@article {448,
	title = {Effects of marine protected areas on recruitment processes with special reference to Mediterranean littoral ecosystems},
	journal = {Environmental Conservation},
	volume = {27},
	year = {2000},
	abstract = {<p>The aim of the study was to review concepts and field evidence for the  effectiveness of MPAs in enhancing recruitment of targeted  species.Although site-attached fish can be expected to increase in  abundance in marine protected areas (MPAs), there is little known about  recruitment effects. The present work reviews concepts and field  evidence for enhancement of recruitment of species in MPAs, focusing  geographically on the Mediterranean littoral because of its long history  of intensive fishery exploitation, but drawing on evidence from studies  on recruitment processes in general on MPAs both in the Mediterranean  and elsewhere. We considered recruitment as the process of a fish being  added to the local population. The general questions of interest are  whether the increase in biomass of species protected in MPAs has an  effect on recruitment in the MPAs or in neighbouring areas, and, on  competition and predation effects on new recruits. A flow diagram of the  effects of MPA status on recruitment is developed and employed to  identify the relevant processes. The diagram incorporates three levels  of factors: (1) characteristics of MPAs (location, size, habitat type,  oceanography and level of protection); (2) life stages of species  protected in MPAs relevant to recruitment (eggs, larvae, settlers and  juveniles); and (3) fundamental processes of dispersal/movement,  predation and competition. From this conceptual diagram, the following  main components of the recruitment process were identified and used to  structure the review: (1) relationship between the ecology of pelagic  stages and the design, location and oceanographic regime of MPAs; (2)  effects of protection in MPAs from fishery exploitation of nursery  habitats on settlement success; and (3) effects of protection on  survival of settlers and juveniles from competition and predation. We  found an exceptionally low number of studies specifically addressing  recruitment processes in MPAs. This was particularly the case in what  concerns the relationship between larval ecology and the characteristics  and oceanographic regime of MPAs. The effectiveness of MPAs in  promoting recruitment mainly depends on the locations and on sizes of  the MPAs in relation to the reproductive biology and larval ecology of  the species concerned. The locations and sizes of MPAs in turn depend on  MPA objectives, whether the purpose is to protect entire life cycles,  the juveniles, or to increase egg production and larval export. The  assessment of the relationship between the protection of nursery  habitats and settlement success indicates that the magnitude of the  effects of protection depends on whether the recruitment of the species  involved is restricted to a narrowly-defined set of environmental  conditions or, on the contrary, can occur in diverse environments,  including areas beyond the influence of the MPAs. Thus, the locations of  MPAs determine the habitats which are protected and, consequently, the  species, the settlement of which will be favoured.  For Mediterranean  shallow-water species, the nearshore zone encompasses most of the  essential nursery habitats for protection. Recruitment studies conducted  in MPAs in the north-western Mediterranean have showed no differences  in survival of newly-settled littoral fish between MPAs and the areas  outside of them. Conversely, for older recruits, mortality was found to  be higher inside MPAs, probably due to the increased abundance and size  of large predators. This study highlights the almost total absence of  studies addressing even the most elementary questions of recruitment in  the specific context of MPAs.</p>},
	keywords = {assessment, biology, biomass, boundary, coastal zone, connectivity, design, ecology, ecosystem, effectiveness, egg and larval export, environment, fish, fishery, habitat, history, littoral, lobster, marine protected area, Mediterranean sea, mortality, nursery, oceanography, population, predation, protected area, protection, protection effectiveness, recruitment, review, seagrass, size, tourism},
	author = {S. Planes and A. Quetglas and P. Lenfant and L. Le Dir{\'e}ac{\textquoteright}h and J-G. Harmelin and R. Goni and A. Garcia Rubies and R. Galzin}
}
