Dataset Information

Rapid effects of marine reserves via larval dispersal.

ABSTRACT: Marine reserves have been advocated worldwide as conservation and fishery management tools. It is argued that they can protect ecosystems and also benefit fisheries via density-dependent spillover of adults and enhanced larval dispersal into fishing areas. However, while evidence has shown that marine reserves can meet conservation targets, their effects on fisheries are less understood. In particular, the basic question of if and over what temporal and spatial scales reserves can benefit fished populations via larval dispersal remains unanswered. We tested predictions of a larval transport model for a marine reserve network in the Gulf of California, Mexico, via field oceanography and repeated density counts of recently settled juvenile commercial mollusks before and after reserve establishment. We show that local retention of larvae within a reserve network can take place with enhanced, but spatially-explicit, recruitment to local fisheries. Enhancement occurred rapidly (2 yrs), with up to a three-fold increase in density of juveniles found in fished areas at the downstream edge of the reserve network, but other fishing areas within the network were unaffected. These findings were consistent with our model predictions. Our findings underscore the potential benefits of protecting larval sources and show that enhancement in recruitment can be manifested rapidly. However, benefits can be markedly variable within a local seascape. Hence, effects of marine reserve networks, positive or negative, may be overlooked when only focusing on overall responses and not considering finer spatially-explicit responses within a reserve network and its adjacent fishing grounds. Our results therefore call for future research on marine reserves that addresses this variability in order to help frame appropriate scenarios for the spatial management scales of interest.

SUBMITTER: Cudney-Bueno R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2612740 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Rapid effects of marine reserves via larval dispersal.

Cudney-Bueno Richard R Lavín Miguel F MF Marinone Silvio G SG Raimondi Peter T PT Shaw William W WW

PloS one 20090108 1

Marine reserves have been advocated worldwide as conservation and fishery management tools. It is argued that they can protect ecosystems and also benefit fisheries via density-dependent spillover of adults and enhanced larval dispersal into fishing areas. However, while evidence has shown that marine reserves can meet conservation targets, their effects on fisheries are less understood. In particular, the basic question of if and over what temporal and spatial scales reserves can benefit fished ...[more]

PMID: 19129910

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Project description:Marine protected areas (MPAs) are vital for protecting biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem integrity, and tackling future climate change. The effectiveness of MPA networks relies on connectivity, yet connectivity assessments are often skipped in the planning process. Here we employed a multi-species biophysical model to examine the connectivity patterns formed among the 21 national MPAs in the Yellow and East China Seas. We simulated the potential larval dispersal of 14 oviparous species of five classes. Larvae of non-migratory species with pelagic larval duration (PLD) were assumed to be passive floating particles with no explicit vertical migration. A total of 217,000 particles were released according to spawning period, living depth, and species distribution, and they were assumed to move with currents during the PLD. Most larvae were dispersed around the MPAs (0-60 m isobaths) and consistent with the currents. Larval export increased with PLD and current velocity, but if PLD was too long, few larvae survived due to high daily mortality during pelagic dispersal. The overall connectivity pattern exhibited a north-to-south dispersal trend corresponding to coastal currents. Our results indicated that the national MPAs in the Yellow and East China Seas did not form a well-connected network and nearly 30% of them were isolated. These MPAs formed three distinct groups, one in the Yellow Sea ecoregion and two in the East China Sea ecoregion. Four MPAs (all in coastal Zhejiang) emerged as key nodes for ensuring multi-generational connectivity. Under the pressure of future climate change, high self-recruitment and low connectivity present significant challenges for building well-connected MPA networks. We suggest adding new protected areas as stepping stones for bioecological corridors. Focused protection of the Yellow Sea ecoregion could have a good effect on the southern part of the population recruitment downstream. Conservation management should be adjusted according to the life cycles and distributions of vulnerable species, as well as seasonal changes in coastal currents. This study provides a scientific basis for improving ecological connectivity and conservation effectiveness of MPAs in the Yellow and East China Seas.

Dataset Information

Rapid effects of marine reserves via larval dispersal.

Publications

Rapid effects of marine reserves via larval dispersal.

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