Mona Island Reef Fish Community Structure and Function for MarinMona Island Reef Fish Community Structure and Function for Marine Protected e Protected Area (MPA) DesignArea (MPA) Design

Distribution of schooling snappers and gruntsDistribution of schooling snappers and grunts

Michelle T. Michelle T. SchSchäärerrer, , DeptDept. of Marine . of Marine ScienceScience, University of Puerto Rico, University of Puerto Rico

H. Ruiz

Second Annual Symposium for Coastal and Marine Applied ResearchSecond Annual Symposium for Coastal and Marine Applied ResearchUniversity of Puerto Rico Sea Grant College ProgramUniversity of Puerto Rico Sea Grant College Program

October 5, 2006, October 5, 2006, MayagMayagüüezez, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 2

• Function as a control area – ecological processes

• Goal of an MPA – proposed objectives

• Criteria for designing zones:– biological (species and habitat )– governance– cultural– socioeconomic– compliance

• Educated guesswork • Compromises

Marine Protected Areas

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 3

Total MPA Area = 157,575 ha

Mona Island Area= 5,602 ha

Monito Island Area= 14 ha

Marine Area = 151,958 ha

Insular Platform Mona = 8,156 ha

Submerged Insular Platform= 2,591 ha

Bosque Insular (22 de diciembre de 1919), Reserva Natural Isla de Mona y Monito (4 de junio de 1986), Extensión Marina (30 de octubre de 1997)

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 4

Reglamento de Pesca # 6768 (11 de Febrero de 2004)

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 5

• MPA design and evaluating management effectiveness require:– Ecological data– Where are species and habitats distributed

(spatial variability)?– Which habitat characteristics affect species

distributions?– What habitats are necessary for species to

complete their life cycle (Ontogeny)?– How are habitats connected to each other

based on species distributions and migrations?

Research Needs

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 6

• Describe the coral reef community • Elucidate how habitat structure reef fish

community• Determine differences in the abundance of reef

fishes by:– Habitat type– Habitat patch size– Habitat Connectivity (distance from nursery

habitats) • Identify habitats critical for the completion of

ontogenetic migrations • Provide a spatially explicit baseline for

monitoring marine reserve effectiveness

Objectives

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 7

• Benthic Habitat Surveys– 15 m video transect– 5 depth measurements– habitat type classification

• Fish Visual Surveys– 30 X 2 m belt transect– estimated fork length– ID to species

Methodology

H. R

uiz

H. R

uiz

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 8

• Invert abundance– Diadema antillarum– Panulirus argus– Strombus gigas

MethodologyH

. Rui

z

H. R

uiz

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 9

Reef Fish Community

• Species Richness (159)• Grunts (9) & Snappers (7)• Ontogenetic migrations reported

for many grunts and snappers• Juveniles restricted to nursery

habitats (shallow water habitats)

Schooling species–Poorly represented in surveys–Abundances underestimated

Causes poorly understood•Risk aversion•Diel patterns•Socializing•Reproduction

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 10

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 11

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

H. carbonarium

H. chrysargyreum

H. flavolineatum

H. parra

A. surinamensis

H. sciurus

H.plumieri

A. virginicus

H. macrocerus

Total Number (N=613)

Family Haemulidae (Grunts) throughout Mona Island Natural Reserve (7% of all fish)

Haemulon chrysargyreum

Floe

ter

Haemulon carbonarium

Ran

dall

Haemulon flavolineatum

Mar

sden

Haemulon parra

Ran

dall

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 12

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

L. mahogoni

L. apodus

O. chrysurus

L. griseus

L. analis

L. jocu

L. cyanopterus

Total Number (N=613)

Family Lutjanidae (Snappers) throughout Mona Island Natural Reserve (2% of all fish)

Lutjanus mahogoni

Ran

dall

Lutjanus apodus

Rui

zR

uiz

Lutjanus griseus

Rui

z

Lutjanus analis

Rui

z

Ocyurus chrysurus

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 13

Haemulidae juveniles Lutjanidae juveniles (FL < 100 mm) (FL < 100 mm)

0

50

100

150

200

250

HCAR HCHR HFLA HPAR HPLU HSPP

Seagrass & RubbleSeagrass & PatchesSeagrassRubblePatch ReefCoralBedrock

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

LMAH LAPO OCHR LJOC

Spur & Groove

Seagrass & Rubble

Seagrass & Patches

Seagrass

Patch Reef

Coral

Bedrock

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 14

Haemulon carbonarium

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

HC

AR

Haemulon flavolineatum

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-1.2

-1.0

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

HFL

A

Haemulon parra

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

HPA

R

Lutjanus apodus

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-2.0

-1.5

-1.0

-0.5

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

LAPO

Lutjanus mahogoni

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

LMAH

Habitat types for juveniles (FL <50 mm)

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 15

58 out of 283 (20%) points sampled had schools of

grunts (H.carbonarium, H. flavolineatum, H. parra)

and/or snappers (L. apodus, L. mahogoni)

(n>5) present

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 16

Species composition in schools

H. carbonarium, 2038

H. chrysargyreum, 28H. flavolineatum, 693

H. parra, 552

L. apodus, 719

L. mahogoni, 608

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 17

Haemulon carbonarium

Ran

dall

Haemulon carbonarium

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

HC

AR

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 18

Haemulon flavolineatum

Mar

sden

Haemulon flavolineatum

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-1.2

-1.0

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

HFL

A

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 19

Haemulon parra

Ran

dall

Haemulon parra

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

HPA

R

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 20

Lutjanus apodus

Rui

z

Lutjanus apodus

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-2.0

-1.5

-1.0

-0.5

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

LAPO

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 21

Lutjanus mahogoni

Ran

dall

Lutjanus mahogoni

Mean Mean±SD Mean±1.96*SD Bedrock Coral SG_P SG_R

Habitat

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

LMAH

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 22

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Spur & Groove Col. Pavement Col. Pavementw. Sand

Linear Reef Col. Bedrock Patch Reef Uncol.Pavement

Scattered CoralRock

Rel

ativ

e Pr

opor

tion

Absent (224) Present (59) Total (283)

Presence of schools by habitat types

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 23

Habitat Variables

• Area of available habitat• Habitat patch size

(perimeter/area ratio)• Distance from shore

(shallow water habitats)• Area of adjacent habitat

(foraging habitats)

• Habitat types favored by schools of adult grunts and snappers– Linear Reef– Patch Reef– Col. Bedrock– Spur & Groove

10/4/2006 Sea Grant-UPRM 24