Journal article
Effects of seascape connectivity on reserve performance along exposed coastlines
Conservation Biology, Vol.33(3), pp.580-589
2019
Abstract
The spatial properties of landscapes influence numerous ecological attributes on land and in the sea, including the efficacy of conservation areas. In this context, seascape connectivity (landscape connectivity in the sea) has been shown to modify reserve performance in low-energy marine ecosystems (e.g. coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass), but it is not clear whether similar spatial linkages also shape reserve effectiveness on high-energy, exposed coastlines. We used the surf zones of ocean beaches in eastern Australia as a model system to test how seascape connectivity and reserve attributes combine to shape conservation outcomes. Spatial patterns in fish assemblages were measured in 12 marine reserves and 15 fished beaches, across two thousand kilometers of exposed coastline, using baited remote underwater video stations. Reserve performance was shaped by both the characteristics of reserves, and the spatial properties of the coastal seascapes in which reserves were embedded. More fish species and a greater abundance of harvested fishes were recorded in surf-zone reserves that had three key attributes: i) they encompassed a sizeable area of surf-zone habitat (>1.5 km of coastline); ii) were located close (<100 m) to rocky headlands; and iii) included pocket beaches in a heterogeneous seascape. Conservation outcomes for exposed coastlines might, therefore, be enhanced by prioritizing sufficiently large areas of seascapes, with strong linkages to abutting complementary habitats. Our findings have broader implications for coastal conservation planning, which is limited by the absence of empirical data to describe how the ecological features of high-energy shorelines influence conservation outcomes, and we suggest that seascape connectivity might have similar ecological effects on reserve performance on both sheltered and exposed coastlines.
Details
- Title
- Effects of seascape connectivity on reserve performance along exposed coastlines
- Authors
- Nicholas L Ortodossi (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringBen Gilby (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringThomas Schlacher (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringRod M Connolly (Author) - Griffith UniversityNicholas A Yabsley (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringChristopher J Henderson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringAndrew D Olds (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Publication details
- Conservation Biology, Vol.33(3), pp.580-589
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.
- Date published
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1111/cobi.13237
- ISSN
- 0888-8892
- Copyright note
- Copyright ©. This is the accepted version of the following article: Ortodossi, N. L., Gilby, B. L., Schlacher, T. A., Connolly, R. M., Yabsley, N. A., Henderson, C. J. and Olds, A. D. (2019), Effects of seascape connectivity on reserve performance along exposed coastlines. Conservation Biology, 33: 580-589. doi:10.1111/cobi.13237, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13237
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450735402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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