coral ecosystem resilience, conservation and management on the reefs of jamaica in the face of anthropogenic activities and climate change珊瑚生态系统复原能力,保护和管理在牙买加的珊瑚礁面临人为活动和气候变化.pdf

Diversity 2010, 2, 881-896; doi:10.3390/d2060881 OPEN ACCESS diversity ISSN 1424-2818 /journal/diversity Article Coral Ecosystem Resilience, Conservation and Management on the Reefs of Jamaica in the Face of Anthropogenic Activities and Climate Change M. James C. Crabbe LIRANS Institute for Research in the Applied Natural Sciences, Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science, University of Bedfordshire, Park Square, Luton, LU1 3JU, UK; E-Mail: james.crabbe@beds.ac.uk; Tel.: +44-1582-489-265; Fax: +44-1582-489-212 Received: 13 March 2010; in revised form: 26 April 2010 / Accepted: 18 May 2010 / Published: 1 June 2010 Abstract: Knowledge of factors that are important in reef resilience and integrity help us understand how reef ecosystems react following major anthropogenic and environmental disturbances. The North Jamaican fringing reefs have shown some recent resilience to acute disturbances from hurricanes and bleaching, in addition to the recurring chronic stressors of over-fishing and land development. Factors that can improve coral reef resilience are reviewed, and reef rugosity is shown to correlate with coral cover and growth, particularly for branching Acropora species. The biodiversity index for the Jamaican reefs was lowered after the 2005 mass bleaching event, as were the numbers of coral colonies, but both had recovered by 2009. The importance of coastal zone reef management