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Can Juvenile Corals Be Surveyed Effectively Using Digital Photography?: Implications for Rapid Assessment Techniques

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Can Juvenile Corals Be Surveyed Effectively Using Digital Photography?: Implications for Rapid Assessment Techniques Environ Monit Assess DOI 10.1007/s10661-009-1282-1 Can juvenile corals be surveyed effectively using digital photography?: implications for rapid assessment techniques Scott C. Burgess Kate Osborne · · Bianca Sfiligoj Hugh Sweatman · Received: 1 April 2009 / Accepted: 3 December 2009 ©SpringerScience+BusinessMediaB.V.2009 Abstract The widespread decline of coral reefs Barrier Reef. On average, estimates of juvenile requires integrated management measures across densities from photographic images were lower, whole regions. Knowledge of demographic in both absolute and relative terms, than that processes of reef organisms is important for estimated from images. This was the case whether informed management, yet current techniques colonies <20 mm or <50 mm in diameter were for assessing such processes are time consuming, considered. Overall differences between methods making it impractical to gather relevant informa- were generally greater at reefs where recruitment tion over large scales. We tested the usefulness was higher, though proportional differences of digital still photography as a rapid assessment (density from images/density from direct visual technique to estimate coral recruitment—an im- census) still varied among reefs. Although the portant process in coral reef recovery. Estimates ranking of taxa, in terms of their densities, from of the density and diversity of juvenile hard corals the two methods were similar, the density of from digital images were compared with direct common genera was generally underestimated in visual estimates from the same plots made in the images, and the occurrence of ‘unknown’ taxa was field. Multiple plots were sampled on four reefs higher. We conclude that photographic images do from a range of locations on Australia’s Great not constitute a reliable rapid assessment method for estimating the spatial patterns in the density or diversity of juvenile hard corals. S. C. Burgess K. Osborne H. Sweatman Keywords Coral recruitment Digital · · · Australian Institute of Marine Science, photography Method comparison Monitoring PMB No.3, Townsville MC, Townsville, · · methods Rapid assessment methods Queensland 4810, Australia · B. Sfiligoj Life & Environmental Sciences, Introduction Deakin University, Princes Highway, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280, Australia The increasing pressure on coral reef health Present Address: worldwide calls for the management of coral reefs S. C. Burgess (B) across large spatial scales (Nyström et al. 2000; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia Wilkinson 2004;Sweatmanetal.2008). Monitor- e-mail: [email protected] ing data on the status and trends of hard corals Environ Monit Assess across large scales provides managers with a con- observers to provide estimates of observer error, text for assessing human impacts and a basis upon and (4) the images can potentially be analyzed by which to make decisions. Monitoring should not automated expert systems. only involve the assessment of the abundance and In principle, digital photography could be used distribution of the standing stock (mainly adult to estimate densities of juvenile corals, which colonies) but should also look into the underly- would increase understanding of spatial and tem- ing mechanisms of change. Recruitment (which poral variation in coral population dynamics represents the net result of larval supply, settle- across large reef systems. For digital photogra- ment, and early post-settlement mortality) is well phy to be useful, however, the accuracy and pre- recognised as a key demographic process influ- cision of estimates of juvenile density need to encing population decline and recovery in coral be compared with the best estimate of densities, reef ecosystems (Bak and Engel 1979;Harrison which currently come from detailed visual census and Wallace 1990;Caleyetal.1996;Connelletal. in the field, though both methods will be subject 1997;HughesandTanner2000;Milleretal.2000). to measurement error. Image quality and the two- Monitoring hard coral recruitment should there- dimensional planar view of digital images are two fore increase the ability to detect, understand, and factors that could potentially limit the utility of predict patterns of change on coral reefs. digital photography for reliably estimating density Estimating recruitment across large spatial and taxonomic composition. The aim of this study scales from the densities of juvenile hard corals was to investigate whether images taken with stan- should be a high priority in monitoring stud- dard, commercially available digital still cameras ies (Pearson 