Meléndez Vázquez, Fernando

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  • Publication
    Patterns of spatial and temporal variation of fish assemblages associated with coral reefs of Puerto Rico: The story of 20 years of continuous monitoring
    (2020-05-18) Meléndez Vázquez, Fernando; Cruz Motta, Juan J.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Arcila, Dahiana; Johnson, Dave; Schizas, Nikolaos V.; Department of Marine Sciences; Valdés Pizzini, Manuel
    Various global syntheses have widely documented the decline of local and global fish species richness and biomass in tropical marine ecosystems due to detrimental fishing practices, pollution, coastal development, uncontrolled tourism, changes in the Earth’s climate, and many other factors. Finding the most effective management techniques requires an understanding of the underlying processes responsible for spatial and temporal variation at different scales. This study used already published data by the Puerto Rico Coral Reef Monitoring Program (PRCRMP) to evaluate patterns of temporal and spatial variation of the structure and composition of fish assemblages (in terms of abundance and biomass) associated with different coral reefs around Puerto Rico. Abundance data were estimated for the entire assemblage, where biomass data were estimated only for commercially important species. This study used data from 28 sites located in various regions around the island and from both protected and not protected zones that were sampled throughout the last 20 years (1999-2019). Available data were analyzed using multifactorial and multivariate linear models to decompose components of spatial and temporal variation. Results showed a high degree of variation among sites and some variation among years for analyses performed on the abundance matrix. In contrast, some spatial variation with high degrees of temporal variation were consistently observed in analyses that used the biomass matrix. Overall, each site presented unique characteristics in terms of temporal and spatial variation, lending itself to the notion that each site should be considered separately when implementing management plans. Consequently, it is proposed that management approaches that target such individuality among sites like EcosystemBased Management or Resilience Based Management, should be considered in Puerto Rico. This study serves as an insight into the current trends of spatio-temporal variations of fish assemblages associated with coral reefs in Puerto Rico. It can be used as a tool for managers, stakeholders, and scientists when it comes to the decision-making and planning processes involving marine environments.