Lionel Bigot

Climate Warming, Marine Protected Areas and the Ocean-Scale Integrity of Coral Reef Ecosystems

Coral reefs have emerged as one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate variation and change. While the contribution of a warming climate to the loss of live coral cover has been well documented across large spatial and temporal scales, the associated effects on fish have not. Here, we respond to recent and repeated calls to assess the importance of local management in conserving coral reefs in the context of global climate change. Such information is important, as coral reef fish assemblages are the most species dense vertebrate communities on earth, contributing critical ecosystem functions and providing crucial ecosystem services to human societies in tropical countries. Our assessment of the impacts of the 1998 mass bleaching event on coral cover, reef structural complexity, and reef associated fishes spans 7 countries, 66 sites and 26 degrees of latitude in the Indian Ocean. Using Bayesian meta-analysis we show that changes in the size structure, diversity and trophic composition of the reef fish community have followed coral declines. Although the ocean scale integrity of these coral reef ecosystems has been lost, it is positive to see the effects are spatially variable at multiple scales, with impacts and vulnerability affected by geography but not management regime. Existing no-take marine protected areas still support high biomass of fish, however they had no positive affect on the ecosystem response to large-scale disturbance. This suggests a need for future conservation and management efforts to identify and protect regional refugia, which should be integrated into existing management frameworks and combined with policies to improve system-wide resilience to climate variation and change.

Hydrocarbons in a coral reef ecosystem subjected to anthropogenic pressures (La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean)

The La Saline fringing reef, which is the most important coral reef complex of La Reunion Island, (south- western Indian Ocean), is subjected to anthropogenic pressures through river and groundwater inputs. Salinity and biogeochemicalparameters(silicates,nitrates,dissolvedorganiccarbon,chlorophyll-a),aswellasaliphatichydrocarbons (AHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analysed in particulate and dissolved material from ground- waters,rivers,harbour,backreef,forereefandoceanicwatersintheLaSalinereefareaduringtherainyseason(February- March 2012). Particulate and dissolved AH concentration ranges were 0.07-144 and 0.06-0.58 m gL � 1 respectively. Particulate and dissolved PAH concentrations ranges were 4.3-326 and 28-350 ng L � 1 respectively. AHs, dominated by nC15, nC17, nC18 compounds or nC26, nC27, nC29, nC31 compounds, were mainly of biogenic origin (phytoplankton, bacteria, higher-plant debris) although some anthropogenic (petroleum inputs) signatures were recorded in the dissolved phase from the harbour and fore reef areas. PAHs, dominated by two- to three-ring compounds and their alkylated homologues, reflected unburned petroleum inputs, but probably also biogenic sources. From the distribution of salinity, biogeochemical parameters and hydrocarbons, we found that inland waters flowed mainly in the surface and in the southern part of reef waters and that particulate PAHs allowed tracking these inland water intrusions in fore reef waters. Finally, this pilot study highlights the uncoupling between the dynamics of AHs and PAHs in tropical environments. Additionalkeywords: aliphatichydrocarbons,groundwaters,LaSalinefringingreef,polycyclicaromatichydrocarbons, tropical environment.

Stable isotopes reveal spatial variability in the trophic structure of a macro‐benthic invertebrate community in a tropical coral reef

RATIONALE Studies of organic matter fluxes in coral reefs are historically based on physical and biogeochemical approaches. It is important to link these approaches to community analysis as the abundance and behaviour of species, populations or trophic groups can have a profound effect on nutrient budgets. METHODS We determined the carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of coral reef organic matter sources and macro-benthic invertebrate communities using a Europa Geo 20/20 isotope ratio mass spectrometer interfaced to an ANCA-SL elemental analyzer in continuous flow mode. Isotopic ecology metrics and a mixing model were used to analyze and interpret the data. RESULTS The coral reef macro-invertebrate community principally relies on detrital or recycled food sources. An increased reliance on reef nitrogen-derived sources was observed in the cold-dry season. The community food-web lengths differ noticeably across the coral reef and reflect the characteristics and origin of organic matter reservoirs. CONCLUSIONS Anthropogenic and terrestrial inputs lead to a loss of biological diversity. Exclusive dominance of suspension-feeding species is observed in areas receiving direct surface riverine particulate organic matter. The accumulation of sediment organic matter in eutrophic areas leads to dominance of deposit-feeding species. Copyright

Feeding habits and food partitioning between three commercial fish associated with artificial reefs in a tropical coastal environment

At Réunion Island (south-western Indian Ocean), artificial reefs were submerged in 2003 in a bay and were soon colonised by fish, among which were the highly abundant commercial species Lutjanus kasmira, Priacanthus hamrur and Selar crumenophthalmus. The high concentration and diversity of fish around the artificial reefs is surprising, considering the low abundance of potential benthic prey. We investigated the diet and food partitioning between the aforementioned species using stomach content and stable isotope analyses (δ13C, δ15N). Priacanthus hamrur and S. crumenophthalmus fed on a larger prey diversity and showed significant overlap in their diets, with crustacean larvae the dominant prey. Fish larvae dominated L. kasmiras diet, and δ15N values confirmed the species’ higher trophic level. Differences in δ13C between P. hamrur and S. crumenophthalmus indicated niche segregation, probably as a way to reduce competition, with P. hamrur being characterised by a smaller δ13C range and exhibiting a smaller isotopic niche than S. crumenophthalmus. There was a significant correlation between δ15N and fish standard length for the three species, suggesting that ontogeny partially explained the niche breadth. There was also a significant correlation between δ13C and length for L. kasmira, whereas individual specialisation was prevalent in S. crumenophthalmus.

