Coral connectivity between equatorial eastern Pacific marine protected areas: A biophysical modeling approach

PloS One
Bertrand D LequeuxCristóbal Reyes-Hernández

Abstract

There are many marine protected areas (MPAs) containing coral reef aggregations in the eastern Pacific region. However, the connectivity of corals between MPAs is still poorly known, especially in the Marine Conservation Corridor of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (MCCETP). Here, we assess the potential connectivity of corals across equatorial eastern Pacific MPAs through a Lagrangian particle-tracking algorithm coupled offline with an ocean-circulation numerical model. Connectivity metrics and graph theory were used to analyze the networks and highlight those MPAs that are critical for maintaining the connectivity of corals across the region. Our results show that the equatorial eastern Pacific MPAs form a relatively well-connected network, at least 40% of coral larvae released per year end up within the boundaries of an MPA. MPAs like Malpelo and Gorgona islands included in the MCCETP were found to be critical for connectivity of corals because of their high betweenness centrality and potential role as stepping-stones between coastal MPAs and offshore MPAs such as the Galapagos Islands. Two pelagic larval duration (PLD) scenarios (40 and 130 days) indicate a quasi-unidirectional larval flow from coastal MPAs toward oceanic MPAs,...Continue Reading

References

Jul 30, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Derek P ManzelloChris Langdon
Jan 1, 2009·Annual Review of Marine Science·Robert K Cowen, Su Sponaugle
Aug 23, 2011·PloS One·Octavio Aburto-OropezaExequiel Ezcurra
Sep 5, 2012·Molecular Ecology·Iliana B BaumsMichael E Hellberg
Aug 24, 2016·Nature Communications·S WoodE J Hendy
Jun 21, 2018·Scientific Reports·Mauricio Romero-TorresDavid A Paz-García

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Citations

Sep 20, 2021·Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution·Eloísa Torres-HernándezOmar Domínguez-Domínguez

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Software Mentioned

QuikSCAT
MCCETP
Regional Ocean Modeling System ( ROMS _ AGRIF
COADS09
Ichthyop
ROMSTOOLS

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