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The pigment content in leaves has commonly been used to characterize vegetation condition. However, few studies have assessed temporal changes of local biotic and abiotic factors on leaf pigments. Here, we evaluated the effect of local environmental variables and tree structural characteristics, in the chlorophyll-a leaf concentration (Chl-a) associated with temporal change in two mangrove species. Rhizophora mangle (R. mangle) and Avicennia germinans (A. germinans) trees of a fringe mangrove forest (FMF) and lower basin mangrove forest (BMF) were visited over a period of one year, to obtain radiometric readings at leaf level to estimate Chl-a. Measurements on tree characteristics included diameter at breast height (DBH), basal area (BA), and maximum height (H). Environmental variables included soil interstitial water temperature (Ti), salinity (Si), and dissolved oxygen (Oi), flood level (fL), ambient temperature (Tamb), and relative humidity (Hrel). Generalized linear models and covariance analysis showed that the variation of Chl-a is mainly influenced by the species, the interaction between species and mangrove forest type, DBH, seasonality and its influence on the species, soil conditions, and fL. Studies to assess spatial and temporal change on mangrove forests using the spectral characteristics of the trees should also consider the temporal variation of leave chlorophyll-a concentration.
Blanca Castellanos-Basto; Jorge Herrera-Silveira; Érick Bataller; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Local Drivers Associated to Temporal Spectral Response of Chlorophyll-a in Mangrove Leaves. Sustainability 2021, 13, 4636 .
AMA StyleBlanca Castellanos-Basto, Jorge Herrera-Silveira, Érick Bataller, Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Local Drivers Associated to Temporal Spectral Response of Chlorophyll-a in Mangrove Leaves. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (9):4636.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBlanca Castellanos-Basto; Jorge Herrera-Silveira; Érick Bataller; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. 2021. "Local Drivers Associated to Temporal Spectral Response of Chlorophyll-a in Mangrove Leaves." Sustainability 13, no. 9: 4636.
The ecosystem services (ESs) approach has been used as a powerful tool for the analysis of socio-ecological systems to investigate the relationship between society and the environment. The aim of this article is to analyze the social perceptions of stakeholders, forms of use (sociocultural and economic), and the conservation of beaches and coastal dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. Interviews were held with focus groups to analyze the forms of use, social perceptions of stakeholders, and the conservation of beaches and coastal dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. The results indicate that these ecosystems are important to different types of activities related to regulating, provisioning, and cultural services. However, degradation is identified as a consequence of contamination and land-use change. The main identified threats are natural phenomena, followed by the presence of garbage, human presence in natural environments, infrastructure construction, and privatization of beaches. The opinions (e.g., conservation, ecosystem services provision, drivers of change), emotions (e.g., joy, fear, sadness), and knowledge of the local community and tourists with respect to these ecosystems were evidenced. In general, there is an absence of conservation and sustainable management projects. However, community perceptions provide an opportunity to outline public conservation strategies in which the community, as a component of these socio-ecosystems, can be fully involved in their implementation.
Gabriela Mendoza-González; Arely Paredes-Chi; Dalia Méndez-Funes; María Giraldo; Edgar Torres-Irineo; Eliana Arancibia; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Perceptions and Social Values Regarding the Ecosystem Services of Beaches and Coastal Dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3592 .
AMA StyleGabriela Mendoza-González, Arely Paredes-Chi, Dalia Méndez-Funes, María Giraldo, Edgar Torres-Irineo, Eliana Arancibia, Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Perceptions and Social Values Regarding the Ecosystem Services of Beaches and Coastal Dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (7):3592.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGabriela Mendoza-González; Arely Paredes-Chi; Dalia Méndez-Funes; María Giraldo; Edgar Torres-Irineo; Eliana Arancibia; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. 2021. "Perceptions and Social Values Regarding the Ecosystem Services of Beaches and Coastal Dunes in Yucatán, Mexico." Sustainability 13, no. 7: 3592.
