Cumulative impact from disturbances drives hard coral loss and <em>Chaetodon butterflyfish</em> decline in Nha Trang Bay Marine Protected Area, Vietnam

Van Long Nguyen; Minh Quang Thai; Xuan Dat Mai; Thao My Nguyen-Le; Xuan Ben Hoang; Manuel Gonzalez -Rivero

doi:10.15625/1859-3097/23221

Author affiliations

Authors

Nguyen Van Long Institute of Oceanography, VAST, Vietnam;Graduate University of Science and Technology, VAST, Vietnam
Thai Minh Quang Institute of Oceanography, VAST, Vietnam;Graduate University of Science and Technology, VAST, Vietnam
Mai Xuan Dat Institute of Oceanography, VAST, Vietnam
Nguyen-Le Thao My Institute of Oceanography, VAST, Vietnam
Hoang Xuan Ben Institute of Oceanography, VAST, Vietnam
Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), PMC 3, Townsville, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/23221

Keywords:

Butterflyfishes, disturbance, coral loss, coral bleaching, COTS

Abstract

Loss of live hard coral cover often drives declines in reef fish abundance, particularly among obligate corallivores such as butterflyfishes (Family Chaetodontidae). In this study, we investigated the variations in hard coral cover and Chaetodon butterflyfish densities within the Nha Trang Bay Marine Protected Area (MPA), Vietnam, spanning nearly two decades (2005–2023). We monitored hard coral cover and butterflyfish densities at 5-year intervals from 2005 to 2015, then increased the monitoring frequency thereafter, and found that live hard coral cover plummeted by 25.8% across the entire study period. This habitat degradation directly mirrored changes in the butterflyfish assemblages. Between 2005 and 2018, both post-recruit (1.1–5.0 individuals/100 m²) and recruit (0.1–1.6 individuals/100 m²) densities remained stable. However, both cohorts suffered sharp declines through 2023. We attribute this collapse to cumulative acute disturbances, including two major typhoons (Damrey in November 2017 and Rai in December 2021), a mass coral bleaching event, and a crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak in 2019. Crucially, we detected no signs of coral or fish recovery following these impacts, even within the strictly protected core zones (NWMU and SWMU) of Mun Island.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] M. Sano, M. Shimizu, and Y. Nose, “Long-term effects of destruction of hermatypic corals by Acanthaster planci infestation on reef fish communities at Iriomote Island, Japan,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 37,

pp. 191–199, 1987. DOI: 10.3354/meps037191.

[2] A. Halford, A. J. Cheal, D. Ryan, and D. M. Williams, “Resilience to large-scale disturbance in coral and fish assemblages on the Great Barrier Reef,” Ecology, vol. 85, no. 7, pp. 1892–1905, 2004. DOI: 10.1890/03-4017.

[3] S. K. Wilson, N. A. J. Graham, and M. S. Pratchett, “Susceptibility of butterflyfish to habitat disturbance: Do ‘chaets’ ever prosper?,” in Biology of Butterflyfishes, M. S. Pratchett, M. L. Berumen, and B. G. Kapoor, Eds. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 2014, pp. 226–245. DOI: 10.1201/b15458-10.

[4] D. R. Bellwood, C. H. R. Goatley, P. F. Cowman, O. Bellwood, and C. Mora, “The evolution of fishes on coral reefs: fossils, phylogenies and functions,” in Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs, C. Mora, Ed. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2015, ch. 6, pp. 55–63. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781316105412.008.

[5] A. Nanami, “Spatial distribution and feeding substrate of butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae) on an Okinawan coral reef,” PeerJ, vol. 8, e9666, 2020. DOI: 10.7717/ peerj.9666.

[6] D. J. Booth and G. A. Beretta, “Changes in a fish assemblage after a coral bleaching event,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 245, pp. 205–212, 2002. DOI: 10.3354/meps245205.

[7] D. A. Feary, G. R. Almany, M. I. McCormick, and G. P. Jones, “Habitat choice, recruitment and the response of coral reef fishes to coral degradation,” Oecologia, vol. 153, no. 3, pp. 727–737, 2007. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-007-0773-4.

[8] G. P. Jones, M. I. McCormick, M. Srinivasan, and J. V. Eagle, “Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 101, no. 21, pp. 8251–8253, 2004. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0401277101.

[9] M. S. Pratchett, “Feeding preferences and dietary specialization among obligate coral-feeding butterflyfishes,” in Biology of Butterflyfishes, M. S. Pratchett, M. L. Berumen, and B. G. Kapoor, Eds. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 2014, pp. 140–179. DOI: 10.1201/ b15458-7.

[10] J. D. Bell and R. Galzin, “Influence of live coral cover on coral-reef fish communities,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 15, pp. 265–274, 1984. DOI: 10.3354/meps015265.

[11] M. S. Pratchett, M. L. Berumen, M. J. Marnane, J. V. Eagle, and D. J. Pratchett, “Habitat associations of juvenile versus adult butterflyfishes,” Coral Reefs, vol. 27, no. 3,

pp. 541–551, 2008. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-008-0357-8.

