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International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems 2015

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International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems 2015 BECoME 2015 International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems 2015 PROGRAMME & ABSTRACT 1-4 June 2015 The University of Hong Kong Organizers: Sponsor: About BECoME2015 International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems 2015 (BECoME 2015) 1-4 June 2015 Hong Kong Programme and Abstracts Principal sponsors: Environment and Conservation Fund, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China The Croucher Foundation, Hong Kong Sponsors: The Swire Group Charitable Trust, Hong Kong Ocean Park Conservation Fund, Hong Kong Ecosystems Limited Garland Science, Taylor & Francis Group The Marine Biological Association of Hong Kong Organizers: School of Biological Sciences and The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong Contents CONTENTS Preface ......................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ v Organizing Committee .......................................................................................................... vi Invited Keynote Speakers .................................................................................................... vii Points to Note for Oral & Poster Presentations ................................................................. ix Programme ................................................................................................................................ 1 Opening Ceremony ................................................................................................................. 5 Schedule of Keynote Lectures ................................................................................................ 6 Schedule of Invited Lectures & Oral Presentations .......................................................... 10 Schedule of Breakout Groups ............................................................................................... 29 Abstracts of Keynote & Invited Lectures ............................................................................ 33 Abstracts of Oral Presentations ............................................................................................ 57 Abstracts of Breakout Groups ............................................................................................ 139 Schedule of Poster Presentations ....................................................................................... 152 Abstracts of Poster Presentations ...................................................................................... 167 Schedule of Technical Workshop on Advanced Food Web and Trophodynamic Studies ................................................................................................................................... 256 Workshop Abstract .............................................................................................................. 258 List of Participants ............................................................................................................... 264 General Information ............................................................................................................ 288 Preface PREFACE A Message from the Organizing Committee of the International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems (BECoME 2015) 1-4 June 2015 On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I would like to welcome and thank you for joining the first International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems (BECoME 2015), held at The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. I am very pleased to report that this conference has attracted over 280 participants from 26 countries and has received over 200 abstracts, with 13 keynote lectures, 10 invited lectures, 94 regular oral presentations (i.e., 117 talks in total) and 88 poster presentations. Given the unique geology and hydrography of Hong Kong’s marine environment, with its combined influences of freshwater and sediment input from the Pearl River and oceanic currents of the South China Sea, Hong Kong boasts a great diversity of marine habitats ranging from mudflats and mangroves, to sandy bays and rocky reefs. These diverse habitats, in turn, support a rich marine biodiversity, comprising over 6,000 identified species from more than 34 phyla. More species remain to be identified, and the biology and ecology of many of the identified marine species remains largely unknown, while some are protected, endemic or rare species meriting conservation status. Despite Hong Kong’s fairly long coastline, its territorial sea area is relatively small (1,650 km2) and, as such, is heavily utilized for a variety of, often conflicting, services; such as ship navigation routes, ports/marinas/piers, provision of seawater for cooling and toilet flushing, disposal of partially treated wastewater discharge and contaminated surface runoff, fishing grounds and recreational uses (e.g. swimming and diving). These anthropogenic needs most strongly conflict with the need to conserve local marine biodiversity, in terms of species but importantly local habitats including the need to increase Hong Kong’s marine protected areas (MPAs) and, notably, conserve the habitat of the Chinese white dolphin. With the ever- increasing local human population, and demands for land to build housing and associated infrastructure (e.g. bridges and causeways, cargo ports, the third runway for the airport etc.), reclamation is frequently proposed as a convenient option to meet these needs. There is much debate, for example, about whether we should sacrifice ~ 650 hectares of natural marine habitat and convert it into the third runway for our airport so as to bring economic benefits; whether we should convert the natural shore at Lung Mei, Tai Po into an artificial beach as a means to promote i Preface tourism and develop the local economy; and whether the area around the Hoi Hai Wan Marine Park should be developed as a residential zone. These conflicts between coastal development and marine conservation are not unique to Hong Kong, but also commonly occur in most coastal cities around the world. It is, therefore, possible for us to share and learn with other countries or regions about how we can conserve marine biodiversity while balancing development and conservation. To achieve this target, requires wide-scale collaboration, both globally but also within home-states. In order to build such capacity in marine ecology and biodiversity conservation in Hong Kong, a team of over 25 marine scientists conjointly established the Joint University Consortium for Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems (i.e., BECoME) in January 2013. Members of BECoME have already played important roles in their contribution to Hong Kong’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP) as part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HK SAR) Government’s response to the international Convention on Biological Diversity, and have combined forces to tackle important conservation issues in Hong Kong. The BECoME team has recently been awarded a HK$4.3 million grant to study the marine biodiversity and ecology of Tolo Harbour and Channel. Through this project, the team will not only establish a comprehensive species database of the area, but also develop guiding principles and standards for future ecological surveys in different coastal habitats to ensure the quality of marine ecological surveys as stipulated by the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance. To address the overfishing problem in Hong Kong, our Government has implemented a territory-wide trawling ban since 31 December 2012, and is considering the establishment of more MPAs. These proposed MPAs include the marine parks at Brothers Islands and southwest regions of Lantau Island, and the fisheries protection areas at Port Shelter and Tolo Harbour. Given the implementation of Hong Kong’s BSAP and these new conservation measures initiated by our Government, this BECoME 2015 Conference is very timely, and highly relevant to Hong Kong, the South China region, and indeed globally. There are five main objectives of this conference, namely: • To provide a platform for knowledge transfer and idea exchange; • To foster international collaborations in research and education among participants from academia, government and business; • To identify knowledge gaps and prioritize research areas; • To train young scientists and environmental practitioners; and • To solicit experts’ advice and share their experience on some of the pressing practical issues relevant to marine biodiversity conservation and fisheries management in Hong Kong. With the generous financial support from the Environment and Conservation Fund of the HK SAR Government and from The Croucher Foundation, we have been able to invite 22 marine scientists from overseas and Mainland China to attend the BECoME 2015 Conference where they will share their knowledge, experience and the latest developments in their respective fields with participants from academia, ii Preface government, and the private sector. The range of topics to be covered is very wide including global marine fisheries; ecological impacts of fishing; marine biodiversity in China and the Western Pacific; open ocean ecosystems; hydrothermal vents; connectivity between
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