Marine protected area restricts demographic connectivity: Dissimilarity in a marine environment can function as a biological barrier |
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Authors: | Masaaki Sato Kentaro Honda Wilfredo H Uy Darwin I Baslot Tom G Genovia Yohei Nakamura Lawrence Patrick C Bernardo Hiroyuki Kurokochi Allyn Duvin S Pantallano Chunlan Lian Kazuo Nadaoka Masahiro Nakaoka |
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Institution: | 1. Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Akkeshi‐cho, Hokkaido, Japan;2. Akkeshi Marine Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Akkeshi‐cho, Hokkaido, Japan;3. Institute of Fisheries Research and Development, Mindanao State University at Naawan, Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines;4. Graduate School of Kuroshio Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan;5. Department of Mechanical and Environmental Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan;6. Asian Natural Environmental Science Center, The University of Tokyo, Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan |
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Abstract: | The establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) can often lead to environmental differences between MPAs and fishing zones. To determine the effects on marine dispersal of environmental dissimilarity between an MPA and fishing zone, we examined the abundance and recruitment patterns of two anemonefishes (Amphiprion frenatus and A. perideraion) that inhabit sea anemones in different management zones (i.e., an MPA and two fishing zones) by performing a field survey and a genetic parentage analysis. We found lower levels of abundance per anemone in the MPA compared to the fishing zones for both species (n = 1,525 anemones, p = .032). The parentage analysis also showed that lower numbers of fishes were recruited from the fishing zones and outside of the study area into each anemone in the MPA than into each anemone in the fishing zones (n = 1,525 anemones, p < .017). However, the number of self‐recruit production per female did not differ between the MPA and fishing zones (n = 384 females, p = .516). Because the ocean currents around the study site were unlikely to cause a lower settlement intensity of larvae in the MPA, the ocean circulation was not considered crucial to the observed abundance and recruitment patterns. Instead, stronger top‐down control and/or a lower density of host anemones in the MPA were potential factors for such patterns. Our results highlight the importance of dissimilarity in a marine environment as a factor that affects connectivity. |
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Keywords: | coral reef fish larval dispersal microsatellites parentage analysis Philippines |
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