[12] M. S. Pratchett, S. K. Wilson, and A. H. Baird, “Declines in the abundance of Chaetodon butterflyfishes following extensive coral depletion,” Journal of Fish Biology, vol. 69,

no. 5, pp. 1269–1280, 2006. DOI: 10.1111/ j.1095-8649.2006.01161.x.

[13] S. K. Wilson, M. Depczynski, R. Fisher, T. H. Holmes, R. A. O’Leary, and P. Tinkler, “Habitat associations of juvenile fish at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia: The importance of coral and algae,” PLoS ONE, vol. 5, no. 12, e15185, 2010. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015185.

[14] N. J. Clark and G. R. Russ, “Ontogenetic shifts in the habitat associations of butterflyfishes (F. Chaetodontidae),” Environmental Biology of Fishes, vol. 94, no. 4, pp. 579–590, 2012. DOI: 10.1007/s10641-011-9964-2.

[15] M. S. Pratchett, M. Trapon, M. L. Berumen, and K. Chong-Seng, “Recent disturbances augment community shifts in coral assemblages in Moorea, French Polynesia,” Coral Reefs, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 183–193, 2011. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-010-0678-2.

[16] M. J. Paddack and S. Sponaugle, “Recruitment and habitat selection of newly settled Sparisoma viride to reefs with low coral cover,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 369, pp. 205–212, 2008.

[17] H. Valles, D. L. Kramer, and W. Hunte, “Temporal and spatial patterns in the recruitment of coral-reef fishes in Barbados,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 363, pp. 257–272, 2008.

[18] T. W. Anderson, M. H. Carr, and M. A. Hixon, “Patterns and mechanisms of variable settlement and recruitment of a coral reef damselfish, Chromis cyanea,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 350, pp. 109–116, 2007.

[19] M. S. Webster, “Role of predators in the early post-settlement demography of coral-reef fishes,” Oecologia, vol. 131, no. 1, pp. 52–60, 2002.

[20] M. H. Carr and M. A. Hixon, “Predation effects on early post-settlement survivorship of coral-reef fishes,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 124, pp. 31–42, 1995.

[21] N. Tolimieri, “Contrasting effects of microhabitat use on large-scale adult abundance in two families of Caribbean reef fishes,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 167, pp. 227–239, 1998.

[22] A. J. Fowler, P. J. Doherty, and D. M. Williams, “Multi-scale analysis of recruitment of a coral reef fish on the Great Barrier Reef,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 82, pp. 131–141, 1992.

[23] M. P. Crosby and E. Reese, A Manual for Monitoring Coral Reefs with Indicator Species: Butterflyfishes as Indicators of Changes on Indo-Pacific Reefs. Silver Spring, MD, USA: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 1996.

[24] M. Kulbicki and Y.-M. Bozec, “The use of butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae) species richness as a proxy of total species richness of reef fish assemblages in the Western and Central Pacific,” Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, vol. 15, no. S1, pp. S127–S141, 2005.

[25] S. K. Wilson, N. A. J. Graham, M. S. Pratchett, G. P. Jones, and N. V. C. Polunin, “Multiple disturbances and the global degradation of coral reefs: Are reef fishes at risk or resilient?,” Global Change Biology, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 2220–2234, 2006.

[26] M. J. Emslie, M. S. Pratchett, and A. J. Cheal, “Effects of different disturbance types on butterflyfish communities of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,” Coral Reefs, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 461–471, 2011.

[27] M. J. Caley, M. H. Carr, M. A. Hixon, T. P. Hughes, G. P. Jones, and B. A. Menge, “Recruitment and the local dynamics of open marine populations,” Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 477–500, 1996.

[28] R. J. Schmitt and S. J. Holbrook, “Mortality of juvenile damselfish: Implications for assessing processes that determine abundance,” Ecology, vol. 80, no. 1, pp. 35–50, 1999.

[29] K. A. Rose, J. H. Cowan Jr., K. O. Winemiller, R. A. Myers, and R. Hilborn, “Compensatory density dependence in fish populations: Importance, controversy, understanding and prognosis,” Fish and Fisheries, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 293–327, 2001.

[30] S. T. Vo, H. Y. Nguyen, and V. L. Nguyen, Coral Reefs of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Science and Technics Publishing House, 2005, 115 p. [in Vietnamese].

[31] S. T. Vo and V. L. Nguyen, Ecology and Resources of Coral Reefs in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: Publishing House for Science and Technology, 2022, 250 p. [in Vietnamese].

[32] V. L. Nguyen and S. T. Vo, “Degradation trend of coral reefs in the coastal waters of Vietnam,” Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies, vol. 15, suppl., pp. 79–83, 2013.

[33] S. T. Vo, “Biodiversity dynamics of coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay and management measures,” in Proceedings of the 5th National Symposium on Science and Technology, Mini-Symposium on Marine Biology and Resources, pp. 29–39, 2011. [in Vietnamese].

