@article {84067, title = {Large geographic variability in the resistance of corals to thermal stress}, journal = {Global Ecology and Biogeography}, year = {2020}, month = {10/2020}, abstract = {

Predictions for the future of coral reefs are largely based on thermal exposure and poorly account for potential geographic variation in biological sensitivity to thermal stress. Without accounting for complex sensitivity responses, simple climate exposure models and associated predictions may lead to poor estimates of future coral survival and lead to policies that fail to identify and implement the most appropriate interventions. To begin filling this gap, we evaluated a number of attributes of coral taxa and communities that are predicted to influence coral resistance to thermal stress over a large geographic range.

}, doi = {10.1111/geb.13191}, author = {McClanahan, Tim R and Maina, Joseph M and Darling, Emily S and Guillaume, Mireille M and Muthiga, Nyawira and D{\textquoteright}agata, Stephanie and Leblond, Julien and Arthur, Rohan and Jupiter, Stacy D and Wilson, Shaun and Mangubhai, Sangeeta and Ussi, Ali M and Humphries, Austin T and Patankar, Vardhan and Shedrawi, George and Julius, Pagu and Ndagala, January and Grimsditch, Gabriel} } @article {79868, title = {Protected areas and benthic characteristics influence the distribution of the Vulnerable bumphead parrotfishBolbometopon muricatumin the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India}, journal = {ORYX}, volume = {54}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, pages = {564-571}, abstract = {

The Vulnerable bumphead parrotfishBolbometopon muricatum, a highly prized fishery resource worldwide, has experienced population declines throughout its geographical range. There is limited knowledge of the distribution and abundance of, and threats to, this fish in Indian waters, particularly for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. To assess the species{\textquoteright} distribution and conservation status we conducted underwater surveys across 75 sites around 51 islands and interviewed 99 fishers across the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. We recorded a total of 59 individualB. muricatumacross nine sites from the northernmost island in the Andamans (Landfall Island) to the southernmost island in the Nicobars (Great Nicobar Island). Interviews revealed that most fishers (100\% in Nicobar, 94\% in Middle Andaman, 62\% in South Andaman) had seenB. muricatum, and knowledge of the species is highest amongst spearfishers. Generalized linear models indicated that presence of marine protected areas and high live coral cover influenced the abundance and distribution ofB. muricatum. The species{\textquoteright} density seems to be naturally low in the archipelago. We discuss our findings in the light of protecting rare and threatened species, and recommend strengthening the existing marine protected areas in these islands.

}, doi = {10.1017/S0030605318000376}, author = {Patankar, Vardhan and Wagh, Tanmay and Marathe, Aniruddha} } @article {62916, title = {Social-environmental drivers inform strategic management of coral reefs in the Anthropocene.}, journal = {Nat Ecol Evol}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Aug 12}, abstract = {

Without drastic efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate globalized stressors, tropical coral reefs are in jeopardy. Strategic conservation and management requires identification of the environmental and socioeconomic factors driving the persistence of scleractinian coral assemblages-the foundation species of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we compiled coral abundance data from 2,584 Indo-Pacific reefs to evaluate the influence of 21 climate, social and environmental drivers on the ecology of reef coral assemblages. Higher abundances of framework-building corals were typically associated with: weaker thermal disturbances and longer intervals for potential recovery; slower human population growth; reduced access by human settlements and markets; and less nearby agriculture. We therefore propose a framework of three management strategies (protect, recover or transform) by considering: (1) if reefs were above or below a proposed threshold of \>10\% cover of the coral taxa important for structural complexity and carbonate production; and (2) reef exposure to severe thermal stress during the 2014-2017 global coral bleaching event. Our findings can guide urgent management efforts for coral reefs, by identifying key threats across multiple scales and strategic policy priorities that might sustain a network of functioning reefs in the Indo-Pacific to avoid ecosystem collapse.

