Bégin Chantale, Schelten Christiane K, Nugues Maggy M, Hawkins Julie, Roberts Callum, Côté Isabelle M
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
PLoS One. 2016 Feb 4;11(2):e0146855. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146855. eCollection 2016.
The extent to which Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) benefit corals is contentious. On one hand, MPAs could enhance coral growth and survival through increases in herbivory within their borders; on the other, they are unlikely to prevent disturbances, such as terrestrial runoff, that originate outside their boundaries. We examined the effect of spatial protection and terrestrial sediment on the benthic composition of coral reefs in Saint Lucia. In 2011 (10 to 16 years after MPAs were created), we resurveyed 21 reefs that had been surveyed in 2001 and analyzed current benthic assemblages as well as changes in benthic cover over that decade in relation to protection status, terrestrial sediment influence (measured as the proportion of terrigenous material in reef-associated sediment) and depth. The cover of all benthic biotic components has changed significantly over the decade, including a decline in coral and increase in macroalgae. Protection status was not a significant predictor of either current benthic composition or changes in composition, but current cover and change in cover of several components were related to terrigenous content of sediment deposited recently. Sites with a higher proportion of terrigenous sediment had lower current coral cover, higher macroalgal cover and greater coral declines. Our results suggest that terrestrial sediment is an important factor in the recent degradation of coral reefs in Saint Lucia and that the current MPA network should be complemented by measures to reduce runoff from land.
海洋保护区（MPAs）对珊瑚的益处程度存在争议。一方面，海洋保护区可以通过增加其范围内的食草动物数量来促进珊瑚的生长和存活；另一方面，它们不太可能阻止来自其边界之外的干扰，比如陆地径流。我们研究了空间保护和陆地沉积物对圣卢西亚珊瑚礁底栖生物组成的影响。2011年（海洋保护区设立后的10至16年），我们重新调查了2001年曾被调查过的21个珊瑚礁，并分析了当前的底栖生物群落，以及在这十年间底栖生物覆盖度相对于保护状态、陆地沉积物影响（以与珊瑚礁相关沉积物中的陆源物质比例来衡量）和深度的变化情况。在这十年间，所有底栖生物成分的覆盖度都发生了显著变化，包括珊瑚覆盖度下降和大型藻类覆盖度增加。保护状态既不是当前底栖生物组成的显著预测因素，也不是组成变化的显著预测因素，但几种成分的当前覆盖度和覆盖度变化与近期沉积的沉积物中的陆源物质含量有关。陆源沉积物比例较高的地点，当前的珊瑚覆盖度较低，大型藻类覆盖度较高，珊瑚减少幅度也更大。我们的研究结果表明，陆地沉积物是圣卢西亚珊瑚礁近期退化的一个重要因素，当前的海洋保护区网络应辅以减少陆地径流的措施。
