Deep-Reef Fish Communities of the Great Barrier Reef Shelf-Break: Trophic Structure and Habitat Associations

Sih, Tiffany L.; Daniell, James; Bridge, Thomas; Beaman, Robin J.; Cappo, Michael; Kingsford, Michael J.

doi:10.3390/d11020026

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 113 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Multiple Rhynchobatus australiae were recorded between 137.1 and 163.9 m, deeper than 128.8 m reported by Bond et al [71]. Maximum depths of 135.6 m for Pomadasys kaakan (117 m: [72]), 181.4 m for C. caeruleopinnatus (129 m: [73]), and 162.9 m for Lutjanus russelli (131.7 m: [71]) are deeper than previous published records for the species (Fig 8). Species mobility is reflected by their depth distributions, with many ranging across the AC125 contour (shaded, Fig 8).…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 67%

Mesophotic fish communities of the ancient coastline in Western Australia

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marine diversity across the Australian continental shelf is shaped by characteristic benthic habitats which are determined by geomorphic features such as paleoshorelines. In north-western Australia there has been little attention on the fish communities that inhabit an ancient coastline at ~125 m depth (the designated AC125), which is specified as a key ecological feature (KEF) of the region and is thought to comprise hard substrate and support enhanced diversity. We investigated drivers of fish species richness and assemblage composition spanning six degrees of latitude along sections of the ancient coastline, categorised as ‘on’ and ‘off’ the AC125 based on depth, across a range of habitats and seafloor complexity (~60–180 m depth). While some surveyed sections of the AC125 had hard bottom substrate and supported enhanced fish diversity, including over half of the total species observed, species richness and abundance overall were not greater on the AC125 than immediately adjacent to the AC125. Instead, depth, seafloor complexity and habitat type explained patterns in richness and abundance, and structured fish assemblages at both local and broad spatial scales. Fewer fishes were associated with deep sites characterized by negligible complexity and soft-bottom habitats, in contrast to shallower depths that featured benthic biota and pockets of complex substrate. Drivers of abundance of common species were species-specific and primarily related to sampling Areas, depth and substrate. Fishes of the ancient coastline and adjacent habitats are representative of mesophotic fish communities of the region, included species important to fisheries and conservation, and several species were observed deeper than their currently known distribution. This study provides the first assessment of fish biodiversity associated with an ancient coastline feature, improving our understanding of the function it plays in regional spatial patterns in abundance of mesophotic fishes. Management decisions that incorporate the broader variety of depths and habitats surrounding the designated AC125 could enhance the ecological role of this KEF, contributing to effective conservation of fish biodiversity on Australia’s north west shelf.

show abstract

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 67%

Mesophotic fish communities of the ancient coastline in Western Australia

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Nevertheless, distinct assemblages of fishes inhabit mesophotic reef ecosystems (e.g. > 150 m, Sih et al 2017), suggesting limited capacity for these systems to act as refuges for shallow-water taxa (Lindfield et al 2016;Sih et al 2019;Rocha et al 2018;Williams et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in abundance, diversity and composition of coral reef fishes with increasing depth at a submerged shoal in the northern Great Barrier Reef

