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Response of Rocky Reef Top Predators (Serranidae: Epinephelinae) in and Around Marine Protected Areas in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Authors :
Angel Pérez-Ruzafa
Olga Reñones
José Antonio García-Charton
Just T. Bayle-Sempere
Carlos Werner Hackradt
Pablo Sanchez-Jerez
Denis Ody
Eric Charbonnel
Carlos Valle
Laurence Le Direach
Mireille Harmelin-Vivien
Universidad de Murcia
Ecologie Marine et BIOdiversité (EMBIO)
Institut méditerranéen d'océanologie (MIO)
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Toulon (UTLN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Toulon (UTLN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Toulon (UTLN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Universidad de Alicante
Instituto Español de Oceanografía
Universidad de Alicante. Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada
Biología Marina
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Toulon (UTLN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Toulon (UTLN)
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Toulon (UTLN)
Source :
PLoS ONE, PLoS ONE, 2014, 9 (6), pp.e98206. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0098206⟩, RUA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Alicante, Universidad de Alicante (UA), PLoS ONE, Public Library of Science, 2014, 9 (6), pp.e98206. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0098206⟩, PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 6, p e98206 (2014)
Publication Year :
2014
Publisher :
HAL CCSD, 2014.

Abstract

Groupers species are extremely vulnerable to overfishing and many species are threatened worldwide. In recent decades, Mediterranean groupers experienced dramatic population declines. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can protect populations inside their boundaries and provide individuals to adjacent fishing areas through the process of spillover and larval export. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of six marine reserves in the Western Mediterranean Sea to protect the populations of three species of grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, Epinephelus costae and Mycteroperca rubra, and to understand in which circumstances MPAs are able to export biomass to neighbouring areas. All the studied MPAs, except one where no grouper was observed, were able to maintain high abundance, biomass and mean weight of groupers. Size classes were more evenly distributed inside than outside MPAs. In two reserves, biomass gradients could be detected through the boundaries of the reserve as an indication of spillover. In some cases, habitat structure appeared to exert a great influence on grouper abundance, biomass and mean individual weight, influencing the gradient shape. Because groupers are generally sedentary animals with a small home range, we suggest that biomass gradients could only occur where groupers attain sufficient abundance inside MPA limits, indicating a strongly density-dependent process. This work was developed in the framework of the EC Project BIOMEX (QLRT-2001-0891). The authors express thanks to the National Council for Technology and Science Development (CNPq-MCT, Brazil, for Brazilian acronym) from the Ministry of Science of Brazil for giving personal financial support to CWH (Proc: 200630/2008-3), and to the Fundación BBVA (Foundation of Bilbao-Viscaya Bank, Spain) for additional support.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19326203
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
PLoS ONE, PLoS ONE, 2014, 9 (6), pp.e98206. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0098206⟩, RUA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Alicante, Universidad de Alicante (UA), PLoS ONE, Public Library of Science, 2014, 9 (6), pp.e98206. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0098206⟩, PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 6, p e98206 (2014)
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....ffd9d9075b9e55d87ceae261f10d2ee0