Corals fail to recover at a Caribbean marine reserve despite ten years of reserve designation

The ability of reserves to replenish fish stocks is relatively well documented, but the evidence of their ability to induce positive effects on benthic communities remains inconclusive. Here, we test whether 10 years of reserve designation have translated into positive effects on coral communities i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Coral reefs 2011-12, Vol.30 (4), p.1077-1085
Main Authors: Huntington, B. E., Karnauskas, M., Lirman, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Benthic communities
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Community ecology
Coral reefs
Fish
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Herbivores
Herbivorous fish
Life Sciences
Marine
Oceanography
Sea water ecosystems
Synecology
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Summary:The ability of reserves to replenish fish stocks is relatively well documented, but the evidence of their ability to induce positive effects on benthic communities remains inconclusive. Here, we test whether 10 years of reserve designation have translated into positive effects on coral communities in Glover’s Reef, Belize. Surveys of 87 patch reefs inside and outside the reserve revealed no clear indication of reserve implementation benefitting coral cover, coral colony size, or abundance of juvenile corals. Furthermore, massive broadcasting coral species exhibited greater losses over time than their smaller-sized counterparts across all sites, suggesting that local management actions have not alleviated the regional trend of high mortality for these species. We detected no difference in herbivorous fish abundances or macroalgal cover between reserve and fished sites, providing a potential explanation for the lack of cascading positive effects on the coral community. We conclude that patterns of regional coral decline are evident at Glover’s Reef, including a shift in dominance from broadcasting species to brooding species and declines in mean colony size. Our findings suggest that regional stressors are overwhelming local management efforts and that additional strategies are required to improve local coral condition.
ISSN:0722-4028
1432-0975
DOI:10.1007/s00338-011-0809-4