An effective management tool for the spatial prioritization of the Cozumel Reefs National Park (CRNP), using a systematic approach, is an urgent need for the conservation of one of the most important Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Mexico. In this study, we integrated a model using seascape metrics, the spatio-temporal variation of substrate coverage, and frequency of reef use for SCUBA diving, to systematically identify priority areas for conservation within the CRNP. We identified seven habitat types: sand beds, reef, two habitats of macroalgae beds (high and low cover), and seagrass beds with three different densities, using a supervised classification on a SPOT 7 (2017) satellite image (overall accuracy of 84%, Kappa of 0.79). Matlab and Fragstats were used to calculate seascape metrics (habitat β-diversity, shape complexity and connectivity). A change detection analysis, comparing the SPOT 7 with an Ikonos image, was utilized to estimate seascape change between 2004 and 2017. Interviews with diving operators were also obtained, to calculate the frequency of visits to different reefs within the CRNP. A weighted overlay analysis, integrating the metrics mentioned above, was used to identify priority areas for conservation. We identified five areas, where management strategies need to be strengthened (e.g. limiting the number of visitors). The current subzonation of the protected area does not reflect the conservation priorities identified by our analysis. However, given that the CRNP management plan is in the process of being updated, the obtained results can help the CRNP managers improve the conservation efforts based on a systematic and robust approach, ensuring the design and implementation of cost-effective strategies for the conservation of the MPA.
Angela Karina Ortiz Cajica; Gustavo Hinojosa-Arango; Joaquín Rodrigo Garza-Pérez; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Seascape metrics, spatio-temporal change, and intensity of use for the spatial conservation prioritization of a Caribbean marine protected area. Ocean & Coastal Management 2020, 194, 105265 .
AMA StyleAngela Karina Ortiz Cajica, Gustavo Hinojosa-Arango, Joaquín Rodrigo Garza-Pérez, Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Seascape metrics, spatio-temporal change, and intensity of use for the spatial conservation prioritization of a Caribbean marine protected area. Ocean & Coastal Management. 2020; 194 ():105265.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAngela Karina Ortiz Cajica; Gustavo Hinojosa-Arango; Joaquín Rodrigo Garza-Pérez; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. 2020. "Seascape metrics, spatio-temporal change, and intensity of use for the spatial conservation prioritization of a Caribbean marine protected area." Ocean & Coastal Management 194, no. : 105265.
The characterisation of changes in coral communities depends heavily on systematic monitoring programs and the collection of necessary metrics to assess reef health. Coral cover is the most used metric to determine reef health. The current organizational shift in coral requires the evaluation of complementary metrics, such as colony size and frequency distributions, which help to infer the responses of the coral populations to local stress or larger scale environmental changes. In this study, underwater digital photogrammetry techniques were used to assess the live cover of all coral colonies ≥3 cm2 and determine the size-frequency distribution of the dominant species in the shallow reefs of the Cozumel Reefs National Park (CRNP). In addition, the minimum sampling area (m2) needed to obtain a representative sample of the local species pool was estimated. Areas between 550 and 825 m2 per reef were photographed to generate high-resolution digital ortho-mosaics. The live area of the colonies was digitised to generate community matrices of species and abundance. EstimateS software was used to generate accumulation curves and diversity (Shannon H′) at increasing area intervals. Chi-Square tests (χ2, p = 0.05) were used to compare the observed vs estimated species richness. Spearman’s coefficients (rs), were calculated to correlate the increase in sampling area (m2) vs H′, and the Clench’s function was used to validate the observed richness (R2 = 1 and R > 90%). SIMPER analysis was performed to identify dominant species. Comparisons in terms of abundance, coral cover and size-frequencies were performed with Kruskal-Wallis (H test, p = 0.05), and paired Mann-Whitney (U test, p = 0.05). In order to obtain 90% of the species richness, a minimum sampling area of 374 m2is needed. This sampling area could be used in shallow Caribbean reefs with similar characteristics. Twelve (mainly non-massive) species: Agaricia agaricites, A humilis, A. tenuifolia, Eusmilia fastigiata, Meandrina meandrites, Montastrea cavernosa, Orbicella annularis, Porites astreoides, P. porites, Pseudodiploria strigosa, Siderastrea radians andS. siderea, were dominant in terms of abundance and coral cover. A significant increase (p < 0.05) in the number of colonies and live coral (m2) was observed from north to south of the study area. Furthermore, a wide intraspecific variation of size-frequency, even between adjacent reefs, was also observed. The size-frequency distributions presented positive skewness and negative kurtosis, which are related to stable populations, with a greater number of young colonies and a constant input of recruits. Considering the increase in disturbances in the Caribbean and the appearance of a new coral disease, digital photogrammetry techniques allow coral community characteristics to be assessed at high spatial resolutions and over large scales, which would be complementary to conventional monitoring programs.
