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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) must function as networks with sufficient stepping-stone
continuity between suitable habitats to ensure the conservation of naturally connected
regional pools of biodiversity in the long-term. For most marine biodiversity, population
connectivity is mediated by passively dispersed planktonic stages with contrasting
dispersal periods, ranging from a few hours to hundreds of days. These processes
exert a major influence on whether threatened populations should be conserved as
either isolated units or linked metapopulations. However, the distance scales at which
individual MPAs are connected are insufficiently understood. Here, we use a biophysical
model integrating high-resolution ocean currents and contrasting dispersal periods to
predict connectivity across the Network of MPAs in Western Africa. Our results revealed
that connectivity differs sharply among distinct ecological groups, from highly connected
(e.g., fish and crustacea) to predominantly isolated ecosystem structuring species
(e.g., corals, macroalgae and seagrass) that might potentially undermine conservation
efforts because they are the feeding or nursery habitats required by many other
species. Regardless of their dispersal duration, all ecological groups showed a common
connectivity gap in the Bijagós region of Guinea-Bissau, highlighting the important role
of MPAs there and the need to further support and increase MPA coverage to ensure
connectivity along the whole network. Our findings provide key insights for the future
management of the Network of MPAs in Western Africa, highlighting the need to protect
and ensure continuity of isolated ecosystem structuring species and identifying key
regions that function as stepping-stone connectivity corridors.
Description
Keywords
MPA networks Stepping-stone connectivity Biophysical modeling Biodiversity conservation Resource management
Citation
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA