Spatial Patterns of Coral Community Structure in the Toliara Region of Southwest Madagascar and Implications for Conservation and Management
| Autor: | Mehdi Adjeroud, Radonirina Lebely Botosoamananto, Gildas Todinanahary, Andriamanjato Razakandrainy, Mahery Randrianarivo, Lucie Penin |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Ecologie marine tropicale des océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE [Perpignan]), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines, Université de Toliara, Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL (LabEX CORAIL), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC)-Institut d'écologie et environnement-Université des Antilles (UA), Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences QH301-705.5 Coral Population 01 natural sciences Madagascar 14. Life underwater Biology (General) education Reef 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Nature and Landscape Conservation education.field_of_study geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Ecological Modeling Coral reef 15. Life on land Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) Spatial heterogeneity Geography Spatial ecology Spatial variability Marine protected area spatial variability [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology coral reefs scleractinian corals community structure |
| Zdroj: | Diversity Volume 13 Issue 10 Diversity, Vol 13, Iss 486, p 486 (2021) Diversity-basel (1424-2818) (MDPI), 2021-10, Vol. 13, N. 10, P. 486 (15p.) Diversity, 2021, 13 (10), ⟨10.3390/d13100486⟩ |
| ISSN: | 1424-2818 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/d13100486 |
| Popis: | The Great Reef of Toliara, on the southwestern coast of Madagascar, has been documented as harbouring flourishing reef communities in the 1960s, but has since been affected by various threats, causing a coral decline last reported in 2008. In 2017, we examined the spatial heterogeneity in coral community structure in the region of Toliara. Coral assemblages were characterized by a marked spatial variability, with significant variation for most of the descriptors among the three major habitats and also among stations within habitats. We recorded high coral cover, with values > 40% at six of the 10 stations, which was associated with high abundance of coral colonies. We also documented the return to an Acropora-dominated coral assemblage. While these positive results suggest a recent return to healthier coral assemblages, they must be tempered, as the diversity that we recorded was lower than in the 1960s. Moreover, we found a high cover of algae at several stations, suggesting that the ecosystem is likely close to the tipping point toward a phase shift. Finally, the population size-structure of major coral taxa was positively skewed, with few large colonies to ensure the replenishment of local populations. The marked spatial variation suggests that marine protected areas should integrate a sufficiently large area to capture the scale of this spatial heterogeneity. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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