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Marine protected areas promote stability of reef fish communities under climate warming

Author

Listed:
  • Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi

    (University of Pisa, URL CoNISMa)

  • Amanda E. Bates

    (University of Victoria)

  • Giovanni Strona

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre)

  • Fabio Bulleri

    (University of Pisa, URL CoNISMa)

  • Barbara Horta e Costa

    (University of Algarve)

  • Graham J. Edgar

    (University of Tasmania
    Reef Life Survey Foundation)

  • Bernat Hereu

    (Universitat de Barcelona)

  • Dan C. Reed

    (University of California Santa Barbara)

  • Rick D. Stuart-Smith

    (University of Tasmania
    Reef Life Survey Foundation)

  • Neville S. Barrett

    (University of Tasmania)

  • David J. Kushner

    (Channel Islands National Park)

  • Michael J. Emslie

    (Australian Institute of Marine Science)

  • Jose Antonio García-Charton

    (Universidad de Murcia, Campus Espinardo)

  • Emanuel J. Gonçalves

    (MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA – Instituto Universitário)

  • Eneko Aspillaga

    (Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB))

Abstract

Protection from direct human impacts can safeguard marine life, yet ocean warming crosses marine protected area boundaries. Here, we test whether protection offers resilience to marine heatwaves from local to network scales. We examine 71,269 timeseries of population abundances for 2269 reef fish species surveyed in 357 protected versus 747 open sites worldwide. We quantify the stability of reef fish abundance from populations to metacommunities, considering responses of species and functional diversity including thermal affinity of different trophic groups. Overall, protection mitigates adverse effects of marine heatwaves on fish abundance, community stability, asynchronous fluctuations and functional richness. We find that local stability is positively related to distance from centers of high human density only in protected areas. We provide evidence that networks of protected areas have persistent reef fish communities in warming oceans by maintaining large populations and promoting stability at different levels of biological organization.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi & Amanda E. Bates & Giovanni Strona & Fabio Bulleri & Barbara Horta e Costa & Graham J. Edgar & Bernat Hereu & Dan C. Reed & Rick D. Stuart-Smith & Neville S. Barrett & David, 2024. "Marine protected areas promote stability of reef fish communities under climate warming," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-44976-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44976-y
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