22 research outputs found
Breeding ecology and conservation of Brown booby in Gorgona Island, eastern tropical Pacific Ocean
Breeding ecology and reproductive traits of Brown Booby _Sula leucogaster_ etesiaca in Gorgona Natural National Park, Colombia, were studied. Adults morphometrics, eggs dimensions, chicks growth and nesting site characteristics, were examined at three different locations in the park. As with other subspecies, Brown Booby in Gorgona presents inverted sexual dimorphism, with adult females being lengthier, wider and heavier than adult males. Breeding of S. l. etesiaca results in eggs from the first deposition bigger in weight and dimensions than eggs from the second or third deposition. Growth of brown boobies chicks fit to a natural log equation: bodymass(g) = 0.8773 ln(days) + 3.3895. A variety of spawning aggregations was found, and their relationship with the other marine birds nesting in the area is discussed
Integration of biophysical connectivity in the spatial optimization of coastal ecosystem services
Ecological connectivity in coastal oceanic waters is mediated by dispersion
of the early life stages of marine organisms and conditions the structure of
biological communities and the provision of ecosystem services. Integrated
management strategies aimed at ensuring long-term service provision to society
do not currently consider the importance of dispersal and larval connectivity.
A spatial optimization model is introduced to maximise the potential provision
of ecosystem services in coastal areas by accounting for the role of dispersal
and larval connectivity. The approach combines a validated coastal circulation
model that reproduces realistic patterns of larval transport along the coast,
which ultimately conditions the biological connectivity and productivity of an
area, with additional spatial layers describing potential ecosystem services.
The spatial optimization exercise was tested along the coast of Central Chile,
a highly productive area dominated by the Humboldt Current. Results show it is
unnecessary to relocate existing management areas, as increasing no-take areas
by 10% could maximise ecosystem service provision, while improving the spatial
representativeness of protected areas and minimizing social conflicts. The
location of protected areas was underrepresented in some sections of the study
domain, principally due to the restriction of the model to rocky subtidal
habitats. Future model developments should encompass the diversity of coastal
ecosystems and human activities to inform integrative spatial management.
Nevertheless, the spatial optimization model is innovative not only for its
integrated ecosystem perspective, but also because it demonstrates that it is
possible to incorporate time-varying biophysical connectivity within the
optimization problem, thereby linking the dynamics of exploited populations
produced by the spatial management regime.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; 1 graphical abstract. In this version:
numbering of figures corrected, updated figure 2, typos corrected and
references fixe
MPA network design based on graph network theory and emergent properties of larval dispersal
Despite the recognised effectiveness of networks of Marine Protected Areas
(MPAs) as a biodiversity conservation instrument, nowadays MPA network design
frequently disregards the importance of connectivity patterns. In the case of
sedentary marine populations, connectivity stems not only from the stochastic
nature of the physical environment that affects early-life stages dispersal,
but also from the spawning stock attributes that affect the reproductive output
(e.g., passive eggs and larvae) and its survivorship. Early-life stages are
virtually impossible to track in the ocean. Therefore, numerical ocean current
simulations coupled to egg and larval Lagrangian transport models remain the
most common approach for the assessment of marine larval connectivity. Inferred
larval connectivity may be different depending on the type of connectivity
considered; consequently, the prioritisation of sites for marine populations'
conservation might also differ. Here, we introduce a framework for evaluating
and designing MPA networks based on the identification of connectivity hotspots
using graph theoretic analysis. We use as a case of study a network of
open-access areas and MPAs, off Mallorca Island (Spain), and test its
effectiveness for the protection of the painted comber Serranus scriba. Outputs
from network analysis are used to: (1) identify critical areas for improving
overall larval connectivity; (2) assess the impact of species' biological
parameters in network connectivity; and (3) explore alternative MPA
configurations to improve average network connectivity. Results demonstrate the
potential of graph theory to identify non-trivial egg/larval dispersal patterns
and emerging collective properties of the MPA network which are relevant for
increasing protection efficiency.Comment: 8 figures, 3 tables, 1 Supplementary material (including 4 table; 3
figures and supplementary methods
Using graph theory and social media data to assess cultural ecosystem services in coastal areas: Method development and application
The use of social media (SM) data has emerged as a promising tool for the
assessment of cultural ecosystem services (CES). Most studies have focused on
the use of single SM platforms and on the analysis of photo content to assess
the demand for CES. Here, we introduce a novel methodology for the assessment
of CES using SM data through the application of graph theory network analyses
(GTNA) on hashtags associated to SM posts and compare it to photo content
analysis. We applied the proposed methodology on two SM platforms, Instagram
and Twitter, on three worldwide known case study areas, namely Great Barrier
Reef, Galapagos Islands and Easter Island. Our results indicate that the
analysis of hashtags through graph theory offers similar capabilities to photo
content analysis in the assessment of CES provision and the identification of
CES providers. More importantly, GTNA provides greater capabilities at
identifying relational values and eudaimonic aspects associated to nature,
elusive aspects for photo content analysis. In addition, GTNA contributes to
the reduction of the interpreter's bias associated to photo content analyses,
since GTNA is based on the tags provided by the users themselves. The study
also highlights the importance of considering data from different social media
platforms, as the type of users and the information offered by these platforms
can show different CES attributes. The ease of application and short computing
processing times involved in the application of GTNA makes it a cost-effective
method with the potential of being applied to large geographical scales.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, 2 appendice
Length-weight relationships for 25 kelp forest-associated fishes of northern and central Chile
The present study reports length-weight relationships for 25 species of reef fishes associated with large brown
macroalgae (i.e., Lessonia trabeculata and Macrocystis pyrifera) from the northern and central rocky coast of Chile (Southeast
Pacific Coast; 18°-33°S). Weight scaled to length with an average power of 2.85, close to the expected value of 3, meaning
that the relationship between length and weight is close to an isometric growth. No latitudinal (i.e., spatial) and temporal
variations were observed on the growth coefficient of the fish species studied
From egg production to recruits: connectivity and inter-annual variability in the recruitment patterns of European anchovy in the northwestern Mediterranean
We show the application of a Spatially-Explicit Individual-Based Model (SEIBM) to understand the recruitment process of European anchovy. The SEIBM is applied to simulate the effects of inter-annual variability in parental population spawning behavior and intensity, and ocean dynamics, on the dispersal of eggs and larvae from the spawning area in the Gulf of Lions (GoL) towards the coastal nursery areas in the GoL and Catalan Sea (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). For each of seven years (2003-2009), we initialize the SEIBM with the real positions of anchovy eggs during the spawning peak, from an acoustics-derived eggs production model. We analyze the effect of spawners’ distribution, timing of spawning, and oceanographic conditions on the connectivity patterns, growth, dispersal distance and late-larval recruitment (14 mm larva recruits, R14) patterns. The area of influence of the Rhône plume was identified as having a high probability of larval recruitment success (64%), but up to 36% of R14 larvae end up in the Catalan Coast. We demonstrate that the spatial paths of larvae differ dramatically from year to year, and suggest potential offshore nursery grounds. We showed that our simulations are coherent with existing recruitment proxies and therefore open new possibilities for fisheries management