{"id":15642,"date":"2019-03-09T17:14:44","date_gmt":"2019-03-09T17:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/cocos-island-coral-reefs\/"},"modified":"2019-07-04T00:26:23","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T00:26:23","slug":"cocos-island-coral-reefs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/cocos-island-coral-reefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocos Island &#8211; Coral reefs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-parallax-none bg-third hundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling fusion-equal-height-columns\" style=\"--awb-background-position:right top;--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:0px;--awb-padding-right:0px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-padding-left:0px;--awb-margin-top:0px;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;--awb-background-color:#ffffff;--awb-background-image:url(&quot;https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/isotipo-faico-celeste-derecha-claro.png&quot;);--awb-background-size:cover;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_4 1_4 fusion-one-fourth fusion-column-first\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:20px;--awb-padding-bottom:0px;--awb-bg-color:#0e67a7;--awb-bg-color-hover:#0e67a7;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;width:25%;width:calc(25% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.25 ) );margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><h2 class=\"white centered\" style=\"font-size: 165%;\">Cocos Island<\/h2>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-has-icon\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%;max-width:60%;\"><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;--awb-sep-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;border-top-width:1px;\"><\/div><span class=\"icon-wrapper\" style=\"border-color:#ffffff;background-color:#0e67a7;font-size:16px;width: 1.75em; height: 1.75em;border-width:1px;padding:1px;margin-top:-0.5px\"><i class=\"fa-info-circle fas\" style=\"font-size: inherit;color:#ffffff;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-separator-border sep-single sep-solid\" style=\"--awb-height:20px;--awb-amount:20px;--awb-sep-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;border-top-width:1px;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-widget-area awb-widget-area-element fusion-widget-area-1 fusion-content-widget-area\" style=\"--awb-title-color:#0b5d92;--awb-padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><div id=\"nav_menu-3\" class=\"widget widget_nav_menu\"><div class=\"menu-cocos-island-en-container\"><ul id=\"menu-cocos-island-en\" class=\"menu\"><li id=\"menu-item-16481\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-16481\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/cocos-island-summary\/\">Cocos Island National Park<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15923\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15923\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/cocos-island-national-park-creation-location\/\">Creation and Location<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15508\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15508\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/biodiversity-and-endemic-species-from-cocos-island\/\">Biodiversity and Endemic Species<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15914\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15914\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/cocos-island-coral-reefs\/\">Coral reefs<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15509\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15509\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/sea-birds-of-cocos-island\/\">Sea Birds<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15917\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15917\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/cocos-island-sharks\/\">Sharks<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15922\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15922\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/cinp-management-plan\/\">General management plan<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15921\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15921\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/threats-cocos-island\/\">Threats<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15915\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15915\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/cocos-island-world-heritage\/\">Declarations<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15919\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15919\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/history-of-cocos-island\/\">History<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-additional-widget-content\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-image-element in-legacy-container\" style=\"--awb-caption-title-font-family:var(--h2_typography-font-family);--awb-caption-title-font-weight:var(--h2_typography-font-weight);--awb-caption-title-font-style:var(--h2_typography-font-style);--awb-caption-title-size:var(--h2_typography-font-size);--awb-caption-title-transform:var(--h2_typography-text-transform);--awb-caption-title-line-height:var(--h2_typography-line-height);--awb-caption-title-letter-spacing:var(--h2_typography-letter-spacing);\"><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-1 hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"428\" height=\"599\" title=\"Arrecifes de Coral Isla del Coco\" src=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/isla-del-coco-arrecifes-de-coral.jpg\" alt class=\"img-responsive wp-image-15185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/isla-del-coco-arrecifes-de-coral-200x280.