Ecosystem effects of fishing & El Niño at the Galápagos Marine Reserve

The Galápagos Archipelago is home to a diverse range of marine bioregions due to the confluence of several cold and warm water currents, resulting in some of the most productive tropical marine ecosystems in the world. These ecosystems are strongly influenced by El Niño events which can reduce primary production by an order of magnitude, dramatically reducing energy available throughout the food web. Fisheries are an important component of the local economy, although artisanal and illegal overfishing have dramatically reduced the productivity of invertebrate and finfish resources in recent decades, resulting in reductions in catches for local fishers. The regionally-endemic sailfin grouper (Myctereoperca olfax), locally known as bacalao, was once the most important fished species in the Galápagos, but is now listed as vulnerable by the IUCN due to its limited range and dramatic declines in catch over time. It is unknown how reduction of this predatory species has affected ecosystem structure and function. In the absence of stock assessments, we used an estimate of unfished bacalao biomass from fishers’ ecological knowledge along with unfished biomass estimates of other heavily exploited stocks—lobster (Panulirus penicillatus and P. gracilis) and sea cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus)—to create historical, unfished versions of existing modern day ecosystem models. We used the unfished and modern versions of the ecosystem models to test the ecosystem effects of bacalao exploitation at the Bolivar Channel, located in the cold, west upwelling bioregion of the archipelago during both El Niño and non El Niño years, and at Floreana Island, in the warmer, central bioregion. Fishers’ ecological knowledge indicates that at present, the biomass of bacalao is at least seven times lower than when unfished. This reduced bacalao biomass is linked with a greatly reduced ecosystem role compared to when unfished, and ecosystem role is further reduced in El Niño years. Allowing bacalao populations to rebuild to at least half of unfished biomass would partially restore their role within these ecosystems, while also resulting in greater fisheries catches. Comparing ecosystem impacts caused by fishing and El Niño, fishing has had a greater negative impact on bacalao ecosystem role than regular El Niño events

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents as natural egg-case incubators at the Galapagos Rift

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 challenged our views of ecosystem functioning and yet, the research conducted at these extreme and logistically challenging environments still continues to reveal unique biological processes. Here, we report for the first time, a unique behavior where the deep-sea skate, Bathyraja spinosissima, appears to be actively using the elevated temperature of a hydrothermal vent environment to naturally “incubate” developing egg-cases. We hypothesize that this behavior is directly targeted to accelerate embryo development time given that deep-sea skates have some of the longest egg incubation times reported for the animal kingdom. Similar egg incubating behavior, where eggs are incubated in volcanically heated nesting grounds, have been recorded in Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs and the rare avian megapode. To our knowledge, this is the first time incubating behavior using a volcanic source is recorded for the marine environment

Spatial patterns of continental shelf faunal community structure along the Western Antarctic Peninsula

