Open AccessWidespread diversity deficits of coral reef sharks and rays
Author(s) -
Colin A. Simpfendorfer,
Michael R. Heithaus,
Michelle R. Heupel,
M. Aaron MacNeil,
Mark G. Meekan,
Euan S. Harvey,
C. Samantha Sherman,
Leanne M. CurreyRandall,
Jordan S. Goetze,
Jérémy J. Kiszka,
Matthew J. Rees,
Conrad W. Speed,
Vinay Udyawer,
Mark E. Bond,
Kathryn I. Flowers,
Gina M. Clementi,
Jasmine Valentin-Albanese,
M. Shiham Adam,
Khadeeja Ali,
Jacob Asher,
Eva Aylagas,
Océane Beaufort,
Cecilie Benjamin,
Anthony T.F. Bernard,
Michael L. Berumen,
Stacy L. Bierwagen,
Chico Birrell,
Erika Bonnema,
Rosalind M. K. Bown,
Edward J. Brooks,
Judith Brown,
Dayne Buddo,
Patrick J. Burke,
Camila Cáceres,
Marta Cambra,
Diego Cardeñosa,
Jeffrey C. Carrier,
Sara Casareto,
Jennifer E. Caselle,
Venkatesh Charloo,
Joshua E. Cinner,
Thomas Claverie,
Éric Clua,
Jesse E. M. Cochran,
Neil D. Cook,
Jessica E. Cramp,
Brooke M. D’Alberto,
Martin de Graaf,
Mareike Dornhege,
Mario Espinoza,
Andy Estep,
Lanya Fanovich,
Naomi F. Farabaugh,
Daniel Fernando,
Carlos E. L. Ferreira,
Candace Y. A. Fields,
Anna L. Flam,
Camilla Floros,
Virginia Fourqurean,
Laura Gajdzik,
Laura García Barcia,
Ricardo Clapis Garla,
Kirk Gastrich,
Lachlan George,
Tommaso Giarrizzo,
Rory Graham,
Tristan L. Guttridge,
Valerie Hagan,
Royale S. Hardenstine,
Stephen M. Heck,
Aaron C. Henderson,
Patricia Heithaus,
Heidi Hertler,
Mauricio HoyosPadilla,
Robert E. Hueter,
Rima W. Jabado,
JeanChristophe Joyeux,
Vanessa Jaiteh,
Mohini Johnson,
Stacy D. Jupiter,
Muslimin Kaimuddin,
Devanshi Kasana,
Megan Kelley,
Steven T. Kessel,
Benedict Kiilu,
Taratau Kirata,
Baraka Kuguru,
Fabian Kyne,
Tim Langlois,
Frida Lara-Lizardi,
Jaedon Lawe,
Elodie J. I. Lédée,
Steven J. Lindfield,
Andrea LunaAcosta,
JQ Maggs,
B. Mabel ManjajiMatsumoto,
Andrea D. Marshall,
L. D. Martin,
Daniel MateosMolina,
Philip Matich,
Erin McCombs,
Ashlie J. McIvor,
Dianne McLean,
Llewelyn Meggs,
S. Moore,
Sushmita Mukherji,
Ryan Murray,
Stephen J. Newman,
Josep Nogués,
Clay Obota,
Domingo Ochavillo,
Owen R. O’Shea,
Kennedy Osuka,
Yannis P. Papastamatiou,
Nishan Perera,
Bradley J. Peterson,
Caio Ribeiro Pimentel,
Fabián Pina-Amargós,
Hudson T. Pinheiro,
Alessandro Ponzo,
Andhika Prima Prasetyo,
L. M. Sjamsul Quamar,
Jessica Quinlan,
José Amorim ReisFilho,
Héctor Ruiz,
Alexei RuizAbierno,
Enric Sala,
Pelayo Salinas de-León,
Melita Samoilys,
William R. Sample,
Michelle SchärerUmpierre,
Audrey Schlaff,
Kurt Schmid,
Sara N. Schoen,
Nikola Simpson,
Adam N. H. Smith,
Julia L. Y. Spaet,
Lauren Sparks,
Twan Stoffers,
Akshay Tanna,
Rubén Torres,
Michael J. Travers,
Maurits P. M. van Zinnicq Bergmann,
Laurent Vigliola,
Juney Ward,
Joseph D. Warren,
Alexandra M. Watts,
Colin Kuo-Chang Wen,
Elizabeth Whitman,
Aaron J. Wirsing,
Aljoscha Wothke,
Esteban Zarza-González,
Demian D. Chapman
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 12.556
H-Index - 1186
eISSN - 1095-9203
pISSN - 0036-8075
DOI - 10.1126/science.ade4884
Subject(s) - reef , coral reef , overfishing , fishery , environmental issues with coral reefs , marine reserve , marine protected area , coral reef protection , ecology , geography , aquaculture of coral , biology , fishing , habitat
A global survey of coral reefs reveals that overfishing is driving resident shark species toward extinction, causing diversity deficits in reef elasmobranch (shark and ray) assemblages. Our species-level analysis revealed global declines of 60 to 73% for five common resident reef shark species and that individual shark species were not detected at 34 to 47% of surveyed reefs. As reefs become more shark-depleted, rays begin to dominate assemblages. Shark-dominated assemblages persist in wealthy nations with strong governance and in highly protected areas, whereas poverty, weak governance, and a lack of shark management are associated with depauperate assemblages mainly composed of rays. Without action to address these diversity deficits, loss of ecological function and ecosystem services will increasingly affect human communities.
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