Assessing the erect bryozoan Myriapora truncata (Pallas, 1766) as indicator of recreational diving impact on coralligenous reef communities

•We assess the effect of recreational diving impact on the bryozoan M. truncata.•An image treatment software was used to analyze 2010 underwater photographs.•Some variables decreased at localities with high diving pressure.•M. truncata is a good diving impact indicator.•Monitoring M. truncata could...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological indicators 2014-11, Vol.46, p.193-200
Main Authors: de la Nuez-Hernández, Daril, Valle, Carlos, Forcada, Aitor, Correa, José Miguel González, Fernández Torquemada, Yolanda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of variance
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Colonies
Community relations
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Coralligenous reefs
Diving
Exposure
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Indicators
Invertebrates
Less representative or incertae sedis groups: acanthocephala, chaetognatha, gnathostomulida, lophophoria, merostomata, mesozoa, myxozoa, nematorhyncha, pararthropoda, placozoa, priapuloidea, prochordata, pycnogonida, rotifera
Marine protected areas
Myriapora truncata
Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking
Recreational diving impact
Reefs
SCUBA
Sea water ecosystems
Summer
Synecology
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Summary:•We assess the effect of recreational diving impact on the bryozoan M. truncata.•An image treatment software was used to analyze 2010 underwater photographs.•Some variables decreased at localities with high diving pressure.•M. truncata is a good diving impact indicator.•Monitoring M. truncata could allow an early detection of environmental damage. Recreational diving effects on Mediterranean benthic communities have been scarcely studied to date. In this study, we evaluate the recreational diving impact on the Mediterranean bryozoan Myriapora truncata. Eight localities with different diving rates and protection levels were sampled before and after summer, the season of maximum presence of divers in the region. A photographic sampling technique was used, which made possible to increase the number of replicates. In each sample: number; mean, maximum and total area; total and mean perimeter and exposure; and aggregation levels of M. truncata colonies were measured by image treatment software. ANOVA, MDS and PERMANOVA were the statistical techniques used to detect and evaluate the effects of the five factors considered (time, protection, impact, locality and site) on M. truncata colonies. The number, area and perimeter of colonies significantly decreased after summer at localities with high presence of divers; whereas hidden colonies went through a positive increase comparing with exposed colonies. Our results evidence M. truncata as a good indicator species for recreational diving impact on coralligenous reef communities. The monitoring of a combination of representative parameters of this species could play an important role on the management of diving areas.
ISSN:1470-160X
1872-7034
DOI:10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.05.035