Coral reef pinnacles act as ecological magnets for the abundance, diversity and biomass of predatory fishes

Cresswell, Benjamin J.; Galbraith, G. F.; Harrison, HB; McCormick, Mark I.; Jones, Geoffrey P.

doi:10.3354/meps14377

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 90 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The second highest abundance was observed in the omnivorous reef fish. The trophic level of reef fish plays an important role in increasing the resilience of coral reef ecosystem [22].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Before the tsunami, the reef fish condition in Badul Island waters by [12] mentioned that the highest abundance of trophic level reef fish was planktivorous on the north side and herbivorous on the south side. The shifting of trophic level reef fish abundance is influenced by coral reefs or benthic conditions, presence of prey, and oceanographic parameters [12,21,22,23].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Trophic levels of reef fish community in Badul Island waters after Sunda Strait tsunami

Susanto,

Nurdin,

Hamzah

et al. 2024

BIO Web Conf.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Sunda Strait tsunami in December 2018 damaged coral reef ecosystems in the Banten coastal area, including Badul Island waters. This condition potentially affects directly to the trophic level of the reef fish community. The purpose of this study was to determine the trophic level of the reef fish community in the waters of Badul Island after a tsunami. The research was conducted in April 2022 at four sampling stations (North, West, South and East) in the Badul Island waters. Reef fish survey using Underwater Visual Census with a 50 m line transect at a depth of 3 – 5 m. Reef fish identified during the study were grouped based on trophic level (carnivore, planktivore, omnivore, herbivore and corallivore). From this research identify 264 individu with 30 species from 17 Family of reef fish. Small waters area around Badul Island made possible reef fish from 4 sampling stations still in same population. The highest abundance of reef fish was found on the west side of Badul Island (128 ind/250 m2). Number species of reef fish founded the highest in East side with 14 species. The highest abundance of reef fish, based on trophic level, was approximately 74 ind/250 m2 of carnivore fish on the western side of the island.

show abstract

“…The second highest abundance was observed in the omnivorous reef fish. The trophic level of reef fish plays an important role in increasing the resilience of coral reef ecosystem [22].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic levels of reef fish community in Badul Island waters after Sunda Strait tsunami

Susanto,

Nurdin,

Hamzah

et al. 2024

BIO Web Conf.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Strong hydrodynamic drivers of coral reef fish biodiversity on submerged pinnacle coral reefs

Galbraith,

Cresswell,

McCormick

et al. 2023

Limnology & Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hydrodynamic processes are important in all marine environments and on coral reefs drive patterns of habitat zonation, community structure, and biodiversity. Abrupt geomorphological features like pinnacles and seamounts often possess distinct localized currents and these habitats are also often characterized by high abundance and biomass of fishes. However, differences in fish community structure between pinnacles and emergent reefs, and their key drivers are poorly understood. In this study, we compared fish communities among emergent fringing and offshore coral reefs, and submerged pinnacle reefs in Papua New Guinea. Submerged pinnacles possessed higher fish biomass, abundance, and species richness than both fringing and offshore emergent reefs. We collected in‐situ current speed and temperature data over a full year at each reef and used random forest analysis to investigate the relative influence of hydrodynamics compared to other well‐established drivers of reef fish biodiversity, including habitat and biogeographic factors. Environmental variables explained 70%, 52%, and 5% of variability in models for species richness, abundance and biomass respectively. In all models, average current speed, current speed variability, and reef area were consistently among the most influential variables. Models examining relationships between fish biodiversity metrics and current speed did not yield conclusive results but did highlight the association of distinct hydrodynamic regimes on pinnacles with high fish richness, abundance, and biomass. Our study highlights the strong influence of reef‐scale hydrodynamics on fish biodiversity and demonstrates the ecological value of small, submerged coral reefs, which are globally numerous yet remain understudied in coral reef ecology.

show abstract

Elasmobranch diversity around the southern Caribbean island of Tobago: opportunities for conservation in a regional trade hub

Cook,

Clementi,

Flowers

et al. 2024

J. Mar. Biol. Ass.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sharks are scarce in much of the Caribbean due to widespread depletion. Trinidad and Tobago, in the southern Caribbean, is a shark meat consumer and international exporter of dried shark fins. Despite limited fisheries management there is a small Marine Protected Area (MPA; 7 km2) in urbanised southwest Tobago, but its effect on sharks and rays (elasmobranchs) is unknown. The rural northeast is a recently designated UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve with a significant marine component and plans for a large MPA, but no baseline data for elasmobranchs exist. Given the local importance of elasmobranchs and a newly drafted Sustainable Shark and Ray Management Plan, we used baited remote underwater video stations within a 40 m depth contour at 270 randomly generated points around Tobago to: (i) establish a baseline of species richness and relative abundance, (ii) investigate the influence of season, habitat relief, depth and water temperature on relative abundance, and (iii) investigate spatial variation in relative abundance. Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, and southern stingrays were observed at all sites, the latter two more frequently in the urbanised southwest. Shark diversity was unexpectedly high in the northeast, driven by rarer species (sharpnose, smoothhound, tiger, scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead) only observed there. Habitat relief, depth and season likely influence relative abundance of elasmobranchs around Tobago, but research is needed to elucidate species-level effects. Shark species richness in northeast Tobago is high for the Caribbean, warranting research attention, while the larger MPA presents an opportunity to strengthen elasmobranch management.

show abstract

Coral reef pinnacles act as ecological magnets for the abundance, diversity and biomass of predatory fishes

Cited by 3 publications

References 90 publications

Trophic levels of reef fish community in Badul Island waters after Sunda Strait tsunami

Trophic levels of reef fish community in Badul Island waters after Sunda Strait tsunami

Strong hydrodynamic drivers of coral reef fish biodiversity on submerged pinnacle coral reefs

Elasmobranch diversity around the southern Caribbean island of Tobago: opportunities for conservation in a regional trade hub

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About