**Acknowledgements**

We greatly thank CONABIO for financial support, and Mario Castañeda and Ma. Carmen Vázquez Rojas for their administrative support during the project's course. Likewise, we greatly thank the great logistic support provided by the authorities of the Marine Protected Areas studied here, especially Biol. Alfredo Arellano-Guillermo and Dr. Jaime González of SEMARNAT-CONANP, and the personnel from the Marine Park of Cancún (PAIMCN): Juan Carlos Huitrón, Alejandro Vega; from the Marine Park of Cozumel (PNAC): Biol. Ri‐ cardo Gómez-Lozano, Christopher Gonzalez, Nayeli Hernandez; and the Marine Park of Pu‐ erto Morelos (PNAPM): Biol. Daniela Guevara, Biol. Oscar Álvarez Gil. We are also very thankful to Pedro Castro and the students of the Geosciences Research Group of IIO-UABC for the great help in sample handling and processing.
