Download The process for verifying suspected habitat records Implications for

What lies beneath? Improving the classification of deep-water
habitats around Scotland to support marine protected area planning
Authors: Pete Chaniotis1, Lea-Anne Henry2, Murray Roberts2 1
Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Inverdee House, Baxter Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6XS, UK | [email protected] | (+44) 1224 266586
2
School of Life Sciences, Herriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
Background
Implications for MPA network development
The deep-water environment around Scotland contains some of the UK’s most captivating marine life;
from gardens of soft- and hard-corals to fields of deep-water sponge communities. As part of the Scottish
Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Project, for which the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is a
key project partner, work was undertaken to improve our understanding of the deep-water environment
around Scotland, to better ensure the developing MPA network in Scotland’s seas represents the range
of marine habitats, species and geological features.
This research has greatly increased our understanding of the geographic range and ecological variation
of these habitat types in UK waters and resulted in the identification of several different sub-habitats for
both coral gardens and deep-sea sponge aggregations:
Coral gardens
A.
B.
C.
Stage 2 – Do search locations contain multiple features (especially
where functionally linked) that are biologically diverse and not fragmented?
Stage 3 – Is the size of the search location considered appropriate
to maintain the integrity of the key feature(s) present?
smithii dominated at depths of 196-285m.
corals Pliobothrus or Stylaster spp.
D. Black coral garden: characterised by the
antipatharian black coral Stichopathes cf gravieri.
© JNCC
Site selection guidelines were
developed for the Scottish MPA
Project in consultation with key
stakeholders [1]. They draw on
best practice [e.g.2] and set out a
5-stage approach to the selection
of Nature Conservation MPAs.
Stage 1 - Are key features present that are not
adequately protected by existing measures?
B. Shallow cup coral garden: cup coral Caryophyllia
C. Lace coral garden: characterised by the lace
D.
© DBIS
E.
E. Soft-bottom bamboo coral garden: characterised
by the bamboo coral Acanella normani.
F.
F. Gorgonian coral garden: characterised by large
© D Hughes
gorgonians such as Callogorgia verticillata.
A.
B.
A. Boreal ostur sponge aggregation:
Stage 5 – What contribution do the potential areas for MPAs make to the
MPA network in Scotland’s seas (considers replication, representation,
resilience and reflecting known geographic range and ecological variation)
characterised by large structural geodiid
sponges as well as other lobose and
encrusting species.
fields: characterised by dense aggregations of
To support site selection, JNCC and Scottish Natural Heritage developed a Geodatabase of Marine
Features in Scotland (GeMS) to collate existing and additional feature information. It became apparent
that information in the deep-waters around Scotland was lacking; in particular for two relatively poorly
understood habitats considered under threat and in decline across the North-east Atlantic – ‘coral
gardens’ and ‘deep-sea sponge aggregations’. JNCC commissioned work from Herriot-Watt University,
Edinburgh (UK) to ensure MPA planning reflected what is known about the geographic range and
variation of these features and supported network resilience.
the bird’s nest sponge Pheronema carpenteri.
C. Encrusting sponge dominated
aggregation: characterised by low-lying
massive and encrusting fields of yellow, blue,
grey and white sponges.
D. Stalked sponge grounds: Characterised
by the stalked hexactinellid sponge Hyalonema
on muddy sediments.
Defining the habitats
The starting point for this was the OSPAR Case Reports for the habitats [5, 6]. Similarities were found
as far as they may both be defined by 1) the presence of key taxa; 2) the density that those taxa occur
at, including in relative terms to the occurrence of other taxa; and 3) the biological diversity that the
habitat types typically support. A review of the primary literature, scientific cruise reports, and available
databases (GeMS and the ICES database of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems) was undertaken to
identify areas in UK waters where taxa characteristic of the habitats are found.
C.
© SEA/SAC 2007 DBIS
Mounting the evidence-base at depths
© JNCC
B. Glass sponge (Pheronema carpentari)
© National Oceanography Centre, UK
Deep-sea sponge aggregations
D.
© Enterprise Oil & JM Roberts
Stage 4 – Is it considered that the key feature(s) can be
managed effectively as part of a Nature Conservation MPA?
© JNCC
© JNCC
spp. dominated at depths of 1069-1769m.
© JNCC
A systematic approach to MPA network development
A. Deep cup coral garden: cup corals Caryophyllia
MPA network development in Scotland’s seas has considered geographic range and ecological variation
of these threatened and declining habitats and increased replication to help build resilience. Maps of the
sub-habitats and the existing and proposed MPAs intended to protect them are shown below:
The process for verifying suspected habitat records
A step-wise filtering system was applied to assess the degree to which suspected records conformed to
an example of a coral garden or a deep-sea sponge aggregation:
Criteria for habitat identification
Density
Biotope
Use of:
- Raw counts
- SACFOR
- By-catch
Could the habitat
be classed as
something else? SIMPER where
available
Ecological
function
Evidence of
enhanced
biodiversity as a
result of presence
of the habitat
The critical step was the density criterion, as this appeared to be given greatest weighting in the OSPAR
Case Report descriptions for the habitats [5, 6]. Raw counts, the SACFOR scale of abundance and
by-catch weight for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem classification [7] were considered. If a record met the
density criterion, it passed through for assessment against the ‘biotope’ and ‘ecological function’ criteria;
if not, it was not considered further.
The biotope criterion was a test to ensure the habitat could not be classed as anything else based on
an assessment of other taxa present. The Similarities in Percentages (SIMPER) multivariate statistical
routine was used where possible. The ecological function criterion was a test to check whether the
habitat functions as a coral garden or deep-sea sponge aggregation. This was based on whether
information available indicates the record supports a biological community typically known to be
associated with the habitat. Records received a low confidence score if only the density criterion was
met, medium confidence if the density and one other criterion was met, and high confidence if all three
criteria were met.
Acknowledgements
The Scottish MPA Project is led by Marine Scotland (Scottish Government) in partnership with JNCC, Scottish Natural Heritage, Marine Scotland Science and the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency. The work outlined in this poster was undertaken as part of the Scottish MPA Project.
Wider applications
References
1. Marine Scotland (2011). Marine Protected Areas in Scotland’s Seas. Guidelines on the selection of MPAs and development of the MPA network. Available from <http://www.scotland.gov.uk/
Resource/Doc/295194/0114024.pdf>.
2. OSPAR Commission (2006). Guidance on developing an ecologically coherent network of OSPAR marine protected areas. Reference number 2006-3. Available from <http://jncc.defra.gov.
uk/pdf/06-03e_Guidance%20ecol%20coherence%20MPA%20network.pdf
3. Henry, L-A. & Roberts, M (under peer-review.). Developing an interim technical habitat definition of coral gardens and its subsequent application to verify suspected records in UK waters. JNCC Report.
4. Henry, L-A. & Roberts, M (under peer-review.). Verification of suspected records of deep sea sponge aggregations in Scotland’s seas. JNCC Report.
5. OSPAR Commission (2010). Background document for coral gardens. OSPAR commission.
6. OSPAR Commission (2010). Background document for deep-sea sponge aggregations. OSPAR commission.
7. ICES. 2012. Report of the ICES/NAFO joint working group on deep-water ecology (WGDEC). ICES CM 2012/ACOM 29.
The systematic approach to MPA network development used in Scotland has proven useful in identifying
information gaps and research priorities. As OSPAR Threatened and/or Declining features, this exercise
will help towards developing the MPA network across the North-east Atlantic. The data produced as part
of this research may also help towards recommendations for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems closures
led by ICES.