Fernando Eduardo Rivera

Instituto Nazca de Investigaciones Marinas · Research,

A core challenge in ecology is identifying the factors that determine species distribution and functional diversity of species assemblages. Reef fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates, form taxonomically rich and functionally diverse communities and represent a key source of food for humans. We examine regional distribution patterns of reef...

A core challenge in ecology is identifying the factors that determine species distribution and functional diversity of species assemblages. Reef fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates, form taxonomically rich and functionally diverse communities and represent a key source of food for humans. We examine regional distribution patterns of reef...

Octocorals are important zoobenthic organisms, contributing to structural heterogeneity and species diversity on hardgrounds. Their persistence amidst global coral reef degradation and ocean acidification, has prompted renewed interest in this taxon. Octocoral assemblages at 52 sites in continental Ecuador and Galápagos (23 species, 3742 colonies)...

This study reports the first records of cowsharks (Hexanchidae) in the Galápagos Islands, in particular Notorynchus cepedianus and Hexanchus griseus, observed between depths of 210 and 418 m on footage from free‐falling autonomous deep‐ocean cameras. These sightings provide new information on the habitat preferences and range distribution for N. ce...

Despite a very strong El Niño Southern Oscillation in 2015/2016, no coral mortality associated with bleaching was observed at the northern Galapagos (Ecuador) Islands of Darwin and Wolf. From March 2016 to March 2018, coral cover and health as well as water chemistry (NO3⁻ and PO4³⁻) and temperature were recorded. A marked heat anomaly reached 30 °...

Erratum: In the original print, the addresses of authors Wiedenmann and D’Angelo were incomplete and the acknowledgements failed to mention the Galapagos National Park and CDRS publication number. These errors are corrected herein.

Throughout the Galápagos, differences in coral reef development and coral population dynamics were evaluated by monitoring populations from 2000–2019, and environmental parameters (sea temperatures, pH, NO3−, PO43−) from 2015–19. The chief goal was to explain apparent coral community differences between the northern (Darwin and Wolf) and southern (...

Invasive species are of signifi cant concern, especially in mega-diverse countries, because they cause negative eff ects such as loss of native biodiversity, ecological alterations, disease spread, and impacts on economic development and human health. In mainland Ecuador, information on invasive invertebrates in marine ecosystems is scarce. The obj...

Advances in our knowledge of eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) coral reef biogeography and ecology during the past two decades are briefly reviewed. Fifteen ETP subregions are recognized, including mainland and island localities from the Gulf of California (Mexico) to Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile). Updated species lists reveal a mean increase of 4.2...

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a periodic climatic and oceanic event caused by sea-surface temperature and nutrient anomalies over the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP). Recurring ENSO events have a significant impact on climate and the ecosystems of the circum-Pacific region. In the marine realm, ENSO is known for altering temperatu...

Sponges are permanently attached to the substrate. Due to their internal system composed of pores, canals, and chambers, their bodies circulate water with dissolved organic material or plankton that is assimilated by the animal. For marine species distribution data cited in the CDF Galapagos Checklists refer to the five main bioregions of the archi...

Scheme for classification of species to functional feeding groups. (0.05 MB DOC)

Fit of linear, polynomial, exponential, and power models to the relationship between standing biomass as the dependent variable and functional richness as the independent variable. (0.06 MB DOC)

Data used to establish the link between energy consumption and body mass in fishes. (0.25 MB DOC)

Effect of the number of individuals on the relationship between diversity and standing biomass. (0.14 MB DOC)

Standing biomass as a surrogate of ecosystem processes. (1.25 MB DOC)

Interpretation of the significant interaction between human density and biodiversity. (0.07 MB DOC)

Changes in standing biomass along gradients of human density and biodiversity. (0.27 MB DOC)

Patterns of standing biomass and species and functional richness in coral reef fishes. (0.13 MB DOC)

Description of the assembled database. (0.05 MB DOC)

Data used to establish the link between biomass production and body mass in fishes. (0.10 MB DOC)

Sources of data. (0.07 MB DOC)

Author Summary The increasing intensity of human disturbance worldwide is triggering unprecedented biodiversity losses, which is raising concerns over whether ecosystems will work and continue delivering goods and services to humanity. In contrast to previous experimental studies, which describe saturating relationships between ecosystem functionin...

Aim: To quantify general differences in reef community structure between well-enforced and poorly enforced marine protected areas (MPAs) and fished sites across the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) regional seascape. Location: The Pacific continental margin and oceanic islands of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, including World Heritage site...

Comparisons between historical and recent ecological datasets indicate that shallow reef habitats across the central Galapagos Archipelago underwent major transformation at the time of the severe 1982/1983 El Niño warming event. Heavily grazed reefs with crustose coralline algae (‘urchin barrens’) replaced former macroalgal and coral habitats, resu...

A Biodiversity Vision for the Galapagos Islands based on an international workshop of conservation biologists in Galapagos in May 1999

VISIÓN PARA LA BIODIVERSIDAD DE LAS ISLAS GALÁPAGOS Basada en las actas del taller internacional de biólogos de la conservación, llevado a cabo en Galápagos en mayo de 1999

Red algae are predominantly marine organisms that inhabit the high intertidal to deep subtidal zone. They are mostly multicellular, filamentous or pseudoparenchymatous, branched or unbranched, cylindrical to compressed or foliaceous. Many species are microscopic, unicellular or short-filamentous; very few species are larger, macroscopic algae. In a...

These exclusively aquatic, relatively simple organisms include corals, gorgonians, anemones, hydras, and medusas. They are principally characterized by the presence of tentacles with a venomous substance used to paralyze and capture prey. They can be either sessile, i.e., immobile adults, or free-living, such as medusas.This group represents specie...

Marine annelids are worm-shaped, i.e., they are bilaterally symmetrical, and lack extremities. Their bodies are soft and typically at least three times as long as wide, divided into ring-shaped segments.As adults they generally occur in the littoral zone, but the majority of Galapagos species have thus far been found only as larvae during CDF zoopl...

Fish are aquatic vertebrates with gills. They are exothermic animals, meaning their body temperature varies with the temperature of their environment. Taxonomically they can be divided into two classes, Chondrichthyes have a backbone made from cartilage, and Actinoperygii have a bony spine. Almost all fish have scales that protect their body. In ge...