Scott

Tebbett

Whitman

et al. 2022

Rev Fish Biol Fisheries

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coral reef fishes often exhibit specific or restricted depth distributions, but the factors (biotic or abiotic) that influence patterns of depth use are largely unknown. Given inherent biological gradients with depth (i.e. light, nutrients, habitat, temperature), it is expected that fishes may exploit certain depths within their environment to seek out more favourable conditions. This study used baited remote underwater video (BRUV) systems to document variation in the taxonomic and functional (trophic and size) structure of a fish assemblage along a shallow to upper-mesophotic depth gradient (13–71 m) at a submerged, offshore shoal in the northern Great Barrier Reef. BRUVs were deployed during two separate time periods (February and August 2017), to separately examine patterns of depth use. Both the relative abundance and diversity of reef fishes declined with depth, and there were pronounced differences in the taxonomic and functional structure of the fish assemblage across the depth gradient. In shallow habitats (< 30 m), the fish assemblage was dominated by herbivores, detritivores, planktivores and sessile invertivores, whereas the fish assemblage in deeper habitats (> 30 m) was dominated by piscivores and mobile invertivores. Depth and habitat type were also strong predictors for important fisheries species such as coral trout (Plectropomus spp.), emperors (Lethrinus spp.) and trevallies (Carangid spp.). We found limited evidence of temporal changes in depth and habitat use by fishes (including fisheries target species), although recorded temperatures were 4 °C higher in February 2017 compared to August 2017.

show abstract

“…BRUVs have been used to capture video of both shallow and deep-reef fishes on tropical reefs down to 240 m. BRUV usage, although it has provided data for studies of deep-reef fishes in the Indo-west Pacific (Colton and Swearer, 2010;Sih et al, 2017Sih et al, , 2019Abesamis et al, 2020;Andradi-Brown et al, 2021;Cure et al, 2021) has occurred at relatively low levels in the Greater Caribbean. Goodbody-Gringley et al (2019) provided the most comprehensive depth coverage to date by BRUVs at any Greater Caribbean site, while Andradi-Brown et al (2016) used BRUVs in shallow mesophotic depths.…”

Section: Closed-circuit Rebreathersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Submersibles Greatly Enhance Research on the Diversity of Deep-Reef Fishes in the Greater Caribbean

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the diversity and ecology of deep-reef fishes is challenging. Due to intensive and widely dispersed sampling, the Greater Caribbean (GC) fauna of species found on shallow reefs is much better characterized than the fauna of deep-reef species restricted to mesophotic (40–130 m) and rariphotic (130–300 m) depths. Our knowledge about deep-reef fishes is based on ship-board sampling and the recent use of rebreather diving, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), baited remote underwater videos, and crewed submersibles. Submersible research on GC deep-reef fishes began in the 1960s and has flourished over the last decade through research by the Smithsonian Institution’s Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP). Here we quantify the contribution of submersible research, particularly the surge by DROP, to our understanding of the diversity of the deep-reef fish fauna of the GC. We compared shallow- and deep-reef fish faunas of three GC sites subjected to DROP research to faunas of three sites without such research. DROP increased the size of the deep faunas at three islands ∼9-fold, and they have deep-reef faunas ∼2–4 times the size of those of the other three sites. Those deep-reef faunas have high proportions of small cryptobenthic fishes, which also represent a major component of shallow faunas. That research increased the rate of discovery (collection) of new species of deep-reef fishes ∼6-fold and accounts for 31% of the deep-reef species first discovered within the GC. Substantial numbers of new species at each of the three DROP islands were not found at the other two. This indicates that other parts of the GC likely harbor many undetected deep-reef fishes, and that the size of the deep-reef fauna of the GC is significantly underestimated. These results show that small research submersibles are versatile, highly productive tools for deep-reef studies. They allow long-duration dives at any depth, while offering unparalleled views of their surroundings to study the ecology of deep-reef fishes (e.g., DROP’s definition of the rariphotic assemblage from fish depth distributions). Submersibles can efficiently collect reef fishes of a broad range of taxa, ecotypes and sizes, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the regional GC deep-reef fish fauna.

show abstract

Deep-Reef Fish Communities of the Great Barrier Reef Shelf-Break: Trophic Structure and Habitat Associations

Cited by 9 publications

References 113 publications

Mesophotic fish communities of the ancient coastline in Western Australia

Mesophotic fish communities of the ancient coastline in Western Australia

Variation in abundance, diversity and composition of coral reef fishes with increasing depth at a submerged shoal in the northern Great Barrier Reef

Submersibles Greatly Enhance Research on the Diversity of Deep-Reef Fishes in the Greater Caribbean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About