The Importance of Surface Orientation in Biodiversity Monitoring Protocols: The Case of Patagonian Rocky Reefs

Temperate rocky reefs in Atlantic Patagonia are productive areas that support a high diversity of invertebrates, algae, and fishes. Complex surface structures on rocky reefs offer a range of microhabitats, which in turn, lead to a broad variety of co-existing species. Despite their ecological importance and the ecosystem services they provide, Patagonian rocky reef habitats have received limited attention. Until now studies have not discerned nor consequently described the assemblages found on each of the different surface orientations, namely horizontal, vertical, overhang and cavefloor. During this study we developed a protocol for sampling different surface orientations on subtidal rocky reefs using georeferenced high-resolution photoquadrats. We described and compared the epibenthic assemblage of surface orientations on 7 rocky reefs within 1–25 m depth in a northern Patagonia gulf. A total of 70 taxa were identified (12 macroalgae, 44 invertebrates, 10 tunicates, and 4 fishes), which doubles the number of species previously reported for the area. Each surface orientation presented a different assemblage structure while species richness was higher on vertical surfaces. The overhang surfaces had the most distinct assemblage conformed by cnidarians, tunicates, sponges and the absence of algae. The average overall species richness increased with depth due to the increase of sponge and tunicate species. Our results highlight the need of including several surface orientations in rocky reef biodiversity monitoring. This study offers a protocol for large-scale programs aimed at monitoring changes in biodiversity, which is broadly accessible and will provide accurate information. With robust yet simple, non-destructive and relatively low-cost practices this protocol can adequately assess changes in marine habitats, which provide important ecosystem services.

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The sea urchin – the ultimate herbivore and biogeographic variability in its ability to deforest kelp ecosystems

10.7287/peerj.preprints.174v1 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Jarrett E Byrnes ◽

Ladd E. Johnson ◽

Sean D. Connell ◽

Nick T. Shears ◽

Selena M McMillan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Urchin ◽

Large Scale ◽

Sea Urchins ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Kelp Forest ◽

Rocky Reef ◽

Rocky Reefs ◽

Iconic Images ◽

Balance Of Forces ◽

Almost All

Barren rocky seafloor landscapes, denuded of almost all life by ravenous sea urchins, liberated from their predators, stands as one of the iconic images of trophic cascades in Ecology. While this paradigm has been cited in nearly every temperate rocky reef ecosystem across the globe, there is widespread disagreement as to its generality. Given their biology, sea urchins are clearly one of the ocean’s strongest herbivores in many systems, but where will their impact be strongest? Here we perform a global meta-analysis of sea urchin-kelp relationships in the field. We find that sea urchins appear to be able to control kelp abundances in any system where they can achieve high densities. Furthermore, their ability to create large-scale long-lasting barrens appears to be limited to biogeographic regions where they can achieve high consumptive potential. Based on the literature, we outline a conceptual model that examines when and where sea urchins should be able to have a strong regulating impact on kelp forest ecosystems. We suggest that many elements of global change may shift the balance of forces regulating sea urchin consumptive potential in these ecosystems. Given their ability to have strong impacts on temperate rocky reefs, these drivers need to be considered in concert with their effect on sea urchins when attempting to predict future change to marine ecosystems.

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Using a large-scale biodiversity monitoring dataset to test the effectiveness of protected areas at conserving North-American breeding birds

10.1101/433037 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Victor Cazalis ◽

Soumaya Belghali ◽

Ana S.L. Rodrigues

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Protected Areas ◽

North American ◽

Large Scale ◽

Individual Species ◽

Biodiversity Monitoring ◽

Breeding Bird ◽

The North ◽

Forest Sites ◽

Declining Species

AbstractProtected areas currently cover about 15% of the global land area, and constitute one of the main tools in biodiversity conservation. Quantifying their effectiveness at protecting species from local decline or extinction involves comparing protected with counterfactual unprotected sites representing “what would have happened to protected sites had they not been protected”. Most studies are based on pairwise comparisons, using neighbour sites to protected areas as counterfactuals, but this choice is often subjective and may be prone to biases. An alternative is to use large-scale biodiversity monitoring datasets, whereby the effect of protected areas is analysed statistically by controlling for landscape differences between protected and unprotected sites, allowing a more targeted and clearly defined measure of the protected areas effect. Here we use the North American Breeding Bird Survey dataset as a case study to investigate the effectiveness of protected areas at conserving bird assemblages. We analysed the effect of protected areas on species richness, on assemblage-level abundance, and on the abundance of individual species by modelling how these metrics relate to the proportion of each site that is protected, while controlling for local habitat, altitude, productivity and for spatial autocorrelation. At the assemblage level, we found almost no relationship between protection and species richness or overall abundance. At the species level, we found that forest species are present in significantly higher abundances within protected forest sites, compared with unprotected forests, with the opposite effect for species that favour open habitats. Hence, even though protected forest assemblages are not richer than those of unprotected forests, they are more typical of this habitat. We also found some evidence that species that avoid human activities tend to be favoured by protection, but found no such effect for regionally declining species. Our results highlight the complexity of assessing protected areas effectiveness, and the necessity of clearly defining the metrics of effectiveness and the controls used in such assessments.

