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INTRODUCTION
The coral ecosystems of the Mexican Pacific are currently considered among the most important of the Tropical Eastern Pacific, since they comprise more than 30 coral species (Glynn and Ault 2000, Reyes-Bonilla et al. 2010) developed as coastal reefs, reef patches and patch type communities with isolated colonies of corals (López-Pérez et al. 2012) of different species richness, cover, diversity and composition throughout the region (Reyes-Bonilla 2003). The coral assemblages of the Mexican Pacific are located southwest of the Gulf of California in Cabo Pulmo and San Gabriel (Reyes-Bonilla 2003), on the southern coast of Nayarit (Carriquiry and Reyes-Bonilla 1997) and the Islas Marías Archipelago (López-Pérez et al. 2016), Carrizales in Colima (Reyes-Bonilla et al. 2013), Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in Guerrero (López-Pérez et al. 2012), Bahías de Huatulco National Park in Oaxaca (López-Pérez et al. 2014) and the oceanic Revillagigedo Archipelago (Ketchum and Reyes-Bonilla 1997). In general, the coral ecosystems of the Mexican Pacific are dominated by branching corals of the genus Pocillopora distributed in shallow waters and encrusting and sub-massive genera such as Porites and Pavona in deeper waters (e.g. Reyes-Bonilla 2003, Reyes-Bonilla et al. 2010).
In the Mexican Pacific, the highest richness and coverage of corals is found in the Mexican Central Pacific (Reyes-Bonilla 2003). This includes the coastal margin of the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán, where approximately 15 species of corals have been recorded, showing variable cover values of up to 60% and mainly comprising pocilloporid species (Reyes-Bonilla et al. 2013). As in other regions of the world, the coral assemblage of the Mexican Central Pacific has been affected by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, with positive (El Niño) and negative (La Niña) thermal anomalies causing bleaching and massive mortality.
Recently, the condition and conservation status of the Mexican Pacific coral ecosystems were evaluated (Reyes-Bonilla et al. 2010, López-Pérez et al. 2012). Corals have been used as indicators of biodiversity and environmental health, since these organisms are ecosystem engineers that favour natural resilience (Bellwood et al. 2004). Corals are the main bioengineers of the reefs through their functionality (morphology of the colonies) and continuous accumulation of carbonates, by which they create tridimensional habitats for the associated fauna (Bellwood et al. 2004). Corals thus contribute to the heterogeneity of the...