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      A vision for regular, rapid assessments of the tropical northwestern Atlantic’s coral reefs

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          Abstract

          The Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program, consisting of non-fixed, transect- based visual surveys, provides "snapshot" characterizations of a number of structurally or functionally important benthic and fish indicators on tropical northwestern Atlantic (TNWA) coral reefs and Brazil. To ameliorate the confounding factors inherent in multiyear temporal variation, a region-wide collaborative program for conducting rapid reef assessments at regular (five-year) intervals in sites that are representative of each sub-region of the TNWA is proposed. Member institutions of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC) and individual colleagues are invited to join in developing the vision. Rev. Biol. Trop. 54 (Suppl. 3): 23-29. Epub 2007 Jan. 15.

          Translated abstract

          El Programa de Evaluación Rápida del Atlántico y el Golfo (AGRRA, por sus siglas en inglés) consiste en sondeos visuales no-fijos, basados en transectos, que permiten caracterizaciones puntuales de un número de peces y organismos bénticos que sean estructural o funcionalmente importantes como indicadores en arrecifes del Atlántico tropical noroeste (ATNO) y de Brasil. Para disminuir los factores de confusión inherentes a variaciones temporales multianuales, se propone un programa de colaboración a nivel regional, que sirva para conducir evaluaciones rápidas de los arrecifes en intervalos regulares (cinco años), en los sitios que sean representativos de cada sub-región del ATNO. Se invita a las instituciones miembro de la Asociación de Laboratorios Marinos y del Caribe (ALMC), así cómo a colegas individuales para participar en el desarrollo de esta visión.

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              Recovery of Diadema antillarum reduces macroalgal cover and increases abundance of juvenile corals on a Caribbean reef.

              The transition of many Caribbean reefs from coral to macroalgal dominance has been a prominent issue in coral reef ecology for more than 20 years. Alternative stable state theory predicts that these changes are reversible but, to date, there is little indication of this having occurred. Here we present evidence of the initiation of such a reversal in Jamaica, where shallow reefs at five sites along 8 km of coastline now are characterized by a sea urchin-grazed zone with a mean width of 60 m. In comparison to the seaward algal zone, macroalgae are rare in the urchin zone, where the density of Diadema antillarum is 10 times higher and the density of juvenile corals is up to 11 times higher. These densities are close to those recorded in the late 1970s and early 1980s and are in striking contrast to the decade-long recruitment failure for both Diadema and scleractinians. If these trends continue and expand spatially, reefs throughout the Caribbean may again become dominated by corals and algal turf.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Journal
                rbt
                Revista de Biología Tropical
                Rev. biol. trop
                Universidad de Costa Rica (San José )
                0034-7744
                December 2006
                : 54
                : suppl 3
                : 23-29
                Affiliations
                [1 ] Ophelia
                [2 ] University of Miami USA
                Article
                S0034-77442006000600008
                3a167ac1-caa4-4a66-96fc-032f08516ccd

                http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

                History
                Product

                SciELO Costa Rica

                Self URI (journal page): http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_serial&pid=0034-7744&lng=en
                Categories
                Biodiversity Conservation
                Biology

                General life sciences,Animal science & Zoology
                coral reefs,rapid assessment,AGRRA,AMLC,long-term monitoring,monitoring,coral reef integrity,arrecifes de coral,evaluación rápida,monitoreo a largo plazo,monitoreo,integridad de los arrecifes de coral

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