Implications of Sponge Biodiversity Patterns for the Management of a Marine Reserve in Northern Australia.

ABSTRACT: Marine reserves are becoming progressively more important as anthropogenic impacts continue to increase, but we have little baseline information for most marine environments. In this study, we focus on the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in northern Australia, particularly the carbonate banks and terraces of the Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise which have been designated a Key Ecological Feature (KEF). We use a species-level inventory compiled from three marine surveys to the CMR to address several questions relevant to marine management: 1) Are carbonate banks and other raised geomorphic features associated with biodiversity hotspots? 2) Can environmental (depth, substrate hardness, slope) or biogeographic (east vs west) variables help explain local and regional difference

SUBMITTER: Przeslawski R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4659674 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature