An Empirical Test of Recruitment Limitation in a Coral Reef Fish

Doherty, Peter; Fowler, Tony

doi:10.1126/science.263.5149.935

Cited by 355 publications

(280 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Small-scale experiments confirm that juvenile lemon damsels occupying small habitat patches suffer density-dependent mortality (13) within days of settlement (20). In contrast, a large-scale study on the lemon damsel showed that adult abundance on entire reefs increased in direct proportion to the prior density of older juveniles, indicating that mortality of older juveniles and adults was effectively density-independent (21). The large-scale study, although impressive and unparalleled in scope, was not designed to measure mortality in the first days or weeks after settlement, and therefore it cannot be used to ascertain whether density dependence detected in young juvenile lemon damsels scales up.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Small-scale field experiments accurately scale up to predict density dependence in reef fish populations at large scales

Steele

Forrester

2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Field experiments provide rigorous tests of ecological hypotheses but are usually limited to small spatial scales. It is thus unclear whether these findings extrapolate to larger scales relevant to conservation and management. We show that the results of experiments detecting density-dependent mortality of reef fish on small habitat patches scale up to have similar effects on much larger entire reefs that are the size of small marine reserves and approach the scale at which some reef fisheries operate. We suggest that accurate scaling is due to the type of species interaction causing local density dependence and the fact that localized events can be aggregated to describe larger-scale interactions with minimal distortion. Careful extrapolation from small-scale experiments identifying species interactions and their effects should improve our ability to predict the outcomes of alternative management strategies for coral reef fishes and their habitats.spatial scaling F ield experiments provide direct and compelling tests of ecological hypotheses and yield important insights into the nature of species interactions. Despite their scientific rigor, logistics typically constrain field experiments to plots no more than a few square meters in area (1, 2). Conservation and resource management generally occur in areas that are orders of magnitude larger than most experimental plots, so it is vital to determine whether the results of field experiments apply at larger spatial domains. Using small-scale field experiments, we tested empirically whether density dependence detected in reef fishes scales up to exert similar effects over larger areas. We chose to study this topic because density-dependent feedback in population growth determines the long-term stability of populations and their response to exogenous perturbations (3). Defining the dynamical effects of density dependence and identifying its underlying biological causes are, therefore, of both theoretical and practical importance.Manipulations of population density provide the most direct, rigorous, tests for density dependence. Coral reef fishes are excellent subjects for these tests because they are easily observed and manipulated in situ. Density manipulations often reveal strong density-dependent mortality of reef fishes, usually of recently settled juveniles (settlement occurs when planktonic larvae take up permanent residence on a reef) (4, 5). Recent cross-factored manipulations of both population density and putative biological causes of density dependence are particularly informative and have successfully identified the competitive and predator-prey interactions responsible for density-dependent mortality (6-11). Despite their scientific rigor, these experiments have all been performed on tiny patches of habitat (Ͻ10 m 2 in area), so whether their results can inform decisions about conservation and fisheries management is questionable. We tested whether density-dependent mortality detected on small habitat patches scales up to have equivalent effects on enti...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Small-scale field experiments accurately scale up to predict density dependence in reef fish populations at large scales

Steele

Forrester

2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…from reef-to-reef). The spatial resolution of management is therefore an important question for reef fish populations, where dispersal plays a central ecological role [26,27]. In these species, adults tend to be associated with particular benthic habitats that are patchily distributed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Returns from matching management resolution to ecological variation in a coral reef fishery

2016

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When managing heterogeneous socioecological systems, decision-makers must choose a spatial resolution at which to define management policies. Complex spatial policies allow managers to better reflect underlying ecological and economic heterogeneity, but incur higher compliance and enforcement costs. To choose the most appropriate management resolution, we need to characterize the relationship between management resolution and performance. We parameterize a model of the commercial coral trout fishery in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, which is currently managed by a single, spatially homogeneous management policy. We use this model to estimate how the spatial resolution of management policies affect the amount of revenue generated, and assess whether a more spatially complex policy can be justified. Our results suggest that economic variation is likely to be a more important source of heterogeneity than ecological differences, and that the majority of this variation can be captured by a relatively simple spatial management policy. Moreover, while an increase in policy resolution can improve performance, the location of policy changes also needs to align with ecological and socioeconomic variation. Interestingly, the highly complex process of larval dispersal, which plays a critical ecological role in coral reef ecosystem dynamics, may not demand equally complex management policies.

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“…The relative importance of presettlement and postsettlement processes in determining species population structures is the subject of debate, but, at least for certain species, recruitment processes can explain a considerable amount of temporal and spatial variation in abundance (Keough and Downes 1982;Doherty and Fowler 1994). However, many benthic invertebrates are very successful at asexual propagation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Study results are often dependent upon scale and/or the range of habitats being considered (Syms 1995;Eagle et al 2001;Chittaro 2004). Generally, one body of literature supports niche diversification and predicts highly ordered communities (e.g., Connolly et al 2005), while another supports a more stochastic view, highlighting the importance of spatially and temporally variable recruitment of larvae (e.g., Sale and Douglas 1984;Doherty and Fowler 1994). However, with backgrounds of considerable temporal and spatial variability in fish and benthic community structure, many studies support human extraction and alteration of habitat and water quality as determinants of coral reef status (McClanahan 1994;Chapman and Kramer 2001;Halpern and Warner 2002;Graham et al 2006;Pandolfi and Jackson 2006;Maliao et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological community structure on patch reefs in Biscayne National Park, FL, USA

Kuffner

Grober‐Dunsmore

Brock

et al. 2009

Environ Monit Assess

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Coral reef ecosystem management benefits from continual quantitative assessment of the resources being managed, plus assessment of factors that affect distribution patterns of organisms in the ecosystem. In this study, we investigate the relationships among physical, benthic, and fish variables in an effort to help explain the distribution patterns of organisms on patch reefs within Biscayne National Park, FL, USA. We visited a total of 196 randomly selected sampling stations on 12 shallow (<10 m) patch reefs and measured physical variables (e.g., substratum rugosity, substratum type) and benthic and fish community variables. We also incorporated data on substratum rugosity collected remotely via airborne laser surveying (Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar-EAARL). Across all stations, only weak relationships were found between physical, benthic cover, and fish assemblage variables. Much of the variance was attributable to a "reef effect," meaning that community structure and organism abundances were more variable at stations among reefs than within reefs. However, when the reef effect was accounted for and removed statistically, patterns were detected. Within reefs, juvenile scarids were most abundant at stations with high coverage of the fleshy macroalgae Dictyota spp., and the calcified alga Halimeda tuna was most abundant at stations with low EAARL rugosity. Explanations for the overwhelming importance of "reef" in explaining variance in our dataset could include the stochastic arrangement of organisms on patch reefs related to variable larval recruitment in space and time and/or strong historical effects due to patchy disturbances (e.g., hurricanes, fishing), as well as legacy effects of prior residents ("priority" effects).

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An Empirical Test of Recruitment Limitation in a Coral Reef Fish

Cited by 355 publications

References 44 publications

Small-scale field experiments accurately scale up to predict density dependence in reef fish populations at large scales

Small-scale field experiments accurately scale up to predict density dependence in reef fish populations at large scales

Returns from matching management resolution to ecological variation in a coral reef fishery

Biological community structure on patch reefs in Biscayne National Park, FL, USA

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