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/isla-del-coco-arrecifes-de-coral-400x560.jpg 400w, https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/isla-del-coco-arrecifes-de-coral.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/span><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_3_4 3_4 fusion-three-fourth fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:15px;--awb-padding-right:4%;--awb-padding-bottom:30px;--awb-padding-left:0px;--awb-bg-position:right center;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-margin-bottom:0px;width:75%;width:calc(75% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.75 ) );\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><h1 class=\"p1\">Coral Reefs<\/h1>\n<h2>Importance and threats<\/h2>\n<p class=\"justified\">Coral reefs are one of the most valuable and biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. One of the reasons why coral reefs are so valuable is because they function as centers of marine life activity. It is estimated that 25% of all marine life, which includes more than 4,000 species of fish, depends on coral reefs at some point in their life cycle. Approximately 500 million people around the world depend on coral reef ecosystems for food, coastal protection, and income from tourism and fishing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"justified\">The reefs at Cocos Island National Park have undergone bleaching phenomena that have produced great mortality, many of them associated with El Ni\u00f1o. For example, El Ni\u00f1o from 1982 to 1983 produced one of the largest coral mortalities, leaving only 3.5% alive. However, data show a high recovery in coverage after bleaching events, which currently continue to be one of the main threats given the increase in the average sea temperature and the increase in the frequency of natural events such as El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n<h2>Corals of the Cocos Island National Park<\/h2>\n<p class=\"justified\">Cocos Island has one of the most diverse coral reefs in Costa Rica. The fish community of Cocos Island National Park is represented by a large number of carnivorous species, followed by top predators, herbivores, and planctivores. In general, reefs at CINP are healthy, with complex and functional trophic chains, where species of high commercial value are in good condition. The effectiveness of conservation and management activities in Cocos Island can be seen in the recovery and complexity of the reef community. In total, 17 species of corals have been reported (See list). It is the location with the highest number of species in Costa Rica, and some species have only been reported on the island (Pavona xarifae and Leptoseris scabra).<\/p>\n<p class=\"justified\">Many of the endemic species of the island have been found in coral reefs. In addition, the coral and rocky reefs of the island have one of the largest fish biomasses found in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, which places CINP as one of the most important marine conservation sites in the region, especially for those species with high fishing pressure. In these reefs, there is a great abundance of top predators, such as sharks, representing very good health in these ecosystems, keeping the trophic webs in balance. The reefs represent sites where large pelagic species can go to forage, clean themselves, or rest, which substantiates the importance of keeping these ecosystems healthy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"justified\">Cocos Island is of great importance for the Eastern Pacific Ocean, since it has been considered as the cornerstone of larvae connectivity between both ends of the Pacific Ocean, due to its location and the influence it receives from ocean currents.<\/p>\n<h2>Research<\/h2>\n<p class=\"justified\">These reefs have been widely studied since the 1980s; however, research has focused on coral reef cover (e.g. Guzm\u00e1n &amp; Cort\u00e9s 1992; Cort\u00e9s &amp; Guzman 1998). The results obtained by Alvarado et al. (2015) detail the composition of fish and invertebrates, as well as the complexity of the reef. The sea urchin, Diadema mexicanum, was the only predominant species. The density of the Panulirus lobsters stands out as the highest in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, as well as the sea cucumber, Isostichopus fuscus, which has a high commercial value. When comparing the works carried out from 1987 to this day, the recovery in the live coral cover through time is evident, mainly due to: 1) a decrease in the pressure of the bioerosive action of the sea urchin, D. mexicanum; and 2) conservation measures that have been imposed on the island. This has favored reefs to be complex and rugged.