KMRP Day1 Martial Depczynski Replenishment of corals and fish through recruitment … ·...
Transcript of KMRP Day1 Martial Depczynski Replenishment of corals and fish through recruitment … ·...
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