Supplementary report to the final report of the coral reef expert group: S7. Coral reef models as assessment and reporting tools for the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program – a review

[Extract] The objective of this report is to review the existing models of temporal/spatial dynamics of coral communities available for the Great Barrier Reef (the Reef), with the specific aim at evaluating their strengths and weaknesses for the assessment and reporting of coral reef health within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMReP). Focusing on peer-reviewed articles available by 28 February 2018, we found that a variety of modeling approaches exists yet with different scope, level of complexity, and ability to represent the various processes driving the dynamics of coral populations. Tools available to model Reef coral population dynamics also vary in their capacity to capture the spatial heterogeneity of coral populations and their environment, the variability of disturbance impacts and the uncertainty around current reef state and possible future trajectory. The various characteristics and properties exhibited by coral reef models means they have different capacities to complement reef monitoring and assessment on the Reef. This review provides guidance for integrating a modeling component to RIMReP by identifying the modeling approaches that offer the strongest support to reef monitoring and management.An accessible copy of this report is not yet available from this repository, please contact [email protected] for more information

Data reliability in citizen science: learning curve and the effects of training method, volunteer background and experience on identification accuracy of insects visiting ivy flowers

• Citizen science, the involvement of volunteers in collecting of scientific data, can be a useful research tool. However, data collected by volunteers are often of lower quality than that collected by professional scientists. • We studied the accuracy with which volunteers identified insects visiting ivy (Hedera) flowers in Sussex, England. In the first experiment, we examined the effects of training method, volunteer background and prior experience. Fifty-three participants were trained for the same duration using one of three different methods (pamphlet, pamphlet + slide show, pamphlet + direct training). Almost immediately following training, we tested the ability of participants to identify live insects on ivy flowers to one of 10 taxonomic categories and recorded whether their identifications were correct or incorrect, without providing feedback. • The results showed that the type of training method had a significant effect on identification accuracy (P = 0.008). Participants identified 79.1% of insects correctly after using a one-page colour pamphlet, 85.6% correctly after using the pamphlet and viewing a slide show, and 94.3% correctly after using the pamphlet in combination with direct training in the field. • As direct training cannot be delivered remotely, in the following year we conducted a second experiment, in which a different sample of 26 volunteers received the pamphlet plus slide show training repeatedly three times. Moreover, in this experiment participants received c. 2 minutes of additional training material, either videos of insects or stills taken from the videos. Testing showed that identification accuracy increased from 88.6% to 91.3% to 97.5% across the three successive tests. We also found a borderline significant interaction between the type of additional material and the test number (P = 0.053), such that the video gave fewer errors than stills in the first two tests only. • The most common errors made by volunteers were misidentifications of honey bees and social wasps with their hover fly mimics. We also tested six experts who achieved nearly perfect accuracy (99.8%), which shows what is possible in practice. • Overall, our study shows that two or three sessions of remote training can be as good as one of direct training, even for relatively challenging taxonomic discriminations that include distinguishing models and mimics

Coral reef and seagrass assessment using satellite and airborne remote sensing An ecological approach

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN023585 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Revisiting the functional roles of the surgeonfish Acanthurus nigrofuscus and Ctenochaetus striatus

Investigating the functional role of herbivorous fish species is important for understanding reef resilience and developing targeted management plans. Among the most abundant fish species on Indo-Pacific coral reefs are the surgeonfishes Acanthurus nigrofuscus and Ctenochaetus striatus. A. nigrofuscus is an herbivorous grazer that crops filamentous algae from the epilithic algal matrix, while C. striatus is detritivorous and was thought to 'brush' detritus from the surface of filamentous algae, causing little damage to algal strands. Although the foraging mechanisms and general diet of these surgeonfishes have been established, their grazing impact on epilithic algal turfs has been unclear. This is the first study to quantify the grazing impact of A. nigrofuscus and C. striatus on algal turfs. Through aquaria trials using epilithic algal turf grown on experimental tiles, we found that both A. nigrofuscus and C. striatus consistently fed more intensively upon sparse/short algal turfs even though the yield of algae per bite was greater for dense/long algal turfs. As there was no difference in the nutritional value of sparse and dense algal turfs, we hypothesise that A. nigrofuscus avoided dense turf due to its significantly greater sediment load than sparse turf, while C. striatus likely avoided dense turf as it would become entangled in their bristle-like teeth. Unexpectedly, despite its dental morphology, C. striatus removed significantly more algal turf per hour than A. nigrofuscus, irrespective of canopy height. The capability of C. striatus to remove significant quantities of algal turf through their foraging activity implies that this abundant and widespread species may substantially affect algal turf dynamics. If this is the case, the exclusion of detritivorous Ctenochaetus species from herbivorous fish functional groups used in resilience monitoring will need to be re-evaluated

Estimating rates of biologically driven coral reef framework production and erosion: a new census-based carbonate budget methodology and applications to the reefs of Bonaire

Census-based approaches can provide important measures of the ecological processes controlling reef carbonate production states. Here, we describe a rapid, non-destructive approach to carbonate budget assessments, termed ReefBudget that is census-based and which focuses on quantifying the relative contributions made by different biological carbonate producer/eroder groups to net reef framework carbonate production. The methodology is presently designed only for Caribbean sites, but has potential to be adapted for use in other regions. Rates are calculated using data on organism cover and abundance, combined with annual extension or production rate measures. Set against this are estimates of the rates at which bioeroding species of fish, urchins and internal substrate borers erode reef framework. Resultant data provide a measure of net rates of biologically driven carbonate production (kg CaCO3 m(-2) year(-1)). These data have potential to be integrated into ecological assessments of reef state, to aid monitoring of temporal (same-site) changes in rates of biological carbonate production and to provide insights into the key ecological drivers of reef growth or erosion as a function of environmental change. Individual aspects of the budget methodology can also be used alongside other census approaches if deemed appropriate for specific study aims. Furthermore, the methodology spreadsheets are user-changeable, allowing local or new process/rate data to be integrated into calculations. Application of the methodology is considered at sites around Bonaire. Highest net rates of carbonate production, +9.52 to +2.30 kg CaCO3 m(-2) year(-1), were calculated at leeward sites, whilst lower rates, +0.98 to -0.98 kg CaCO3 m(-2) year(-1), were calculated at windward sites. Data are within the ranges calculated in previous budget studies and provide confidence in the production estimates the methodology generates