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How many fish? Comparison of two underwater visual sampling methods for monitoring fish communities

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.5066 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e5066 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zoi Thanopoulou ◽

Maria Sini ◽

Konstantinos Vatikiotis ◽

Christos Katsoupis ◽

Panayiotis G. Dimitrakopoulos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Large Scale ◽

Sampling Methods ◽

Survey Design ◽

Distance Sampling ◽

Fish Communities ◽

High Mobility ◽

Line Transect ◽

Rocky Reef ◽

Line Transects

Background Underwater visual surveys (UVSs) for monitoring fish communities are preferred over fishing surveys in certain habitats, such as rocky or coral reefs and seagrass beds and are the standard monitoring tool in many cases, especially in protected areas. However, despite their wide application there are potential biases, mainly due to imperfect detectability and the behavioral responses of fish to the observers. Methods The performance of two methods of UVSs were compared to test whether they give similar results in terms of fish population density, occupancy, species richness, and community composition. Distance sampling (line transects) and plot sampling (strip transects) were conducted at 31 rocky reef sites in the Aegean Sea (Greece) using SCUBA diving. Results Line transects generated significantly higher values of occupancy, species richness, and total fish density compared to strip transects. For most species, density estimates differed significantly between the two sampling methods. For secretive species and species avoiding the observers, the line transect method yielded higher estimates, as it accounted for imperfect detectability and utilized a larger survey area compared to the strip transect method. On the other hand, large-scale spatial patterns of species composition were similar for both methods. Discussion Overall, both methods presented a number of advantages and limitations, which should be considered in survey design. Line transects appear to be more suitable for surveying secretive species, while strip transects should be preferred at high fish densities and for species of high mobility.

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The sea urchin – the ultimate herbivore and biogeographic variability in its ability to deforest kelp ecosystems

10.7287/peerj.preprints.174 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Jarrett E Byrnes ◽

Ladd E. Johnson ◽

Sean D. Connell ◽

Nick T. Shears ◽

Selena M McMillan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Urchin ◽

Large Scale ◽

Sea Urchins ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Kelp Forest ◽

Rocky Reef ◽

Rocky Reefs ◽

Iconic Images ◽

Balance Of Forces ◽

Almost All

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Monitoring rocky reef biodiversity by underwater geo-referenced photoquadrats

Underwater Technology The International Journal of the Society for Underwater ◽

10.3723/ut.38.017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 17-24

Author(s):

Gonzalo Bravo ◽

Juan Pablo Livore ◽

Gregorio Bigatti

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Rocky Reef ◽

Intelligence Analysis ◽

High Definition ◽

Sampling Protocol ◽

Sampling Methodology ◽

Rocky Reefs ◽

Marine Habitats ◽

Non Destructive ◽

Excellent Tool

Digital images are an excellent tool for divers to sample hard-bottom subtidal habitats as bottom time is limited and high-definition images can be collected quickly and accurately. The present paper describes a sampling protocol for benthic rocky reef communities using geo-referenced photoquadrats and tests the method over several rocky reefs of Atlantic Patagonia. This method was tested in two localities, separated by 100 km in a semi-enclosed gulf, covering a total of 5800 m of 11 rocky reefs using track roaming transects. The protocol is non-destructive, relatively low-cost and can adequately assess changes in marine habitats as rocky reefs. The implementation of artificial intelligence analysis using human expert training may reduce analysis time and increase the amount of data collected. The present study recommends this sampling methodology for programs aimed at monitoring changes in biodiversity.

