Abrolhos bank reef health evaluated by means of water quality, microbial diversity, benthic cover, and fish biomass data
| Autor: | Ericka O. C. Coni, Gilberto M. Amado Filho, Ronaldo-Francini Filho, Gizele D. Garcia, Robert Schmieder, Ana Tereza Ribeiro de Vasconcelos, Thiago Bruce, Pedro M. Meirelles, Robert Edwards, Carlos Eduardo de Rezende, Mark Hatay, Fabiano L. Thompson, Rodolfo Paranhos, Elizabeth A. Dinsdale, Rodrigo L. Moura |
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| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
lcsh:Medicine
Marine and Aquatic Sciences Marine Biology Biology Microbiology Marine Conservation Animals Biomass Aquaculture of coral lcsh:Science Reef Ecosystem geography Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology Resilience of coral reefs Coral Reefs lcsh:R fungi technology industry and agriculture Fishes Marine Ecology Fisheries Science Coral reef biochemical phenomena metabolism and nutrition Invertebrates Fishery Earth Sciences population characteristics lcsh:Q Species richness Protected area Environmental issues with coral reefs Coral reef protection Water Microbiology geographic locations Coastal Ecology Environmental Monitoring Research Article |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 7, Iss 6, p e36687 (2012) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | The health of the coral reefs of the Abrolhos Bank (Southwestern Atlantic) was characterized with a holistic approach using measurements of four ecosystem components: (i) inorganic and organic nutrient concentrations, [1] fish biomass, [1] macroalgal and coral cover and (iv) microbial community composition and abundance. The possible benefits of protection from fishing were particularly evaluated by comparing sites with varying levels of protection. Two reefs within the well-enforced no-take area of the National Marine Park of Abrolhos (Parcel dos Abrolhos and California) were compared with two unprotected coastal reefs (Sebastião Gomes and Pedra de Leste) and one legally protected but poorly enforced coastal reef (the "paper park" of Timbebas Reef). The fish biomass was lower and the fleshy macroalgal cover was higher in the unprotected reefs compared with the protected areas. The unprotected and protected reefs had similar seawater chemistry. Lower vibrio CFU counts were observed in the fully protected area of California Reef. Metagenome analysis showed that the unprotected reefs had a higher abundance of archaeal and viral sequences and more bacterial pathogens, while the protected reefs had a higher abundance of genes related to photosynthesis. Similar to other reef systems in the world, there was evidence that reductions in the biomass of herbivorous fishes and the consequent increase in macroalgal cover in the Abrolhos Bank may be affecting microbial diversity and abundance. Through the integration of different types of ecological data, the present study showed that protection from fishing may lead to greater reef health. The data presented herein suggest that protected coral reefs have higher microbial diversity, with the most degraded reef (Sebastião Gomes) showing a marked reduction in microbial species richness. It is concluded that ecological conditions in unprotected reefs may promote the growth and rapid evolution of opportunistic microbial pathogens. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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