Contrasting patterns of vertical and horizontal space use of two exploited and sympatric coral reef fish

Matley, Jordan K.; Tobin, Andrew J.; Lédée, Elodie J. I.; Heupel, Michelle R.; Simpfendorfer, Colin A.

doi:10.1007/s00227-016-3023-7

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…But this relationship may also, irrespective of trophic relationships, reflect a direct preference by adult trout for coral cover and the structural relief it provides [82,83]; they too need shelter from even larger predators and as resting sites [84], and may prefer proximity to associated cleaning stations [85]. In addition, coral trout have relatively small conserved home ranges meaning that outside of spawning seasons, they tend to occupy the same patch of reef [86]. The collinearity of all three variables reveals the complexity of coral reef systems that belie simple models of top-down control.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Distribution of Planktivorous Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) on the Great Barrier Reef and the Relative Influences of Habitat and Predation

2019

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Planktivorous damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are diverse and abundant on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), are important prey for commercially harvested coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) and their feeding mode plays a central role in transferring energy from the plankton to the reef. However, little is known about their distribution patterns throughout the GBR and how those patterns are influenced by predators and habitat despite increasing pressures on both. Here we quantify the distribution and abundance of GBR planktivorous damselfishes, then examine the role of coral trout and habitat in shaping their assemblages. The assemblage structure of planktivorous damselfishes varied across the continental shelf, yet their total abundances varied sub-regionally, dependent on differences in coral habitat. Latitudinal patterns were relatively weak. Damselfish assemblages generally retained characteristics of their sub-regional setting over 20 years and assemblage degradation was only associated with major coral losses. Damselfish numbers were not negatively influenced by top-down control from coral trout. Instead, numbers of coral trout and damselfishes were both positively associated with coral habitat and each other. Our findings suggest that a complexity of factors and interactions shape reef fish assemblages and reinforce the fundamental importance of coral as the foundation of healthy reef communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Distribution of Planktivorous Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) on the Great Barrier Reef and the Relative Influences of Habitat and Predation

2019

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“…Therefore, the same prey species may have different isotope values depending on foraging habitat. This may help explain why the stomach contents of P. leopardus and P. laevis were not markedly different, as opposed to isotopic niche breadth, as both species exhibited different home ranges and movement patterns (i.e., different foraging modes; Matley, Tobin, Ledee, Heupel, & Simpfendorfer, ). Different feeding modes within prey families may also drive isotopic differences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating complementary methods to improve diet analysis in fishery‐targeted species

Matley

Maes

Devloo‐Delva

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Developing efficient, reliable, cost‐effective ways to identify diet is required to understand trophic ecology in complex ecosystems and improve food web models. A combination of techniques, each varying in their ability to provide robust, spatially and temporally explicit information can be applied to clarify diet data for ecological research. This study applied an integrative analysis of a fishery‐targeted species group—Plectropomus spp. in the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia, by comparing three diet‐identification approaches. Visual stomach content analysis provided poor identification with ~14% of stomachs sampled resulting in identification to family or lower. A molecular approach was successful with prey from ~80% of stomachs identified to genus or species, often with several unique prey in a stomach. Stable isotope mixing models utilizing experimentally derived assimilation data, identified similar prey as the molecular technique but at broader temporal scales, particularly when prior diet information was incorporated. Overall, Caesionidae and Pomacentridae were the most abundant prey families (>50% prey contribution) for all Plectropomus spp., highlighting the importance of planktivorous prey. Less abundant prey categories differed among species/color phases indicating possible niche segregation. This study is one of the first to demonstrate the extent of taxonomic resolution provided by molecular techniques, and, like other studies, illustrates that temporal investigations of dietary patterns are more accessible in combination with stable isotopes. The consumption of mainly planktivorous prey within this species group has important implications within coral reef food webs and provides cautionary information regarding the effects that changing resources could have in reef ecosystems.

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“…In marine ecosystems, clear patterns of spatial separation between competing predators are common, including for teleosts, seabirds and marine mammals (Wilson 2010, Ratcliffe et al 2014, Jones et al 2015, Matley et al 2016. In cases where spatial overlap occurs, niche-hyper-volume partitioning may arise via individuals foraging at different depths or consuming different prey (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is also likely to be greater use of pelagic habitats by grey reef sharks (McCauley et al 2012), a habitat where we could not track individuals. Within teleost fishes, both horizontal and vertical separation between sympatric species can occur (Matley et al 2016). One of the few studies that also assessed behavioral interactions, found that there was high spatial overlap between two species of snapper, where one species appeared to have a constant foraging advantage over the other (Davis et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial separation without territoriality in shark communities

Papastamatiou

Bodey

Friedlander

et al. 2018

Oikos

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Spatial separation within predator communities can arise via territoriality but also from competitive interactions among and within species. However, linking competitive interactions to predator distribution patterns is difficult and theoretical models predict different habitat selection patterns dependent on habitat quality and how competition manifests itself. While models generally consider competitors to be either equal in ability, or for one phenotype to have a fixed advantage over the other, few studies consider that an animal may only have a competitive advantage in specific habitats. We used  10 years of telemetry data, habitat surveys and behavioral experiments, to show spatial partitioning between and within two species of reef shark (grey reef Carcharhinus amblyrhinchos and blacktip reef sharks C. melanopterus) at an unfished Pacific atoll. Within a species, sharks remained within small ‘sub‐habitats’ with very few movements of individuals between sub‐habitats, which previous models have suggested could be caused by intra‐specific competition. Blacktip reef sharks were more broadly distributed across habitat types but a greater proportion used lagoon and backreef habitats, while grey reef sharks preferred forereef habitats. Grey reef sharks at a nearby atoll where blacktip reef sharks are absent, were distributed more broadly between habitat types than when both species were present. A series of individual‐based models predict that habitat separation would only arise if there are competitive interactions between species that are habitat‐specific, with grey reefs having a competitive advantage on the forereefs and blacktips in the lagoons and backreef. We provide compelling evidence that competition helps drive distribution patterns and spatial separation of a marine predator community, and highlight that competitive advantages may not be constant but rather dependent on habitats.

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Contrasting patterns of vertical and horizontal space use of two exploited and sympatric coral reef fish

Cited by 17 publications

References 52 publications

The Distribution of Planktivorous Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) on the Great Barrier Reef and the Relative Influences of Habitat and Predation

The Distribution of Planktivorous Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) on the Great Barrier Reef and the Relative Influences of Habitat and Predation

Integrating complementary methods to improve diet analysis in fishery‐targeted species

Spatial separation without territoriality in shark communities

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