Conserving the beauty of the world’s reef fish assemblages
Abstract
On shallow rocky and coral reefs, cultural and recreational values, like aesthetics, are critical aspects of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) that support human well-being and provide billions of dollars in tourism revenue. Quantifying the aesthetic value of reef ecosystems and uncovering the conditions that enhance it could support NCP-based management. Here, we combine a global dataset of reef fish surveys, species-level aesthetic values, and causal modeling to assess the global status and drivers of reef fish assemblage aesthetic value. We find that aesthetic value is inherently linked to species richness, displaying a latitudinal gradient with peaks in the tropics, but varies strongly with the presence of exceptionally beautiful or less-beautiful species. Sea surface temperature, primary productivity, human gravity, and protection status are the strongest drivers of assemblage-level aesthetic value. Protection against human impacts consistently enhances aesthetic value by boosting taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, and this effect is greatest in species-rich, tropical ecoregions. Economic development has little influence, indicating that low-income countries are not constrained from maintaining beautiful fish assemblages. Our results therefore suggest that marine protected areas (MPAs) can support multiple NCPs simultaneously, particularly in developing tropical countries. While we highlight the effectiveness of MPAs, given the low level of marine protection globally and the sensitivity of aesthetic value to environmental conditions, the beauty of the world’s reefs appears severely threatened. Aesthetic value should be immediately integrated into reef conservation and management plans.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (15)
Matthew McLean
Department of Biology and Marine Biology, Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington
David Mouillot
Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, Research and Development Institute
Juliette Langlois
Marine Biodiversity Exploitation And Conservation, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Suchinta Arif
Department of Biology, Dalhousie University
Sonia Bejarano
Reef Systems Research Group, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research
Nicolas Casajus
Fondation pour la recherche sur la biodiversité: Centre de Synthèse et d'Analyse sur la Biodiversité
Graham J. Edgar
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Ulysse Flandrin
Marine Biodiversity Exploitation And Conservation, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
François Guilhaumon
Unité Mixte de Recherche Ecologie Marine Tropicale des Océans Pacifique et Indien (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie)
Aaron B. Judah
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Nicolas Loiseau
Marine Biodiversity Exploitation And Conservation, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
M. Aaron MacNeil
Department of Biology, Dalhousie University
Eva Maire
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Rick D. Stuart-Smith
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Nicolas Mouquet
Marine Biodiversity Exploitation And Conservation, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement