Remote Sensing: A Key Tool for Interdisciplinary Assessment of Coral Reef Processes

Without Abstract

Open and Closed Seascapes: Where Does Habitat Patchiness Create Populations with High Fractions of Self-Recruitment?

Which populations are replenished primarily by immigrants (open) and which by local production (closed) remains an important question for management with implications for response to exploitation, protection, and disturbance. However, we lack methods for predicting population openness. Here, we develop a model for openness and show that considering habitat isolation explains the existence of surprisingly closed populations in high-dispersal species, including many marine organisms. Relatively closed populations are expected when patch spacing is more than twice the standard deviation of a species\u27 dispersal kernel. In addition, natural scales of habitat patchiness on coral reefs are sufficient to create both largely open and largely closed populations. Contrary to some previous interpretations, largely closed marine populations do not require mean dispersal distances that are unusually short, even for species with relatively long pelagic larval durations. We predict that habitat patchiness has strong control over population openness for many marine and terrestrial species with a highly dispersive life stage and relatively sedentary adults. This information can be used to make initial predictions about where populations will be more or less resilient to local exploitation and disturbance

PEMETAAN HABITAT BENTIK PADA EKOSISTEM TERUMBU KARANG DI PERAIRAN PULAU MENJANGAN

Ekosistem pesisir yang meliputi tiga bagian penting yakni mangrove, padang lamun dan terumbu karang merupakan bagian yang tidak terpisahkan dalam proses pemetaan habitat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan pemetaan habitat secara geomorfologi di Pulau Menjangan, Taman Nasional Bali Barat, Bali. Pengumpulan data lapangan dilakukan pada bulan Februari, April dan Agustus 2017.  Total 104 titik sampling telah dikumpulkan, dan dilakukan analisis perbedaan tekstur menggunakan program ENVI v4.7 dari data citra satelit  Worldview 2 dengan resolusi spasial 2 m, tanggal 14 Oktober 2016. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa secara geomorfologi, kawasan pesisir Pulau Menjangan terbagi dalam 6 tipe habitat yakni mangrove, terumbu depan, lereng terumbu, rataan terumbu, pecahan karang (rubble), pasir dan teras. Berdasarkan hasil foto transek habitat dengan pendekatan skala medium (Medium Scale Approach) khususnya pada daerah rataan terumbu dan terumbu depan (fore reef/crest) dapat diklasifikasikan dalam 12 jenis habitat dengan komposisi bentik dominan karang  adalah 30% yang meliputi beberapa jenis karang keras (Scleractinia) yakni Acropora sp, Montipora sp, Porites lutea dan Porites cylindrica; Rubble & Alga (dari divisi Chlorophyta dan Phaeophyta) masing-masing sebesar 16 %; Pasir  12%; Lamun (diantaranya Syringodium sp, Cymodocea sp dan Thalasia sp) 11% dan sisanya adalah asosiasi karang Heliopora coerulea (non Scleractinia), karang mati dan teras. Daerah rataan terumbu memiliki kategori rugosity berada pada level 1 - 2, sedangkan  terumbu depan dengan rugosity level 3 - 4

Seagrass ecosystem contributions to people's quality of life in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories

Seagrass ecosystems provide critical contributions (goods and perceived benefits or detriments) for the livelihoods and wellbeing of Pacific Islander peoples. Through in-depth examination of the contributions provided by seagrass ecosystems across the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), we find a greater quantity in the Near Oceania (New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands) and western Micronesian (Palau and Northern Marianas) regions; indicating a stronger coupling between human society and seagrass ecosystems. We also find many non-material contributions historically have been overlooked and under-appreciated by decision-makers. Closer cultural connections likely motivate guardianship of seagrass ecosystems by Pacific communities to mitigate local anthropogenic pressures. Regional comparisons also shed light on general and specific aspects of the importance of seagrass ecosystems to Pacific Islanders, which are critical for forming evidence-based policy and management to ensure the long-term resilience of seagrass ecosystems and the contributions they provide

Seagrass ecosystems of the Pacific Island countries and territories: a global bright spot

Seagrass ecosystems exist throughout Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Despite this area covering nearly 8% of the global ocean, information on seagrass distribution, biogeography, and status remains largely absent from the scientific literature. We confirm 16 seagrass species occur across 17 of the 22 PICTs with the highest number in Melanesia, followed by Micronesia and Polynesia respectively. The greatest diversity of seagrass occurs in Papua New Guinea (13 species), and attenuates eastward across the Pacific to two species in French Polynesia. We conservatively estimate seagrass extent to be 1446.2 km2, with the greatest extent (84%) in Melanesia. We find seagrass condition in 65% of PICTs increasing or displaying no discernible trend since records began. Marine conservation across the region overwhelmingly focuses on coral reefs, with seagrass ecosystems marginalised in conservation legislation and policy. Traditional knowledge is playing a greater role in managing local seagrass resources and these approaches are having greater success than contemporary conservation approaches. In a world where the future of seagrass ecosystems is looking progressively dire, the Pacific Islands appears as a global bright spot, where pressures remain relatively low and seagrass more resilient