}, issn = {2397-334X}, doi = {10.1038/s41559-019-0953-8}, author = {Darling, Emily S and McClanahan, Tim R and Maina, Joseph and Gurney, Georgina G and Graham, Nicholas A J and Januchowski-Hartley, Fraser and Cinner, Joshua E and Mora, Camilo and Hicks, Christina C and Maire, Eva and Puotinen, Marji and Skirving, William J and Adjeroud, Mehdi and Ahmadia, Gabby and Arthur, Rohan and Bauman, Andrew G and Beger, Maria and Berumen, Michael L and Bigot, Lionel and Bouwmeester, Jessica and Brenier, Ambroise and Bridge, Tom C L and Brown, Eric and Campbell, Stuart J and Cannon, Sara and Cauvin, Bruce and Chen, Chaolun Allen and Claudet, Joachim and Denis, Vianney and Donner, Simon and Fadli, Nur and Feary, David A and Fenner, Douglas and Fox, Helen and Franklin, Erik C and Friedlander, Alan and Gilmour, James and Goiran, Claire and Guest, James and Hobbs, Jean-Paul A and Hoey, Andrew S and Houk, Peter and Johnson, Steven and Jupiter, Stacy D and Kayal, Mohsen and Kuo, Chao-Yang and Lamb, Joleah and Lee, Michelle A C and Low, Jeffrey and Muthiga, Nyawira and Muttaqin, Efin and Nand, Yashika and Nash, Kirsty L and Nedlic, Osamu and Pandolfi, John M and Pardede, Shinta and Patankar, Vardhan and Penin, Lucie and Ribas-Deulofeu, Lauriane and Richards, Zoe and Roberts, T Edward and Rodgers, Ku{\textquoteright}ulei S and Safuan, Che Din Mohd and Sala, Enric and Shedrawi, George and Sin, Tsai Min and Smallhorn-West, Patrick and Smith, Jennifer E and Sommer, Brigitte and Steinberg, Peter D and Sutthacheep, Makamas and Tan, Chun Hong James and Williams, Gareth J and Wilson, Shaun and Yeemin, Thamasak and Bruno, John F and Fortin, Marie-Jos{\'e}e and Krkosek, Martin and Mouillot, David} } @article {45440, title = {Description and classification of Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) whistles recorded off the Sindhudurg coast of Maharashtra, India }, journal = {Marine Mammel Science}, volume = {34}, year = {2018}, month = {07/2018}, pages = {755-776}, abstract = {

The Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea), a common cetacean species in India, has a diverse vocal repertoire, which to date has not been described in detail. This study focused on analyzing their whistle vocalizations. Humpback dolphins were recorded off the Sindhudurg coast of Maharashtra, India, and 2,260 whistles were analyzed for their acoustic characteristics. Whistles spanned a wide frequency range between 2.3 kHz and 33.0 kHz, with durations ranging from 0.01 s to 1.60 s. Whistles were categorized into seven contour classes based on their qualitative properties. A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to quantify variability between the seven contour classes using the measured acoustic features. Based on the CART analysis, frequency gradient, minimum slope, maximum slope, beginning and ending slope accounted for most variability between whistle types. CART resulted in an overall classification accuracy of 89.5\%. This study provides a detailed description of acoustic features and qualitative properties of humpback dolphin whistles from the northwestern coast of India. Further comparisons of acoustic data from Sousa populations along the Indian coast are necessary to determine possible geographic variations in whistle characteristics and whether the variations are driven by environmental or genetic factors or a combination of both.

}, doi = {10.1111/mms.12479}, author = {Bopardikar, I and Sutaria, Dipani and Sule, M and Patankar, Vardhan and Klinck, H} } @article {11609, title = { For traditional island communities in the Nicobar archipelago, complete no-go areas are the most effective form of marine management }, journal = { OCEAN \& COASTAL MANAGEMENT }, volume = {133}, year = {2016}, month = {12/2016}, pages = {53-63}, abstract = {

The ability of local communities to sustainably manage natural resource harvests in coral reefs ecosystem depends heavily on the strength of traditional institutions. Coastal communities have evolved a suite of restrictive practices to control marine offtake and there is considerable recent evidence of their effectiveness in protecting and enhancing resource stocks. However, traditionally imposed restrictions can vary considerably in their complexity and in their functional effectiveness. The indigenous communities of the Nicobar Islands are dependent on marine resources for sustenance, managing them with a range of traditionally imposed restrictions. These include limited entry to certain locations, closed seasons and areas, and restrictions on species, size-classes of fish and fishing methods. We tested the relative effectiveness of protection in areas managed under different traditional control regimes by comparing the abundance and biomass of targeted fish groups in managed and unmanaged areas. Our results indicate that reef sites with the strictest form of restriction essentially no-go areas had significantly higher abundance and biomass values of most functional groups of fishes compared with partially protected and control locations. In contrast, targeted food fish stocks did not differ from control locations in partially protected sites managed with even complex forms of traditional management. Ensuring that traditional harvest rules are complied is critical to the success of any management system, and our results suggest that they can be most strictly enforced in traditional no-go areas. Our work highlights the importance of critically evaluating the factors influencing traditional management systems to strengthen their ability to protect these reefs from unsustainable overharvest. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.09.003}, author = {Patankar, Vardhan and D{\textquoteright}Souza, Elrika and Alcoverro, Teresa and Arthur, Rohan} }