Roberto C. Hernández-Landa; Erick Barrera-Falcon; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Size-frequency distribution of coral assemblages in insular shallow reefs of the Mexican Caribbean using underwater photogrammetry. PeerJ 2020, 8, e8957 .
AMA StyleRoberto C. Hernández-Landa, Erick Barrera-Falcon, Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Size-frequency distribution of coral assemblages in insular shallow reefs of the Mexican Caribbean using underwater photogrammetry. PeerJ. 2020; 8 ():e8957.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoberto C. Hernández-Landa; Erick Barrera-Falcon; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. 2020. "Size-frequency distribution of coral assemblages in insular shallow reefs of the Mexican Caribbean using underwater photogrammetry." PeerJ 8, no. : e8957.
Ecological degradation on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) still occur as a result of anthropogenic pressure and environmental variation. Considering that protected areas can be restrictive to human activities, it is essential to assess their effectiveness. In this study, we evaluated the spatial and temporal effects of management on the seascape of the Cozumel Reefs National Park (CRNP) in the Mexican Caribbean. Quantitative estimates of the percentage of coverage of benthic substrates, and the location of coral reefs, were used to construct benthic habitat maps based on the supervised classifications of high resolution satellite images. Using spatially explicit analyses, the variation of seascape metrics for the period 2004–2015, was compared between two adjacent areas (inside and outside the protected area). Habitat β-diversity and connectivity between the Marine Protected Area (MPA) and the adjacent uncontrolled area, suggest that the CRNP is having an effect over time on the coral reef seascape (p < 0.05). These metrics decreased over time, but change was reduced inside the protected area. The shape complexity of patches and benthic habitat coverage also changed over time, but with no relation to the MPA. In general, with the exception of the habitats dominated by sand over rock, sandy beds with minimum or no vegetation, and dominated by macroalgae, patches became less compact. Management in the CRNP limits the physical damage to benthic habitats and the protected area has characteristics that have been recognised as important on effective MPAs. However, our results indicate that the ability of this MPA to counteract change at a seascape scale is limited. Furthermore, funding on MPAs in the country has been consistently reduced over the last decade. Considering the importance of sufficient funding on effectiveness and the necessity to maintain ecological services provided by coral reef systems in the region, this needs to be re-considered.
Carlos Cruz-Vázquez; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto; Cecilia Enriquez. Spatial and temporal effects of management on the reef seascape of a marine protected area in the Mexican Caribbean. Ocean & Coastal Management 2018, 169, 50 -57.
AMA StyleCarlos Cruz-Vázquez, Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto, Cecilia Enriquez. Spatial and temporal effects of management on the reef seascape of a marine protected area in the Mexican Caribbean. Ocean & Coastal Management. 2018; 169 ():50-57.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarlos Cruz-Vázquez; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto; Cecilia Enriquez. 2018. "Spatial and temporal effects of management on the reef seascape of a marine protected area in the Mexican Caribbean." Ocean & Coastal Management 169, no. : 50-57.
Over the last four decades the Mexican Caribbean has experienced intensive coastal development, and change on the reef system condition has already been observed. This paper describes the reef system characteristics, at local and seascape scales, and discusses the current status and trends, considering the main research efforts from academia and Non-Governmental Organizations. To date, the coral cover of most reefs in the region is between 15 and 20%, following a slight recovery on mean coral cover over the last decade. During this same period, fleshy macroalgae and herbivorous fish biomass appear to have increased. At seascape scales, an increase of macroalgae and the loss of seagrass habitat have been observed. Considering that anthropogenic and environmental disturbances will most likely increase, the establishment of newly protected areas in the Mexican Caribbean is appropriate, but sufficient accompanying funding is required.
Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto; Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip. Coral reef systems of the Mexican Caribbean: Status, recent trends and conservation. Marine Pollution Bulletin 2018, 140, 616 -625.
AMA StyleRodolfo Rioja-Nieto, Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip. Coral reef systems of the Mexican Caribbean: Status, recent trends and conservation. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 2018; 140 ():616-625.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRodolfo Rioja-Nieto; Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip. 2018. "Coral reef systems of the Mexican Caribbean: Status, recent trends and conservation." Marine Pollution Bulletin 140, no. : 616-625.
