Abstract
Identifying susceptible regions where biodiversity changes occur at fast rates is essential in order to protect and ameliorate affected areas. Large-scale coastal monitoring programs that focus on long-term variability are scarce, yet the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network Pole to Pole is currently developing a regional collaboration throughout the American continent collecting biodiversity data in coastal habitats with a standardized systematic protocol. The use of photographic methods to collect assemblage data on intertidal rocky shores can be appropriate. The goal of this study was to analyze the performance of a simple, low-cost, non-destructive and low-tech photographic method on a broad geographical scale (∼ 2,000 km) of Atlantic Patagonian coastline. Concurrently, we aimed to identify indicators whose cover, presence or condition can be followed in time and used as beacons of change in biodiversity on these rocky intertidal shores. We also explored the potential relationships between assemblage structure and environmental variables, such as seascape classes. We identified and propose cover of mytilids, Corallina spp. and bare substrate as indicators of change due to their ecological relevance in intertidal assemblages and their visible and rapid response to human stressors or changes in environmental conditions. Finally, we illustrate the practicality and usefulness of remotely accessible environmental data, for instance the seascape classes approach as an integrative tool for large-scale rocky shore studies.
Highlights
Coastal ecosystems generally present high biodiversity and provide valuable cultural, provisioning and regulating services (Galparsoro et al, 2014)
The photoquadrat protocol used in this study detected a total of 26 taxa for which cover was estimated from the MT and LT levels across more than 2,000 km of Atlantic Patagonian intertidal rocky shores
Four of these taxa were sessile invertebrates that include four species of mytilids (Brachidontes rodriguezii, Perumytilus purpuratus, Mytilus edulis, and Aulacomya atra) which were grouped for analysis and three species of barnacles (Notobalanus flosculus, Notochthamalus scabrosus, and Balanus glandula), whilst the remaining taxa were macroalgae
Summary
Coastal ecosystems generally present high biodiversity and provide valuable cultural, provisioning and regulating services (Galparsoro et al, 2014) They represent only 8% of global surface, these areas provide approximately 43% of the estimated value of ecosystem services worldwide. Monitoring efforts at large spatial scales that try to integrate long-term inter-annual and seasonal community variability are scarce, mostly because they are costly, logistically complex and require much coordination by different groups of scientists. In this sense, contrasting access to resources of dedicated scientists involved in large-scale monitoring often challenges the implementation of programs at the desired scale (Bax et al, 2019). The implementation of large-scale and long-term monitoring programs is a tool for detecting changes in rocky shore communities that may provide early alarms to decision makers allowing the opportunity of a timely response action
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