1981;Wells1995). However, tradi- provided estimates of density and taxonomic com- tional methods for measuring juvenile densities position of juvenile corals that were comparable in the field are time consuming, which makes to estimates obtained from visual census in the them impractical in monitoring programs de- field. signed to assess status and trends over large spatial and temporal scales (Edmunds 2000;Ruiz- Zárate and Arias-González 2004;Glassomand Methods Chadwick 2006). Coral reef researchers and mon- itoring programs require a standardised, rapid as- Juvenile densities of hard corals were esti- sessment method in the field, where any potential mated by counting the number of colonies in loss in precision is outweighed by the benefits of a34 34 cm (0.12 m2) quadrat with a scale × sampling a greater area. Many reef monitoring bar attached. Coral colonies less than 50 mm programs already use video and still photography diameter are generally categorized as juveniles to survey benthic adult populations and commu- (Chiappone and Sullivan 1996;Edmundsetal. nities on coral reefs (Done 1981; Abdo et al. 1998;Milleretal.2000)butsizedefinitionsvary 2003; Lirman et al. 2007)inordertomakerapid among studies, geographic locations, and coral surveys over large scales. The potential exists to taxa (e.g., Miller et al. 2000;Ruiz-Zárateand collect recruitment data in such surveys using Arias-González 2004). Two size classes of juve- similar photographic techniques, but this remains niles (<20 and 20–50 mm) were distinguished for untested. Modern digital cameras are cheap and this reason, which also meant that the effects of can produce high-quality images that can resolve colony size on detectability could also be assessed. objects the size of juvenile corals. Images can Small coral fragments <50 mm resulting from also be checked immediately to see that they are partial mortality of larger colonies were excluded. satisfactory (Edmunds et al. 1998). The poten- All juveniles within the quadrat were counted and tial advantages of digital photographic techniques identified to the highest possible taxonomic level, over visual census for surveying juvenile corals in which was usually genus. The genera Favia and the field include (1) reduced field time, (2) images Favites were grouped as “Faviids” for analyses can be collected by divers with no taxonomic ex- because juveniles of these genera could not be pertise, (3) images can be re-sampled by multiple distinguished reliably. Juveniles that could not be Environ Monit Assess classified into a genus or family with confidence nile were called “unknown.” Data were collected in back-reef habitats at four reefs representing outer-shelf (Cod Hole, ,7495%CI) Turner Reef), mid-shelf (Lizard Island), and in- shore habitats (Keppel Island). Between 7 and 33 quadrats were sampled at each reef (Table 1). Quadrats were placed haphazardly on the sub- strate and then searched thoroughly for juvenile corals. Photographs of the quadrat were then taken using an 8.0 megapixel Canon Powershot (unknown genera) S80, except at the Cod Hole site, where a 5.0 megapixel Canon Powershot A95 had to be used. In both cases, the maximum number of pixels (“Large” image setting) and medium JPEG com- pression (“Fine” setting) was used with no flash. These settings were chosen to maximize image quality and number of images that could be stored on the memory card. Programmed aper- ture, shutter speed, and ISO settings were used for model details) with the manufacturer’s “underwater” white bal- 2 20 mm) Juveniles (20–50 mm) Juveniles No. of genera ance, which compensates for the attenuation of > red wavelengths with water depth. The estimate of juvenile density obtained from each quadrat by a single observer in the field was compared with the average estimate obtained by careful scrutiny of the image of that quadrat by two observers in the laboratory. Two observers separately scrutinized each image to give independent estimates of the number of juveniles in order to assess observer bias. No observer surveyed the same quadrat with both methods. All observers were cross-calibrated to each other prior to data collection using images from a pilot study. To assess whether substrate 67) complexity accounted for any difference between = the two methods, the substrate in each image was ! ( rated from 1 (flat) to 10 (complex with many holes and crevices). Estimates of juvenile corals from different observers or methods (photo vs field), were com- pared using generalized linear mixed models us- ing a Poisson error distribution and a log link function. These models deal with the properties of count data well, namely that variances tend to increase with the mean, the response variable is bounded (>0), and errors are not normally dis- Characteristics and sampling of the four survey reefs and the ratio (95% confidence intervals in brackets) of the difference between estimates
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