Replenishment of corals and fish through recruitment

KIMBERLEY MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM

WAMSI PROJECT 1.1.2 – MARTIAL DEPCZYNSKI - AIMS

Importance of recruitment process - coralsUnderlies the replenishment of many non-mammalian marine populations

• Structural reef builders

• Provide habitat & food for other marine life

• Brooders & spawners

Importance of recruitment process - fishUnderlies the replenishment of many non-mammalian marine populations

• Maintain important ecosystem processes through food webs, habitat modifications

• Primary protein source

• Sexual reproduction through benthic laying, mouth brooding or spawning

Aims of research – how, how many, when, where?

First investigation into the temporal and spatial patterns of coral & fish recruitment in the inshore Kimberley

Aims of research – how many, when, where?

First investigation into the temporal and spatial patterns of coral & fish recruitment in the inshore Kimberley

Surveying recruitment

Recruitment - corals

Surveying recruitment - corals

HOW?

Corals - Spatial variability among taxonomic groups

• Lots of variation among locations

• Pocilloporidae dominated @ most sites

• Poritidae and brooding Isopora dominated @ Hal’s Pool

• Spawning Acropora present only in low numbers overall suggesting bleaching had a negative effect on spawners

• Site-level variation minimal

WHERE?

Acropora

Isopora

Other

Pocilloporidae

Poritidae

5km

Corals - patterns among taxonomic groups

HOW MANY?

• Dominated by Pocillopora

• Unable to tell proportion of brooders versus spawners

• Likely most of the dominant recruits were brooders

Corals - Temporal patterns

Predicted spawning period

Predicted spawning period

Co

ral b

lea

ch

ing

co

mm

en

ce

s

Predicted spawning period

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

No

v-1

5

De

c-1

5

Jan

-16

Fe

b-1

6

Ma

r-1

6

Ap

r-16

Ma

y-1

6

Jun

-16

Jul-

16

Au

g-1

6

Se

p-1

6

Oct-

16

No

v-1

6

Me

an

re

cru

its p

er

tile

Catamaran Bay

Shenton Bluff

Jalan

Hal's Pool

Jorrol

WHEN?

Recruitment - fish

Surveying recruitment - fish

HOW?

Surveying recruitment - fish

HOW?

Surveying recruitment - fish

HOW?

Surveying recruitment - fish

HOW?

• 134spp./22 families - 57 species in juvenile form

• Mangrove, seagrass, algal habitats (20-23spp.)

• Coral reefs (39spp); Inter-tidal (15spp)

• Only 5% of spp. in all five habitat types

• Video good at capturing local table fishes

HOW MANY?

Fish – abundance & diversity

• All habitats provide a nursery to different assemblage of fishes

• Mangrove, seagrass quite different to others

• Inter-tidal, coral reef and algal habitats most similar in composition

WHERE?

Fish – patterns among habitats

WHEN?

Fish – seasonal patterns

• Concentrated in wet season - some variation• Best recruitment in wet season similar to

Ningaloo, Pilbara & GBR but not as clear cut

HOW MANY? WHEN? WHERE?

Fish – synopsis

Context within broader Kimberley and beyond Corals & fish• Evidence that seasonal trend in recruitment strength blurred• Inter-blended mosaic habitat types• Success of recruitment processes ultimately depends on survivorship – conditions

Corals• Lots of variation among close locations supporting the notion that there are major

barriers to larval dispersal among coral populations*• One unique feature observed was that reproduction of Porites observed in winter• Despite bleaching, our coastal patterns were broadly similar with those found on

Kimberley offshore reefsFish• Fish recruitment peaks in Mar/Apr wet season• Fish diversity surprisingly low

*Berry et al. 2017, WAMSI Report 1.1.3

Implications for managementCorals & fish

• Proven methodology now established for future research

• Given 2016 water temps, recruitment likely atypical

Corals

• Recurrent sampling to provide some indication of recovery trajectories

• Indications are presence of a lot of brooding corals recruiting throughout the year

Fish

• Planning, policy and science to recognise all habitats provide unique contribution to the overall pool and diversity of the Kimberley’s fish fauna through role as fish nursery grounds

• Future monitoring to focus on adult fishes of ecological or cultural significance as indicator of fish fauna health - fish recruitment studies are expensive to service and highly variable in space and time

AcknowledgmentsThe State Government of Western Australia and WAMSI partners for funding this research

Research

Coral recruitment - James Gilmour, Kylie Cook, Camilla Piggott, Daniel Oades, Phillip McCarthy, Azton Howard, Pia Bessell-Browne, Sabrina Arkle, Taryn Foster

Fish recruitment - Martial Depczynski, Katherine Cure, Zac Egdar, Kevin George, Tom Holmes, Azton Howard, Phillip McCarthy, Glenn Moore, Daniel Oades, Camilla Piggott, Mike Travers, Shaun Wilson

Herbivory - Mat Vanderklift, Richard Pillans, Lisa De Wever, Gary Kendrick, Andrea Zavala-Perez, Adriana Verges, Ruby Garthwin, Grzegorz Skrzypek, Katherine Cure, Camilla Piggott, Daniel Oades, Phillip McCarthy, Kevin George, Trevor Sampi, Dwayne George, Chris Sampi, Zac Edgar, Kevin Dougal, Azton Howard

Linked research in and out of node

WAMSI 1.1.3 Connectivity, WAMSI XXX Seagrass Camilla Piggott (PhD Candidate)

And also a special thanks to the

Bardi-Jawi community of Cygnet Bay and the Sunday Island group Kimberley Marine Research Station management, staff & interns