Pizarro V et al. (2017), Unraveling the structure and composition of Var...

ECB-ART-45953

PeerJ 2017 Jan 01;5:e4119. doi: 10.7717/peerj.4119.

Show Gene links Show Anatomy links

Unraveling the structure and composition of Varadero Reef, an improbable and imperiled coral reef in the Colombian Caribbean.

Pizarro V , Rodríguez SC , López-Victoria M , Zapata FA , Zea S , Galindo-Martínez CT , Iglesias-Prieto R , Pollock J , Medina M .

???displayArticle.abstract???
Coral reefs are commonly associated with oligotrophic, well-illuminated waters. In 2013, a healthy coral reef was discovered in one of the least expected places within the Colombian Caribbean: at the entrance of Cartagena Bay, a highly-polluted system that receives industrial and sewage waste, as well as high sediment and freshwater loads from an outlet of the Magdalena River (the longest and most populated river basin in Colombia). Here we provide the first characterization of Varadero Reef''s geomorphology and biological diversity. We also compare these characteristics with those of a nearby reference reef, Barú Reef, located in an area much less influenced by the described polluted system. Below the murky waters, we found high coral cover of 45.1% (±3.9; up to 80% in some sectors), high species diversity, including 42 species of scleractinian coral, 38 of sponge, three of lobster, and eight of sea urchin; a fish community composed of 61 species belonging to 24 families, and the typical zonation of a Caribbean fringing reef. All attributes found correspond to a reef that, according to current standards should be considered in "good condition". Current plans to dredge part of Varadero threaten the survival of this reef. There is, therefore, an urgent need to describe the location and characteristics of Varadero as a first step towards gaining acknowledgement of its existence and garnering inherent legal and environmental protections.

???displayArticle.pubmedLink??? 29259841
???displayArticle.pmcLink??? PMC5733367
???displayArticle.link??? PeerJ

Genes referenced: LOC100887844

???attribute.lit??? ???displayArticles.show???

References [+] :

Bayraktarov, Bleaching susceptibility and recovery of Colombian Caribbean corals in response to water current exposure and seasonal upwelling. 2013, Pubmed

	Figure 1. Location and distribution of Varadero Reef.The reef continues to the South towards Barú Island.
	Figure 2. Varadero Reef profile.Profile of Varadero Reef showing the typical zonation and coral composition (A and B). Photographs in (A) correspond to each sector of the reef and the dominant scleractinian coral taxon (Credit: coauthors).
	Figure 3. Varadero Reef optical properties.Analyses of the variations in the optical properties of the water column in Varadero Reef (solid circles) indicate the presence of highly stratified water masses. The blue symbols in the blue shaded area highlight the upper layer with Kd values of 0.488 m−1, the black symbols indicate transition region with Kd of 0.19 m−1 whereas the orange symbols in the shaded area indicate the presence of very clear waters with Kd values of 0.041. For comparison the monotonic vertical attenuation for the Rosario Island is presented (open circles) with Kd values of 0.165 m−1.
	Figure 4. Varadero and Barú benthic cover.Average benthic coverage Varadero (blue) and Barú (red) Reefs. Error bars indicate standard error.
	Figure 5. Fish presence-absence and abundance data for Varadero and Barú Reefs.Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis biplots based on (A) presence-absence data (Jaccard’s similarity) and (B) abundance data (Bray–Curtis’s similarity) for fish visual censuses made at Barú (red) and Varadero (blue) Reefs.