[34] X. B. Hoang, T. T. Hua, K. H. Phan, V. L. Nguyen, and S. T. Vo, “The status, trend and recovery of coral reef biodiversity in Nha Trang Bay,” Collection of Marine Research Works, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 176–187, 2015. [in Vietnamese].

[35] K. S. Tkachenko, N. H. Huan, N. H. Thanh, and T. A. Britayev, “Extensive coral reef decline in Nha Trang Bay, Vietnam: Acanthaster planci outbreak: The final event in a sequence of chronic disturbances,” Marine and Freshwater Research, vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 186–199, 2020.

[36] P. K. Hoang, V. S. Tuan, T. M. Quang, D. T. Hoc, and H. T. Tuyen, “Bleaching of coral in Nha Trang, Ninh Thuan, Con Dao and Phu Quoc Islands in June–July 2019,” Vietnam Journal of Marine Science and Technology, vol. 20, no. 4A, pp. 55–60, 2020.

[37] G. Hodgson, J. Hill, W. Kiene, L. Maun, J. Mihaly, J. Liebeler, C. Shuman, and R. Torres, Reef Check Instruction Manual: A Guide to Reef Check Coral Reef Monitoring. Pacific Palisades, CA, USA: Reef Check Foundation, 2006.

[38] T. McClanahan, M. McField, M. Huitric, K. Bergman, E. Sala, M. Nyström, I. Nordemar, T. Elfwing, and N. Muthiga, “Responses of algae, corals and fish to the reduction of macroalgae in fished and unfished patch reefs of Glovers Reef Atoll, Belize,” Coral Reefs, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 367–379, 2001.

[39] A. M. Friedlander, E. K. Brown, P. L. Jokiel, W. R. Smith, and K. S. Rodgers, “Effects of habitat, wave exposure, and marine protected area status on coral reef fish assemblages in the Hawaiian Archipelago,” Coral Reefs, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 291–305, 2003.

[40] A. R. Lewis, “Recruitment and post-recruit immigration affect the local population size of coral reef fishes,” Coral Reefs, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 139–149, 1997.

[41] Z. A. Zekeria and J. J. Videler, “Temporal and spatial recruitment patterns in Chaetodontids and Pomacanthids in the southern Red Sea,” in Butterflyfishes of the Southern Red Sea: Ecology and Population Dynamics, pp. 65–79, 2003.

[42] K. C. Garpe and M. C. Öhman, “Coral and fish distribution patterns in Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania: Fish–habitat interactions,” Hydrobiologia, vol. 498, no. 1, pp. 191–211, 2003.

[43] R Core Team, R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.R-project.org

[44] G. Hodgson and J. Liebeler, The Global Coral Reef Crisis: Trends and Solutions. Reef Check, 2002.

[45] C. Birkeland and J. Lucas, Acanthaster planci: Major Management Problem of Coral Reefs. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 1990.

[46] R. H. Chesher, “Destruction of Pacific corals by the sea star Acanthaster planci,” Science, vol. 165, no. 3890, pp. 280–283, 1969.

[47] M. S. Pratchett, T. J. Schenk, M. Baine, C. Syms, and A. H. Baird, “Selective coral mortality associated with outbreaks of Acanthaster planci L. in Bootless Bay, Papua New Guinea,” Marine Environmental Research, vol. 67, no. 4–5, pp. 230–236, 2009.

[48] M. S. Pratchett, M. L. Berumen, M. J. Marnane, J. V. Eagle, and D. J. Pratchett, “Habitat associations of juvenile versus adult butterflyfishes,” Coral Reefs, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 541–551, 2008.

[49] C. Floros and M. H. Schleyer, “The functional importance of Acropora austera as nursery areas for juvenile reef fish on South African coral reefs,” Coral Reefs, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 139–149, 2017.

[50] B. C. Victor, “Recruitment and population dynamics of a coral reef fish,” Science,

vol. 219, no. 4583, pp. 419–420, 1983.

[51] G. P. Jones, M. J. Milicich, M. J. Emslie, and C. Lunow, “Self-recruitment in a coral reef fish population,” Nature, vol. 402, no. 6763, pp. 802–804, 1999.

[52] S. E. Swearer, J. E. Caselle, D. W. Lea, and R. R. Warner, “Larval retention and recruitment in an island population of a coral-reef fish,” Nature, vol. 402, no. 6763, pp. 799–802, 1999.

[53] D. Lecchini, S. Planes, and R. Galzin, “The influence of habitat characteristics and conspecifics on attraction and survival of coral reef fish juveniles,” Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 341, no. 1, pp. 85–90, 2007.

[54] D. M. Ceccarelli, R. D. Evans, M. Logan, G. P. Jones, M. Puotinen, C. Petus, G. R. Russ, M. Srinivasan, and D. H. Williamson, “Physical, biological and anthropogenic drivers of spatial patterns of coral reef fish assemblages at regional and local scales,” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 904, 166695, 2023.

[55] G. R. Russ and S. M. Leahy, “Rapid decline and decadal-scale recovery of corals and Chaetodon butterflyfish on Philippine coral reefs,” Marine Biology, vol. 164, no. 1, 29, 2017.