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ESTIMASI HASIL AIR DARI DAERAH TANGKAPAN AIR DANAU RAWA PENING DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN MODEL INVEST

MAJALAH ILMIAH GLOBE ◽

10.24895/mig.2017.19-2.578 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 157

Author(s):

Nunung Puji Nugroho

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Resources ◽

High Water ◽

Water Yield ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Yield Model ◽

Catchment Areas ◽

Integrated Valuation ◽

Valuation Of Ecosystem Services

ABSTRAKInformasi hasil air dari suatu ekosistem sangat penting dalam pengelolaan sumber daya air. Dalam perencanaan kegiatan konservasi sumber daya air, informasi sebaran spasial hasil air diperlukan untuk menentukan prioritas wilayah terkait dengan alokasi anggaran. Hasil air dari suatu ekosistem atau daerah aliran sungai (DAS) dapat diestimasi dengan menggunakan model hidrologi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan informasi tentang hasil air, baik besaran maupun sebaran spasialnya, dari daerah tangkapan air (DTA) Danau Rawa Pening. Hasil air dari lokasi penelitian dihitung dengan menggunakan model hasil air pada InVEST (the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs), yang didasarkan pada pendekatan neraca air. Hasil perhitungan menunjukkan bahwa volume hasil air di DTA Danau Rawa Pening pada tahun 2015 adalah sekitar 337 juta m3. SubDAS Galeh, sebagai subDAS terluas, merupakan penghasil air terbesar (72,4 juta m3) diikuti oleh subDAS Sraten (66,8 juta m3) dan Parat (62,4 juta m3). Secara spasial, hasil air di lokasi kajian mempunyai nilai antara 0 hingga 29.634,19 m3/ha. Wilayah hulu dan tengah subDAS Sraten secara umum mempunyai hasil air yang lebih tinggi, sedangkan wilayah danau dan sekitarnya serta hulu subDAS Galeh mempunyai hasil air yang lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan wilayah lainnya. Wilayah dengan hasil air tinggi dapat diprioritaskan dalam kegiatan konservasi sumber daya air untuk mendukung pasokan air ke Danau Rawa Pening.Kata kunci: hasil air, daerah tangkapan air, model InVEST, Danau Rawa PeningABSTRACTAccurate information on water yield from an ecosystem is very important in the management of water resources. In the planning of water resources conservation activities, the information on the spatial distribution of water yield is needed to determine regional priorities related to budget allocations. The water yield from an ecosystem or watershed can be estimated using a hydrological model. This study aimed to obtain information about the water yield, both the magnitude and their spatial distribution, from the catchment areas of Lake Rawa Pening. The water yield from the study area was calculated using the water yield model in InVEST (the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs), which based on the water balance approach. The results indicated that the volume of water yield in Lake Rawa Pening for 2015 is approximately 337 million m3. Galeh subwatershed, as the largest subwatershed, is the largest water producer (72.4 million m3), followed by Sraten subwatershed (66.8 million m3) and Parat subwatershed (62.4 million m3). Spatially, the water yield at the study site has a value between 0 to 29,634.19 m3/ha. Upstream and middle areas of Sraten subwatershed generally have higher water yield, while the lake and its surrounding areas as well as the upstream of Galeh subwatershed have lower water yield compared to other regions. The regions with high water yield can be prioritized in water resource conservation activities to support the supply of water to Lake Rawa Pening.Keywords: water yield, catchment areas, InVEST model, Lake Rawa Pening

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Impacts of species richness on productivity in a large-scale subtropical forest experiment.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.734150631.793552890 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Forest Isbell

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Large Scale ◽

Subtropical Forest

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Large-scale Geographic Pattern of Primate Species Richness in Mainland China at Different Spatial Resolution and Its Relationship to Environmental Factors and Human Activities

Chinese Journal of Appplied Environmental Biology ◽

10.3724/sp.j.1145.2012.00954 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 954 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiaoqian LIN ◽

Yong HUANG ◽

Zhili ZUO ◽

Yueying CHEN

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Spatial Resolution ◽

Human Activities ◽

Large Scale ◽

Mainland China ◽

Primate Species ◽

Geographic Pattern

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Dryland Degradation and Expansion: Implications for Mexican Policies from the Earth System Perspective

Environmental Policy and Law ◽

10.3233/epl-201024 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Gabriel Lopez Porras

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Science Policy ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Large Scale ◽

Earth System ◽

Sustainable Land Management ◽

System Perspective ◽

The Earth

Despite international efforts to stop dryland degradation and expansion, current dryland pathways are predicted to result in large-scale migration, growing poverty and famine, and increasing climate change, land degradation, conflicts and water scarcity. Earth system science has played a key role in analysing dryland problems, and has been even incorporated in global assessments such as the ones made by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. However, policies addressing dryland degradation, like the ‘Mexican programme for the promotion of sustainable land management’, do not embrace an Earth system perspective, so they do not consider the complexity and non-linearity that underlie dryland problems. By exploring how this Mexican programme could integrate the Earth system perspective, this paper discusses how ’Earth system’ policies could better address dryland degradation and expansion in the Anthropocene.

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