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Levels of Upwelling are Important to Consider for Conservation

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Island Ecosystems

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Abstract

Understanding trophic links on rocky reefs can assist in the effective conservation and management of the Galapagos National Park. There is great spatial and temporal variation in levels of upwelling within the Galapagos Archipelago and this in turn affects the nature of subtidal habitats. We quantified reef fish abundance on basalt reefs with high, medium and low levels of upwelling. Areas high in upwelling were characterised by a rich growth of macro algae and low abundance of urchin grazers. In contrast, areas of low upwelling had a high abundance of urchins and, these seemingly barren areas of reef had abundant short filamentous algae. Counter intuitively, the abundance and biomass of large herbivorous fishes was greatest in areas of low upwelling, especially in shallow water (< 5 m deep). The acanthurid Prionurus laticlavius dominated in number and biomass where upwelling was low to medium. Some small herbivores, Ophioblennius steindachneri, were also most abundant in shallow water where upwelling was low. An exception was the damselfish Stegastes beebei that was abundant from shallow to deep waters (15–20 m) and at all levels of upwelling. The biomass of large herbivorous fish was 8.6 × that of small herbivores in shallow water where upwelling was low. Traditionally, it has been concluded that fish assemblages in areas of upwelling are subsidized through a flow of energy from pelagic prey. We propose an algal and herbivore subsidy that provides a large biomass available to higher trophic groups. Further, with climate change we predict an increase in low upwelling habitats and related fish assemblages. Managers of the park should incorporate levels of upwelling and water depth in zoning plans to protect a diversity of organisms.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our dive buddies, Mark O’Callaghan and multiple helpers from the GSC Laboratory. We also thank the referees for their constructive comment. Funding to MJK was provided by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Michael J. Kingsford & Juan Manuel Alava-Jurado

  2. Centre of Excellence for Coral Reefs Studies, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Michael J. Kingsford

  3. College of Science, Biology and Environment, Universidad de San Francisco, Quito, Ecuador

    Margarita Brandt

Authors
  1. Michael J. Kingsford
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  2. Margarita Brandt
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  3. Juan Manuel Alava-Jurado
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Kingsford .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Stephen J. Walsh

  2. College of Biological & Environmental Studies, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador

    Carlos F. Mena

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Jill R. Stewart

  4. College of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Galapagos Science Center, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador

    Juan Pablo Muñoz Pérez

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Kingsford, M.J., Brandt, M., Alava-Jurado, J.M. (2023). Levels of Upwelling are Important to Consider for Conservation. In: Walsh, S.J., Mena, C.F., Stewart, J.R., Muñoz Pérez, J.P. (eds) Island Ecosystems. Social and Ecological Interactions in the Galapagos Islands. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28089-4_19

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