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"accordian fusion-accordian\" style=\"--awb-border-size:1px;--awb-icon-size:18px;--awb-content-font-size:16px;--awb-icon-alignment:left;--awb-hover-color:#f2f2f2;--awb-border-color:#eaeaea;--awb-background-color:#f4f4f4;--awb-divider-color:#e0dede;--awb-divider-hover-color:#e0dede;--awb-icon-color:#ffffff;--awb-title-color:#74bd4c;--awb-content-color:#747474;--awb-icon-box-color:#74bd4c;--awb-toggle-hover-accent-color:#03a9f4;--awb-title-font-family:&quot;Montserrat&quot;;--awb-title-font-weight:400;--awb-title-font-style:normal;--awb-title-font-size:18px;--awb-content-font-family:&quot;Montserrat&quot;;--awb-content-font-style:normal;--awb-content-font-weight:400;\"><div class=\"panel-group fusion-toggle-icon-boxed\" id=\"accordion-15642-1\"><div class=\"fusion-panel panel-default panel-cc21600d3969804f2 fusion-toggle-no-divider fusion-toggle-boxed-mode\"><div class=\"panel-heading\"><h4 class=\"panel-title toggle\" id=\"toggle_cc21600d3969804f2\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"cc21600d3969804f2\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" data-parent=\"#accordion-15642-1\" data-target=\"#cc21600d3969804f2\" href=\"#cc21600d3969804f2\"><span class=\"fusion-toggle-icon-wrapper\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i class=\"fa-fusion-box active-icon awb-icon-minus\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><i class=\"fa-fusion-box inactive-icon awb-icon-plus\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"fusion-toggle-heading\">Bibliography<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div><div id=\"cc21600d3969804f2\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse \" aria-labelledby=\"toggle_cc21600d3969804f2\"><div class=\"panel-body toggle-content fusion-clearfix\">\n<p class=\"p1\">Alvarado, J., Beita, A., Mena, S., Fern\u00e1ndez, C., Guzm\u00e1n, A., Cort\u00e9s, J. 2015.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Ecosistemas coralinos del Parque Nacional Isla del Coco, Costa Rica: estructura y comparaci\u00f3n 1987-2014.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Rev. Biol.Trop. 64 (Suppl. 1): 153-175. Feb 2016<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Cort\u00e9s, J &amp; H.M. Guzman. 1998. Organismos de los arrecifes coralinos de Costa Rica: Descripci\u00f3n, distribuci\u00f3n geogr\u00e1fica e historia natural de los corales zooxantelados (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) del Pac\u00edfico. Rev. Biol. Trop. 46: 55-92.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Cort\u00e9s, J. &amp; C.E. Jim\u00e9nez. 2003. Corals and coral reefs of the Pacific of Costa Rica: History, research and status, p. 361-385. In J. Cort\u00e9s (ed.). Latin American coral reefs. Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\">EPA (Agencia de Protecci\u00f3n Ambiental de Estados Unidos). 2018. Sitio web consultado el 07 set 2018. Disponible en <a href=\"https:\/\/espanol.epa.gov\">https:\/\/espanol.epa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Edgar GJ, Banks SA, Bessudo S et al (2011) Variation in reef fish and invertebrate communities with level of protection from fishing across the eastern tropical Pacific seascape. Glob Ecol Biogeogr. 20:730\u2013743<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Espinoza, M., L\u00e9d\u00e9e, E.J., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Tobin, A.J., y Heupel, M.R. (2015). Contrasting movements and connectivity of reef-associated sharks using acoustic telemetry: implications for management. Ecol Appl, 25, 2101-2118.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Friedlander, A. M., Zgliczynski, B. J., Ballesteros, E., Aburto-Oropeza, O., Bola\u00f1os, A., and Sala, E. 2012. The shallow-water fish assemblage of Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica: structure and patterns in an isolated, predator-dominated ecosystem. Rev. Biol. Trop. 60(Suppl. 3), 321\u2013338. doi: 10.15517\/rbt.v60i3.28407<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Guzman, H.M. &amp; Cort\u00e9s, J. 1992. Cocos Island (Pacific of Costa Rica) coral reefs after the 1982-83 El Ni\u00f1o disturbance. Rev Biol Trop, 40, 309-324.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">SINAC (Sistema Nacional de \u00c1reas de Conservaci\u00f3n, CR). 2016. Diagn\u00f3stico para la actualizaci\u00f3n del Plan General de Manejo del Parque Nacional Marino Isla del Coco. Eds: H. Acevedo, V. Obando y Y. Villalobos. San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica. 147 p.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">SINAC (Sistema Nacional de \u00c1reas de Conservaci\u00f3n). 2018. Diagn\u00f3stico para los Planes de Investigaci\u00f3n del \u00c1rea de Conservaci\u00f3n Marina Cocos (ACMC). San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica. 60p.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">SINAC. 2018. Importancia de los ecosistemas y poblaciones del Parque Nacional Isla del Coco (PNIC), \u00c1rea Marina de Manejo Montes Submarinos (AMM MS) y aguas adyacentes del \u00c1rea de Conservaci\u00f3n Marina Cocos (ACMC). San Jose, Costa Rica. 51 p. Eds: C. S\u00e1nchez, A. Montero y S. Solano<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"100-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15642","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15642"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15646,"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15642\/revisions\/15646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cocosisland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}