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To View Asset Seagrass and Reef Program for Port Phillip Bay: Temperate Reefs Literature Review Neil Hutchinson, Taylor Hunt and Liz Morris May 2010 Fisheries Victoria Department of Primary Industries If you would like to receive this Author Contact Details: Neil Hutchinson information/publication in an Fisheries Research Branch, Fisheries Victoria accessible format (such as large PO Box 114, Queenscliff Victoria 3225 print or audio) please call the Authorised by the Victorian Government, Customer Service Centre on: 2a Bellarine Hwy, Queenscliff, Victoria 3225 136 186, TTY: 1800 122 969, Printed by DPI Queenscliff, Victoria or email Published by the Department of Primary [email protected] Industries. Copyright © The State of Victoria, Department Copies are available from the website: of Primary Industries, 2010. www.dpi.vic.gov.au/fishing This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance General disclaimer with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. This publication may be of assistance to you but Preferred way to cite: the State of Victoria and its employees do not Hutchinson, N., Hunt, T., and Morris, L. (2010). guarantee that the publication is without flaw of Seagrass and Reef Program for Port Phillip Bay: any kind or is wholly appropriate for your Temperate Reefs Literature Review. Fisheries particular purposes and therefore disclaims all Victoria Technical Report No. 11, 61 pages. liability for any error, loss or other consequence Department of Primary Industries, Queenscliff, which may arise from you relying on any Victoria, Australia. information in this publication. ISSN 1835‐4785 ISBN 978‐1‐74264‐141‐6 (print) Risk Assessment of Pesticides for Yabby Farmers ii Executive Summary The purpose of this document is to review the The amount of research and level of existing scientific understanding, in an understanding has been greatest for intertidal international context, of the temperate reef reefs, is lower for subtidal reefs, and is very habitats in Victoria, particularly in Port Phillip limited for deep and canyon reefs. This is Bay. A variety of research has been conducted on probably a reflection of ease of accessibility and intertidal, subtidal, deep subtidal and canyon logistical constraints. reefs in Victoria both within Port Phillip Bay and Research on subtidal reefs in Port Phillip Bay has along the Victorian coast. been fragmentary, and there is a poor While some clear differences in species understanding of the drivers influencing the reef distributions and assemblage structure have been communities and how these differ from the open identified from eastern to western Victoria, the coast. Further research on the physiological and majority of information on reefs in Victoria ecological drivers affecting subtidal reefs in Port provides only a “snapshot” at one particular Phillip Bay is required. place or time of year. Examination of temporal Of special interest are the deep reef and canyon and spatial variation in the structure of habitats of Port Phillip Heads. This area has a assemblages on different reef types, and more unique combination of deep water, strong basic information on which species occur and currents, and coastal sedimentary processes. The their basic ecology and behaviour are lacking, sessile invertebrate communities are well especially for deep and canyon reefs. developed but their uniqueness is uncertain. More information is required to enable us to Detailed studies of taxonomy and assemblage understand what is shaping many of Victoria’s structure are required along with research into reef communities. There is a need to conduct the physical and ecological processes affecting research that examines Victoria’s marine the system. ecosystems in a broader geographical context across southern Australia, and also in the context of coastal oceanography. Temperate reefs literature review iii Table of Contents Executive Summary............................................................................................. iii Introduction............................................................................................................ 1 Temperate reefs ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Key reef types in Victoria ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1. Intertidal.......................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Subtidal............................................................................................................................................................ 1 3. Deep: ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 4. Canyon:............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Biogeographic patterns across Victoria............................................................. 2 Oceanographic and productivity context of Victorian reefs......................... 5 Central Victoria ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Western Victoria........................................................................................................................................................ 5 Eastern Victoria ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Upwelling................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Current monitoring ............................................................................................... 7 Monitoring ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Marine Habitat Classification................................................................................................................................. 7 Ecosystem services ................................................................................................ 8 Physical habitats and biological communities................................................ 9 Intertidal reefs ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 Subtidal reefs........................................................................................................................................................... 11 Exposed subtidal reefs......................................................................................................................................... 11 Sheltered subtidal reefs ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Deep reefs................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Invertebrates ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 Fish ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Canyon reefs ............................................................................................................................................................ 17 Port Phillip Heads................................................................................................................................................ 17 Other canyons....................................................................................................................................................... 17 Temperate reefs literature review iv Ecological and physical environmental drivers ............................................ 19 Intertidal reefs..........................................................................................................................................................19 Top‐down / disturbance processes.....................................................................................................................20 Bottom‐up / supply side processes.....................................................................................................................22 Competition...........................................................................................................................................................24 Subtidal reef .............................................................................................................................................................25 Physical drivers.....................................................................................................................................................25 Ecological drivers..................................................................................................................................................27
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