Journal article
Seahorse Hotels: Use of artificial habitats to support populations of the endangered White's seahorse Hippocampus whitei
Marine environmental research, Vol.157, 104861
05/2020
PMID: 32275502
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Abstract
The provision of temporary, specially designed artificial habitat may help support populations of the Endangered Whites' seahorse Hippocampus whitei in the face of rapid coastal urbanisation and declining natural habitats. Three designs of artificial habitat (Seahorse Hotels) were installed in Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia, where natural habitats had significantly declined. Mark recapture surveys were used to assess seahorse site fidelity and population parameters, and the effect of Seahorse Hotel design on seahorse abundance, epibiotic growth and mobile epifaunal seahorse prey was determined. The Seahorse Hotels sustained a substantial population of seahorses (64; 57-72 95% confidence intervals) in comparison to recent local population estimates. There were no significant differences in seahorse abundance, mobile epifauna or epibiotic growth among the three different hotel designs. This research demonstrated that H. whitei will inhabit Seahorse Hotels in absence of natural habitat, and additional complexity in these artificial structures was not necessary to support seahorse populations. Temporary structures such as Seahorse Hotels will be a valuable tool in supporting H. whitei and other Syngnathid populations through infrastructure maintenance or habitat modification.
Details
- Title
- Seahorse Hotels: Use of artificial habitats to support populations of the endangered White's seahorse Hippocampus whitei
- Creators
- Michael Simpson - University of SydneyRoss A. Coleman - University of SydneyRebecca L. Morris - University of MelbourneDavid Harasti - New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
- Publication Details
- Marine environmental research, Vol.157, 104861
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- University of Sydney Commonwealth of Australia; Australian Government
- Identifiers
- 991013125985902368
- Copyright
- © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article