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The Biological Condition Gradient for Benthic Coral Reef Organisms
Citation:
Horstmann, C., B. Jessup, AND D. Santavy. The Biological Condition Gradient for Benthic Coral Reef Organisms. Center for Watershed Protection, Coastal and Islands Virtual Meeting, NA - Virtual, NA - Virtual, November 16 - 17, 2020.
Impact/Purpose:
The research presents the quantitative model for a coral reef biological condition gradient (BCG) using sessile benthic assemblages. The model can be used to assess biological condition, more precisely define designated aquatic life uses and develop biological criteria; identify high quality waters; set restoration targets and track progress towards achieving those targets. The presentation will be made virtually at the Center for Watershed Protection Coastal and Island meeting Nov. 16 and 17, 2020. It will be one of five presentations made in a special session organized by US EPA Office of Water (Susan Jackson) on the BCG and ecosystem services gradient concept.
Description:
The overall condition of coral reefs in the Western Atlantic has been adversely impacted by a multitude of stressors, and territorial managers require tools to efficiently measure the condition of their reefs. The Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) is a framework to describe the biological condition or integrity of coral reefs in response to a gradient of anthropogenic stress. This biological response framework, originally applied to freshwater systems, is being applied for the first time to fish and benthic assemblages of coral reefs. The BCG uses six condition levels to describe ecosystems ranging from undisturbed or natural reefs dominated by scleractinian corals as level 1, to a highly degraded level 6 often represented as an algal dominated reef with few corals. A scientific panel with expertise in coral reef ecology developed criteria to evaluate reefs around Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. They were guided by defined traits for each BCG condition level to create narrative descriptions tailored for coral reefs. An iterative process translated these narratives into quantitative decision rules. These rules incorporate metrics that describe the full range of biological conditions resulting from human disturbance, such as community structure, demographics, organism condition, and ecosystem function for coral reef taxa and physical structure of reefs. The BCG provides a tool for managers to assess their reefs and make decisions based on the important attributes of the ecosystem. The BCG is transferable, with modifications, to other Western Atlantic locations, and flexible enough to be applied to other coral reefs worldwide.