Knowledge of continental shelf faunal biodiversity of Antarctica is patchy and as such, the ecology of this unique ecosystem is not fully understood. To this end, we deployed baited cameras at 20 locations along ~ 500 km of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) at depths from 90 to 797 m. We identified 111 unique taxa, with mud bottom accounting for 90% of the dominant (≥ 50% cover) habitat sampled. Amphipoda comprised 41% of the total maximum number of individuals per camera deployment (MaxN) and occurred on 75% of deployments. Excluding this taxon, the highest MaxN occurred around King George/25 de Mayo Island and was driven primarily by the abundance of krill (Euphausiidae), which accounted for 36% of total average MaxN among deployments around this island. In comparison, krill comprised 22% of total average MaxN at Deception Island and only 10% along the peninsula. Taxa richness, diversity, and evenness all increased with depth and depth explained 18.2% of the variation in community structure among locations, which may be explained by decreasing ice scour with depth. We identified a number of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem taxa, including habitat-forming species of cold-water corals and sponge fields. Channichthyidae was the most common fish family, occurring on 80% of all deployments. The Antarctic jonasfish (Notolepis coatsorum) was the most frequently encountered fish taxa, occurring on 70% of all deployments and comprising 25% of total MaxN among all deployments. Nototheniidae was the most numerically abundant fish family, accounting for 36% of total MaxN and was present on 70% of the deployments. The WAP is among the fastest warming regions on Earth and mitigating the impacts of warming, along with more direct impacts such as those from fishing, is critical in providing opportunities for species to adapt to environmental change and to preserve this unique ecosystem.Fil: Friedlander, Alan M.. National Geographic Society. Pristine Seas; Estados Unidos. University of Hawaii; Estados UnidosFil: Goodell, Whitney. University of Hawaii; Estados Unidos. National Geographic Society. Pristine Seas; Estados UnidosFil: Salinas-De-León, Pelayo. Charles Darwin Foundation Santa Cruz; Ecuador. National Geographic Society. Pristine Seas; Estados UnidosFil: Ballesteros, Enric. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Centre Destudis Avancats de Blanes; EspañaFil: Berkenpas, Eric. National Geographic Society. Pristine Seas; Estados UnidosFil: Capurro, Andrea Paula. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Cárdenas, César. Instituto Antártico Chileno; ChileFil: Hüne, Mathias. Fundación Ictiológica; Chile. Centro de Investigación Para la Conservación de Los Ecosistemas Australes; ChileFil: Lagger, Cristian Fabian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Landaeta, Mauricio F.. Universidad de Valparaiso; ChileFil: Muñoz, Alex. Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society; Estados UnidosFil: Santos, Mercedes. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Turchik, Alan. National Geographic Society. Pristine Seas; Estados UnidosFil: Werner, Rodolfo. The Pew Charitable Trusts & Antarctic And Southern Ocea; Estados UnidosFil: Sala, Enric. National Geographic Society. Pristine Seas; Estados Unido

Characterization of deep-sea benthic invertebrate megafauna of the Galapagos Islands

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Salinas-de-León, P., Martí-Puig, P., Buglass, S., Arnés-Urgellés, C., Rastoin-Laplane, E., Creemers, M., Cairns, S., Fisher, C., O'Hara, T., Ott, B., Raineault, N. A., Reiswig, H., Rouse, G., Rowley, S., Shank, T. M., Suarez, J., Watling, L., Wicksten, M. K., & Marsh, L. Characterization of deep-sea benthic invertebrate megafauna of the Galapagos Islands. Scientific Reports, 10(1), (2020): 13894, doi:10.1038/s41598-020-70744-1.The deep sea represents the largest and least explored biome on the planet. Despite the iconic status of the Galapagos Islands and being considered one of the most pristine locations on earth, the deep-sea benthic ecosystems of the archipelago are virtually unexplored in comparison to their shallow-water counterparts. In 2015, we embarked on a multi-disciplinary scientific expedition to conduct the first systematic characterization of deep-sea benthic invertebrate communities of the Galapagos, across a range of habitats. We explored seven sites to depths of over 3,300 m using a two-part Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) system aboard the E/V Nautilus, and collected 90 biological specimens that were preserved and sent to experts around the world for analysis. Of those, 30 taxa were determined to be undescribed and new to science, including members of five new genera (2 sponges and 3 cnidarians). We also systematically analysed image frame grabs from over 85 h of ROV footage to investigate patterns of species diversity and document the presence of a range of underwater communities between depths of 290 and 3,373 m, including cold-water coral communities, extensive glass sponge and octocoral gardens, and soft-sediment faunal communities. This characterization of Galapagos deep-sea benthic invertebrate megafauna across a range of ecosystems represents a first step to study future changes that may result from anthropogenic impacts to the planet’s climate and oceans, and informed the creation of fully protected deep-water areas in the Galapagos Marine Reserve that may help preserve these unique communities in our changing planet.We are thankful to the Ocean Exploration Trust as well as the pilots and crew aboard the E/V Nautilus during cruise NA064 for their assistance in sample collection and exploration using the Hercules ROV. Thank you to the NOAA Office of Exploration and Research for funding the E/V Nautilus Exploration Program (NA15OAR0110220). Further acknowledgements and thanks go out to the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Directorate for their collaboration and assistance in the exploration of the Galapagos Platform conducted under research permits PC-26–15 & PC-45-15. We also gratefully recognize the Government of Ecuador via the Ecuadorian Navy for permission to operate in their territorial waters. This research was supported by a grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. This publication is contribution number 2354 of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands

