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Proc Biol Sci

Title:		"After 15 years, no evidence for trophic cascades in marine protected areas"
Author(s):		Malakhoff KD; Miller RJ;
Address:		"Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010, USA"
Journal Title:		Proc Biol Sci
Year:		2021
Volume:		20210217
Issue:		1945
Page Number:		20203061 -
DOI:		10.1098/rspb.2020.3061
ISSN/ISBN:		1471-2954 (Electronic) 0962-8452 (Print) 0962-8452 (Linking)
Abstract:		"In marine ecosystems, fishing often targets predators, which can drive direct and indirect effects on entire food webs. Marine reserves can induce trophic cascades by increasing predator density and body size, thereby increasing predation pressure on populations of herbivores, such as sea urchins. In California's northern Channel Islands, two species of sea urchins are abundant: the red urchin Mesocentrotus franciscanus, which is targeted by an economically valuable fishery, and the virtually unfished purple urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. We hypothesized that urchin populations inside marine reserves would be depressed by higher predation, but that red urchins would be less affected due to fishing outside reserves. Instead, our analyses revealed that purple urchin populations were unaffected by reserves, and red urchin biomass significantly increased in response to protection. Therefore, urchin biomass overall has increased inside reserves, and we found no evidence that giant kelp is positively affected by reserves. Our results reveal the overwhelming direct effect of protecting fished species in marine reserves over indirect effects that are often predicted but seldom clearly documented. Indirect effects due to marine reserves may eventually occur in some cases, but very effective predators, large reserves or extended time periods may be needed to induce them"
Keywords:		Animals *Ecosystem Fisheries *Food Chain Predatory Behavior Sea Urchins kelp forest marine reserve sea urchin trophic cascade;
Notes:		"MedlineMalakhoff, Katrina D Miller, Robert J eng Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. England 2021/02/18 Proc Biol Sci. 2021 Feb 24; 288(1945):20203061. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.3061. Epub 2021 Feb 17"