 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Chateau ◽  
Laurent Wantiez
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Fragmented Habitat ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Reef Fish Species

Abstract Chateau, O., and Wantiez, L. 2009. Movement patterns of four coral reef fish species in a fragmented habitat in New Caledonia: implications for the design of marine protected area networks. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 50–55. Acoustic telemetry was used to examine the patterns of fish movements between a marine reserve and two unprotected reefs separated by large areas of lagoon soft bottoms (900–2000 m) in the South Lagoon Marine Park of New Caledonia. Four commercial fish species (Epinephelus maculatus, Plectropomus leopardus, Chlorurus microrhinos, and Scarus ghobban) were studied for 17 months (45 fish). Nine fish (20%) were detected on reefs other than the reef onto which they were released. Four patterns of inter-reef movement were identified during the survey, including home range relocations, movements larger than the scale of the study, many inter-reef movements within the study area, and punctual excursions outside the daily home range. The information gathered in this study demonstrates the ability of the fish to carry out medium-scale movements in a fragmented habitat. Consequently, the effectiveness of the reserve to protect the entire population is probably limited for these species. Because all the identified patterns implied at least one movement across the reserve boundaries, our results support the hypothesis that the Larégnère Marine Reserve, part of the South Lagoon Marine Park, could benefit the adjacent fished area through spillover.

scholarly journals Ecological Status of Coralligenous Macroalgal Assemblages in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Isole Ciclopi (Ionian Sea)

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Luca Giuseppe Costanzo ◽  
Giuliana Marletta ◽  
Giuseppina Alongi
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Floristic Studies

The coralligenous habitat represents one of the most important hotspots of Mediterranean biodiversity. However, along the Ionian coast of Sicily (Italy) the coralligenous macroalgal assemblages have always been poorly studied. The present study was carried out in the coralligenous habitat of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Isole Ciclopi, located along the central-eastern coast of Sicily. Previously, only a few floristic studies, including some data on the coralligenous flora, were conducted within this MPA in the 1970s and 2001. Therefore, the present study aimed to gain an updated knowledge on the coralligenous flora and to compare the current data with data derived from the previous floristic studies, to observe if in the last 50 years environmental changes occurred and to monitor the effectiveness of the MPA in protecting this habitat. In particular, the coralligenous flora of the MPA was analyzed through remotely operated vehicles (ROV) surveys and destructive samples. ROV surveys allow us to observe that the coralligenous assemblages of the MPA are well-structured, especially regarding the encrusting Rhodophyta, which showed the highest percent cover among the main morphological groups/taxa. Through the sample analysis in the laboratory, a total of 92 taxa has been recorded. Comparing the floristic lists of the present research and the past studies, an increase of local biodiversity was highlighted. Nevertheless, an increment of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS), warm-water species, and Rhodophyta with wide ecological valence was also noted. The main causes of these variations in the coralligenous flora have been traced back to reduced water transparency, maybe due to sedimentation, and a rise in the seawater temperature. Therefore, although the coralligenous assemblages of the MPA Isole Ciclopi appear to be well-structured, future studies will be necessary to continue monitoring this habitat to evaluate whether the MPA is effective in safeguarding this hotspot of biodiversity.

scholarly journals Using complementary visual approaches to investigate residency, site fidelity and movement patterns of the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) in a Mediterranean marine protected area

2021 ◽  
Vol 168 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Desiderà ◽  
Egidio Trainito ◽  
Augusto Navone ◽  
Rémi Blandin ◽  
Luana Magnani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Underwater Visual Census ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
Dusky Grouper ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Study Sites

AbstractAssessing individuals’ abundance, residency (presence at a site within a certain period) and site fidelity (tendency to return to the same site in subsequent seasons or years) is crucial for evaluating and improving the effectiveness of spatial conservation/management measures regarding ecologically and socio-economically valuable species. Using underwater visual census (UVC) and photo-identification (photo-ID) techniques, we estimated the abundance, residency and site fidelity of the dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, at two protected sites within the Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Protected Area (Sardinia, Italy) in the summers of 2017–2018. The scope and spatio-temporal resolution of the study was extended by involving volunteer recreational divers in the photo collection. Grouper mean densities varied significantly across sampling dates, with a significant variability between the 2 years and the two investigated sites. At least 94 grouper visited the study sites in the summers of 2017–2018 based on the analysis of 968 high-quality photos using a semi-automated software to photo-identify individuals. Overall, the most frequently sighted grouper was recorded on 32 different days and 21 individuals (22%) identified in 2017 were re-sighted in 2018. The participation of volunteer recreational divers helped detect the inter-site (3.5–4 km apart) movements of a female and a male, supporting previous findings regarding the occurrence of reproduction-related movements. This study provides novel insights into the residency and site-fidelity patterns of the dusky grouper, and its small-scale movements probably related to reproduction. Specifically, we provide indications that effective protection from fishing should encompass the entire area used by grouper for reproductive movements.

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