Successful Determination of Larval Dispersal Distances and Subsequent Settlement for Long-Lived Pelagic Larvae

Despite its importance, we still have a poor understanding of the level of connectivity between marine populations in most geographical locations. Taking advantage of the natural features of the southeast coast of New Zealand's North Island, we deployed a series of settlement stations and conducted plankton tows to capture recent settlers and planktonic larvae of the common intertidal gastropod Austrolittorina cincta (6–8 week larval period). Satellite image analysis and ground truthing surveys revealed the absence of suitable intertidal rocky shore habitat for A. cincta over a 100 km stretch of coastline between Kapiti Island to the south and Wanganui to the north. Fifteen settlement stations (3 replicates×5 sites), which were used to mimic intertidal habitat suitable for A. cincta, were deployed for two months around and north of Kapiti Island (at 0.5, 1, 5, 15, 50 km). In addition, we also conducted plankton tows at each settlement station when the stations were first deployed to collect A. cincta larvae in the water column. On collection, all newly settled gastropods and larvae in the plankton samples were individually isolated, and a species-specific microsatellite marker was used to positively identify A. cincta individuals. Most of the positively identified A. cincta settlers and larvae were collected at the first three sampling stations (<5 km). However, low numbers of A. cincta settlers and larvae were also recorded at the two more distant locations (15 and 50 km). Dispersal curves modeled from our data suggested that <1% of gastropod larvae would travel more than 100 km. While our data show that most larvae are retained close to their natal populations (<5 km), a small proportion of larvae are able to travel much larger geographic distances. Our estimates of larval dispersal and subsequent settlement are one of only a few for marine species with a long-lived larva

Post-Franco Theatre

In the multiple realms and layers that comprise the contemporary Spanish theatrical landscape, “crisis” would seem to be the word that most often lingers in the air, as though it were a common mantra, ready to roll off the tongue of so many theatre professionals with such enormous ease, and even enthusiasm, that one is prompted to wonder whether it might indeed be a miracle that the contemporary technological revolution – coupled with perpetual quandaries concerning public and private funding for the arts – had not by now brought an end to the evolution of the oldest of live arts, or, at the very least, an end to drama as we know it

Patterns of Connectivity and Isolation in Marine Populations

There is ongoing debate about the levels of connectivity among marine populations and despite its importance, there is limited information on the levels of population connectivity in most geographic locations. This lack of information severely limits our ability to adequately manage the marine environment including the design and implementation of Marine Reserve (MRs) networks. The specific objectives of this thesis were to: 1) Develop polymorphic microsatellite loci for my model species, the intertidal gastropod Austrolittorina cincta; 2) Conduct population genetic studies across A.cincta populations within the Cook strait region to asses the levels of connectivity within the regional marine reserve network; 3) Determine the levels of A. cincta larval movement and settlement from an isolated source; and 4) Asses the effect of the larval abundance on settlement rates. This thesis includes laboratory studies; population genetic studies; and field surveys within New Zealand and in the Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia. Eight novel polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for A. cincta and five of these loci were used to investigate population connectivity across seven populations within the Cook Strait region, including four marine reserves. In the population genetics study, in contrast to what was expected, I recorded low, but significant genetic differentiation between most population pairs within the Cook Strait region, over a minimum and maximum spatial scale of 55 to 300 km, including several of the MRs. In a large-scale field settlement survey on the Kapiti coast combined with the use of microsatellite markers I investigated A. cincta larval movement and settlement and found that most larvae settle within 5 km, although some larvae might travel up to 50 km. Finally, the coral settlement studies in the Wakatobi National Park revealed lower coral settlement rates at sites with low adult coral cover, suggesting an effect of the the amount of local available larvae on coral settlement rates. While it has been suggested that marine populations are demographically open, with larvae connecting populations separated over large spatial scales, this thesis shows that populations might not be as open as previously considered and localized dispersal and self-recruitment processes might be a frequent feature in marine populations. This thesis provides valuable information to managers about marine reserve networks and the importance of adequate environmental protection to ensure future viable populations

