Browsing by Author "Adams, Luther A."

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    Iterative mapping of marine ecosystems for spatial status assessment, prioritization, and decision support
    (Frontiers Media, 2023) Sink, Kerry J.; Adams, Luther A.; Makwela, Mapula
    South Africa has taken an iterative approach to marine ecosystem mapping over 18 years that has provided a valuable foundation for ecosystem assessment, planning and decision-making, supporting improved ecosystem-based management and protection. Iterative progress has been made in overcoming challenges faced by developing countries, especially in the inaccessible marine realm. Our aim is to report on the approach to produce and improve a national marine ecosystem map to guide other countries facing similar challenges, and to illustrate the impact of even the simplest ecosystem map. South Africa has produced four map versions, from a rudimentary map of 34 biozones informed by bathymetry data, to the latest version comprising 163 ecosystem types informed by 83 environmental and biodiversity datasets that aligns with the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology.
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    Rhodolith bed discovered off the south African coast
    (MDPI, 2020) Maneveldt, Gavin W.; Adams, Luther A.; Green, Andrew N.
    Rhodolith beds have not previously been recorded in South Africa. A multidisciplinary research effort used remote sampling tools to survey the historically unexplored continental shelf off the Eastern Cape coast of South Africa. A rhodolith bed, bearing both living and dead non-geniculate coralline red algae, was discovered in the 30-65 m depth range off the Kei River mouth in the newly proclaimed Amathole Offshore Marine Protected Area. Some of the rhodolith forming coralline algal specimens were identified as belonging to at least three genera based on their morphology and anatomy, namely, Lithophyllum, Lithothamnion and a non-descript genus. Rhodolith mean mass and diameter were 44.85 g ± 34.22 g and 41.28 mm ± 10.67 mm (N = 13), respectively. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) imagery revealed a suite of epibenthic red macroalgae associated with the rhodolith bed. Taxonomy, vertical structure and distribution of rhodoliths in South Africa require further investigation.