US1 Flyover of the Florida Keys

The structure and extent of coral reefs can now, for the first time, be monitored globally, thanks to new observations from NASAs Landsat 7 spacecraft. Detailed images of reefs from nearly 900 locations around the world have been collected in the first year of the Landsat 7 mission. Educational levels: Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, Graduate or professional

Breeding Avifauna of the Chesterfield Islands, Coral Sea: Current Population Sizes, Trends, and Threats.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyThis paper reports on post-1991 census data and on the breeding phenology of seabirds of the Chesterfield-Bampton and Bellona groups of coral islets in the Coral Sea. In total, 13 resident bird species were observed [Wedgetailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus), Masked Booby (S. dactylatra), Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), Red-footed Booby (S. sula), Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel ), Great Frigatebird (F. minor), Black Noddy (Anous minutus), Brown Noddy (A. stolidus), Crested Tern (Sterna bergii), Sooty Tern (S. fuscata), Fairy Tern (S. nereis), Black-naped Tern (S. sumatrana), and Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis)]. Segregation for nesting habitat was similar to that previously observed on other coral-reef islets of the Coral Sea. Breeding periods were either in the winter (Masked and Red-footed Boobies, Frigatebirds, Fairy Tern) or in the summer (Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Black and Brown Noddies, Crested and Black-naped Terns) or year-round (Brown Booby). Sooty Terns bred twice a year (summer and spring), but this was not consistent across years. Estimates of breeding population sizes for the whole Chesterfield-Bampton and Bellona groups are proposed for Wedge-tailed Shearwater (90,000 to 106,000 breeding pairs), Masked Booby (280–500 pairs), Brown Booby (3,800–5,800 pairs), Redfooted Booby (7,200–7,300 pairs), Lesser Frigatebird (1,600 pairs), Great Frigatebird (350–480 pairs), Black Noddy (29,000–45,000 pairs), Brown Noddy (15,000–23,000 pairs), Crested Tern (80–100 pairs), Sooty Tern (11,000– 46,000 pairs), and Black-naped Tern (70–90 pairs). Interannual fluctuation in breeding population size was apparent in Wedge-tailed Shearwater. Over the last 30 yr, an increase in Brown Booby abundance was noted, whereas declines are suspected for the Fairy Tern and Buff-banded Rail. Among the threats to nesting seabirds are stress and other disturbances caused by human frequentation, including poaching of seabird chicks and introduced mice

Landsat 7 Looks at Barriers

Near infrared data makes some areas on the reef jump out in bright red relief. The near infrared band best gathers the electromagnetic signature of a thriving ecosystem. Educational levels: Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, Graduate or professional

Landsat 7 Looks at Coral Reefs: (2 of 2)

Detailed images of reefs from nearly 900 locations around the world have been collected in the first year of the Landsat 7 mission. Educational levels: Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, Graduate or professional

Role of habitat definition on Aichi Target 11: Examples from New Caledonian coral reefs

The Aichi 2020 Biodiversity Targets are the backbone of many conservation projects. As the 2020 deadline is approaching, countries assess their progress. Target 11 (ABT11) calls for the protection of at least 10% of coastal and marine areas, while encouraging to focus on areas with particularly important habitats, notably for coral reefs. This target indirectly poses the question of the definition of habitats and their level of representation in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). We hypothesized that success or failure in achieving the targets could depend on how habitats are defined and considered. To address this issue, the current level of protection with respect to ABT11 is quantified for a hierarchical inventory of coral reef habitats in New Caledonia, a country with complex governance and diverse coral reefs. At the country scale, ABT11 is met with respect to broadly-defined coral reefs due to the presence of large MPAs. However, reserves are too spatially limited to comply with ABT11 at the provincial scale. The results appear dependent upon the hierarchical level of precision used to define habitats. While reefs as a whole meet Target 11, specific habitats, defined at a more detailed description levels, have varying levels of protection; and some do not meet ABT11. The results highlight that assessments of the achievement of the 11th Aichi target strongly depend upon spatial scales and habitat classification, at least for coral reefs. The findings suggest that Aichi compliance assessments worldwide need to take into account variability and biases linked to habitat description