Patterns of Connectivity and Isolation in Marine Populations

There is ongoing debate about the levels of connectivity among marine populations and despite its importance, there is limited information on the levels of population connectivity in most geographic locations. This lack of information severely limits our ability to adequately manage the marine environment including the design and implementation of Marine Reserve (MRs) networks. The specific objectives of this thesis were to: 1) Develop polymorphic microsatellite loci for my model species, the intertidal gastropod Austrolittorina cincta; 2) Conduct population genetic studies across A.cincta populations within the Cook strait region to asses the levels of connectivity within the regional marine reserve network; 3) Determine the levels of A. cincta larval movement and settlement from an isolated source; and 4) Asses the effect of the larval abundance on settlement rates. This thesis includes laboratory studies; population genetic studies; and field surveys within New Zealand and in the Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia. Eight novel polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for A. cincta and five of these loci were used to investigate population connectivity across seven populations within the Cook Strait region, including four marine reserves. In the population genetics study, in contrast to what was expected, I recorded low, but significant genetic differentiation between most population pairs within the Cook Strait region, over a minimum and maximum spatial scale of 55 to 300 km, including several of the MRs. In a large-scale field settlement survey on the Kapiti coast combined with the use of microsatellite markers I investigated A. cincta larval movement and settlement and found that most larvae settle within 5 km, although some larvae might travel up to 50 km. Finally, the coral settlement studies in the Wakatobi National Park revealed lower coral settlement rates at sites with low adult coral cover, suggesting an effect of the the amount of local available larvae on coral settlement rates. While it has been suggested that marine populations are demographically open, with larvae connecting populations separated over large spatial scales, this thesis shows that populations might not be as open as previously considered and localized dispersal and self-recruitment processes might be a frequent feature in marine populations. This thesis provides valuable information to managers about marine reserve networks and the importance of adequate environmental protection to ensure future viable populations.</p

Mangroves in the Galapagos islands: Distribution and dynamics.

Mangrove forests provide valuable coastal protection from erosion, habitat for terrestrial and marine species, nursery grounds for commercial fisheries and are economically important for tourism. Galapagos' mangroves usually grow directly on solid lava and fragmented rocky shores, thereby stabilizing the sediment and facilitating colonisation by other plants and many animals. However, until very recently, only inaccurate data described mangrove coverage and its distribution. We mapped mangroves using freely available Google Earth Very High Resolution images based on on-screen classification and compared this method to three semi-automatic classification algorithms. We also analysed mangrove change for the period 2004-2014. We obtained an area of 3657.1 ha of fringing mangrove that covers 35% of the coastline. Eighty percent of mangrove cover is found in Isabela island, and 90% in the western and central south-eastern bioregions. The overall accuracy of mangrove classification was 99.1% with a Kappa coefficient of 0.97 when validated with field data. On-screen digitization was significantly more accurate than other tested methods. From the semi-automated methods, Maximum Likelihood Classification with prior land-sea segmentation yielded the best results. During the 2004-2014 period, mangrove coverage increased 24% mainly by expansion of existing mangroves patches as opposed to generation of new patches. We estimate that mangrove cover and growth are inversely proportional to the geological age of the islands. However, many other factors like nutrients, currents or wave exposure protection might explain this pattern. The precise localization of mangrove cover across the Galapagos islands now enables documenting whether it is changing over time