Mangrove forests provide important ecosystem services, but are under constant pressure from natural, anthropogenic, and climate change related disturbances. Environmental drivers on mangrove change at large spatial scales, other than sea level rise, are not well understood. In here, we use spatially explicit methods to identify the main environmental drivers of mangrove coverage change over a decade in the landscape of the North coast of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. A post-supervised classification approach on seven SPOT 5 multispectral satellite images was used to construct thematic maps of mangrove coverage between 2004 and 2014. A linear regression model between the thematic maps was performed to estimate the mangrove coverage change rate per pixel. Climate surfaces for annual maximum, minimum and mean temperature, and annual mean and cumulative precipitation for the region were calculated for the period 1980–2009 using data obtained from the National Meteorological Service. The effect of environmental variables on mangrove coverage change rates was assessed with a boosted generalized additive model (boosted GAM). The lowest and highest overall accuracy obtained for the time series thematic maps were 87.14% (Kappa = 0.78), and 97.5% (Kappa = 0.95), respectively. The most influential environmental variables on mangrove coverage change were annual cumulative precipitation (21%), and annual maximum temperature (9%). Current climate change scenarios for the region predict an increase in temperature and a decrease in precipitation, intensifying environmental stress on this ecosystem. Therefore, adequate management strategies are fundamental to help maintain the mangrove forest under changing environmental conditions.
Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto; Eric Barrera-Falcón; Edgar Torres Irineo; Gabriela Mendoza-González; Angela P. Cuervo-Robayo. Environmental drivers of decadal change of a mangrove forest in the North coast of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. Journal of Coastal Conservation 2016, 21, 167 -175.
AMA StyleRodolfo Rioja-Nieto, Eric Barrera-Falcón, Edgar Torres Irineo, Gabriela Mendoza-González, Angela P. Cuervo-Robayo. Environmental drivers of decadal change of a mangrove forest in the North coast of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. Journal of Coastal Conservation. 2016; 21 (1):167-175.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRodolfo Rioja-Nieto; Eric Barrera-Falcón; Edgar Torres Irineo; Gabriela Mendoza-González; Angela P. Cuervo-Robayo. 2016. "Environmental drivers of decadal change of a mangrove forest in the North coast of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico." Journal of Coastal Conservation 21, no. 1: 167-175.
There is a need to develop indicators of mangrove condition using remotely sensed data. However, remote estimation of leaf and canopy biochemical properties and vegetation condition remains challenging. In this paper, we (i) tested the performance of selected hyperspectral and broad band indices to predict chlorophyll concentration (CC) on mangrove leaves and (ii) showed the potential of Landsat 8 for estimation of mangrove CC at the landscape level. Relative leaf CC and leaf spectral response were measured at 12 Elementary Sampling Units (ESU) distributed along the northwest coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Linear regression models and coefficients of determination were computed to measure the association between CC and spectral response. At leaf level, the narrow band indices with the largest correlation with CC were Vogelmann indices and the MTCI (R2 > 0.5). Indices with spectral bands around the red edge (705–753 nm) were more sensitive to mangrove leaf CC. At the ESU level Landsat 8 NDVI green, which uses the green band in its formulation explained most of the variation in CC (R2> 0.8). Accuracy assessment between estimated CC and observed CC using the leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) method yielded a root mean squared error (RMSE) = 15 mg·cm−2, and R2 = 0.703. CC maps showing the spatiotemporal variation of CC at landscape scale were created using the linear model. Our results indicate that Landsat 8 NDVI green can be employed to estimate CC in large mangrove areas where ground networks cannot be applied, and mapping techniques based on satellite data, are necessary. Furthermore, using upcoming technologies that will include two bands around the red edge such as Sentinel 2 will improve mangrove monitoring at higher spatial and temporal resolutions.
Julio Pastor-Guzman; Peter M. Atkinson; Jadunandan Dash; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Spatiotemporal Variation in Mangrove Chlorophyll Concentration Using Landsat 8. Remote Sensing 2015, 7, 14530 -14558.
AMA StyleJulio Pastor-Guzman, Peter M. Atkinson, Jadunandan Dash, Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. Spatiotemporal Variation in Mangrove Chlorophyll Concentration Using Landsat 8. Remote Sensing. 2015; 7 (11):14530-14558.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJulio Pastor-Guzman; Peter M. Atkinson; Jadunandan Dash; Rodolfo Rioja-Nieto. 2015. "Spatiotemporal Variation in Mangrove Chlorophyll Concentration Using Landsat 8." Remote Sensing 7, no. 11: 14530-14558.