From population connectivity to the art of striping Russian dolls: the lessons from Pocillopora corals

Abstract Here, we examined the genetic variability in the coral genus Pocillopora, in particular within the Primary Species Hypothesis PSH09, identified by Gélin, Postaire, Fauvelot and Magalon (2017) using species delimitation methods [also named Pocillopora eydouxi/meandrina complex sensu, Schmidt‐Roach, Miller, Lundgren, & Andreakis (2014)] and which was found to split into three secondary species hypotheses (SSH09a, SSH09b, and SSH09c) according to assignment tests using multi‐locus genotypes (13 microsatellites). From a large sampling (2,507 colonies) achieved in three marine provinces [Western Indian Ocean (WIO), Tropical Southwestern Pacific (TSP), and Southeast Polynesia (SEP)], genetic structuring analysis conducted with two clustering analyses (structure and DAPC) using 13 microsatellites revealed that SSH09a was restricted to the WIO while SSH09b and SSH09c were almost exclusively in the TSP and SEP. More surprisingly, each SSH split into two to three genetically differentiated clusters, found in sympatry at the reef scale, leading to a pattern of nested hierarchical levels (PSH > SSH > cluster), each level hiding highly differentiated genetic groups. Thus, rather than structured populations within a single species, these three SSHs, and even the eight clusters, likely represent distinct genetic lineages engaged in a speciation process or real species. The issue is now to understand which hierarchical level (SSH, cluster, or even below) corresponds to the species one. Several hypotheses are discussed on the processes leading to this pattern of mixed clusters in sympatry, evoking formation of reproductive barriers, either by allopatric speciation or habitat selection.

Coral responses to a repeat bleaching event in Mayotte in 2010

Background High sea surface temperatures resulted in widespread coral bleaching and mortality in Mayotte Island (northern Mozambique channel, Indian Ocean: 12.1°S, 45.1°E) in April–June 2010. Methods Twenty three representative coral genera were sampled quantitatively for size class distributions during the peak of the bleaching event to measure its impact. Results Fifty two percent of coral area was impacted, comprising 19.3% pale, 10.7% bleached, 4.8% partially dead and 17.5% recently dead. Acropora, the dominant genus, was the second most susceptible to bleaching (22%, pale and bleached) and mortality (32%, partially dead and dead), only exceeded by Pocillopora (32% and 47%, respectively). The majority of genera showed intermediate responses, and the least response was shown by Acanthastrea and Leptastrea (6% pale and bleached). A linear increase in bleaching susceptibility was found from small colonies (<2.5 cm, 83% unaffected) to large ones (>80 cm, 33% unaffected), across all genera surveyed. Maximum mortality in 2010 was estimated at 32% of coral area or biomass, compared to half that (16%), by colony abundance. Discussion Mayotte reefs have displayed a high level of resilience to bleaching events in 1983, 1998 and the 2010 event reported here, and experienced a further bleaching event in 2016. However, prospects for continued resilience are uncertain as multiple threats are increasing: the rate of warming experienced (0.1 °C per decade) is some two to three times less than projected warming in coming decades, the interval between severe bleaching events has declined from 16 to 6 years, and evidence of chronic mortality from local human impacts is increasing. The study produced four recommendations for reducing bias when monitoring and assessing coral bleaching: coral colony size should be measured, unaffected colonies should be included in counts, quadrats or belt transects should be used and weighting coefficients in the calculation of indices should be used with caution.

Coral reefs of the Glorieuses Islands, western Indian Ocean

The benthic fauna on reefs around the Glorieuses Islands, a small and protected Indian Ocean archipelago northwest of Madagascar, was surveyed in November 2015, focusing particularly on the orders Alcyonacea (soft corals and gorgonians) and Scleractinia (stony corals). The species richness of both groups was rather low for a protected, relatively pristine environment in the region. Though certain soft ‘fugitive’ alcyonacean species were noticeably abundant, other soft corals were rare. Sediment-tolerant faviid corals were abundant among the scleractinians. The sediment around the reefs was fine-grained and white, and appeared to be derived from abundant green macroalgae Halimeda and coralline seaweeds. The abundance of these, in turn, might have been attributable to nutrient enrichment from guano deposited on one of the islands by migratory seabirds, causing the aforementioned anomalies in coral biodiversity and abundance.