Abstract
Coral reefs ecosystems are facing an unprecedented decline due to the action of natural and anthropogenic stressors. The Caribbean Sea is considered to be one of the most impacted areas, as the average estimated scleractinian coral cover in this region decreased from approximately 50% to 10% over the last 30 years. In this study, a ten-year biodiversity survey was used to examine changes in abundance and percentage cover of benthic invertebrates on permanent transects located at four shallow coral reefs around Roatán, Honduras. This study represents the first long-term investigation of the coral ecosystem of Roatán and reports a decrease in scleractinian coral cover from 37.45 [± 5.37]% to 28.95 [± 3.62]% and a concomitant increase in macroalgal (7.02 [± 3.59]% to 13.94 [± 2.69]%) and turf (5.11[ ± 0.84]% to 7.23 [± 1.00]%) cover although no significant differences in the abundance of scleractinian corals, soft corals, or sponges were observed on the transects. While the four reef sites supported more variable benthic communities at the onset of the study, an overall homogenization of the benthic community composition occurred during the study period. Although our study sites were limited to a small region of Roatán’s southern coral reef system, these observations add to results from other Caribbean locations and provide insights into how Mesoamerican coral reefs have changed over the last decade.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Code availability
The codes used to analyze the data are available from the corresponding author upon request.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the James “Doc” Radawski Marine Science Internship, generously provided by CoCo View Resort. We thank Julia Stevens, Emily Parker, Corey McCormick, Alex Thompson, Lindsay Short, Ryan Jones, Aimee O’Keefe, Alexis Schutz, Sam Wade, Josh Campbell, Abbie Ward, Aislyn Galford, and Alyssa Bentley for assistance with data collection. We are eternally grateful to CoCo View Resort, the Bay Island Conservation Association (BICA), and the Roatán Marine Park for access to the dive sites and logistical support.
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This study was supported by the James “Doc” Radawski Marine Science Internship provided by CoCo View Resort in Roatán, Honduras.
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AG and MM: collected the data for the last two years of the study, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. JDR and JBO: conceived, coordinated and designed the research. All authors, with the exception of JDR: (deceased), read and approved the final manuscript.
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Approval for inclusion of James Doc Radawski as an author has been granted and all living authors are supportive of publication.
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No sampling was conducted in this observational field study so no permits were required but authors have gratefully acknowledged logistical support from the CoCo View Dive Resort, the Bay Islands Conservation Association, and the Roatán Marine Park.
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Communicated by Paolo G Albano.
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Giorgi, A., Monti, M., Radawski, J.D. et al. Long term benthic survey demonstrates a shift in the composition of benthic reef communities at shallow sites in Roatán, Honduras. Biodivers Conserv 31, 1689–1708 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02421-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02421-w