Macroecological analysis of the fish fauna inhabiting <i>Cymodocea nodosa</i> seagrass meadows

Espino, Fernando; Brito, Alberto; Haroun, Ricardo; Tuya, Fernando

doi:10.1111/jfb.12771

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 68 publications

(119 reference statements)

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“…Despite certain physiological differences between meadows at the Canaries and the Western Mediterranean, intra‐regional variation surpasses inter‐regional variation in terms of seagrass demography and morphology (Mascaró et al, ). Seagrass‐associated faunas, on the other hand, differ at regional scales; for example, fish assemblages vary in species richness and composition from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic (Espino, Brito, Haroun, & Tuya, ). To date, no study has addressed whether the magnitude of herbivory by grazing fishes on seagrass material may geographically differ.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographical scenarios modulate seagrass resistance to small‐scale perturbations

et al. 2018

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1. Seagrasses constitute a key coastal habitat world-wide, but are exposed to multiple perturbations. Understanding elements affecting seagrass resistance to disturbances is critical for conservation. Distinct biogeographical scenarios are intrinsically linked with varying ecological and evolution backgrounds shaped across millennia.2. We addressed whether the resistance (change in shoot abundances) and performance (change in leaf morphology and growth) of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa to a local stressor, light reduction, varied across three regions (Southeast Iberia, the Balearic Sea, and the Canaries) within the temperate northern Atlantic realm.We hypothesized that distinct biogeographical scenarios, in terms of distinct ecological/environmental conditions and genetic diversity of meadows, would affect seagrass resistance and performance, with flow-on effects on associated epifauna. The same experiments, in terms of shading intensities, timing and duration, were replicated at three seagrass meadows within each region.3. Results demonstrated inter-regional variation in the resistance and performance of C. nodosa. Under moderate and high shading, shoot abundance was abruptly decreased, relative to controls, in the Canaries with concurrent, but less accentuated, changes in leaf morphology and no changes in growth. In the other two regions, however, moderate and high shading had a negligible effect on shoot abundance, leaf morphology, and growth. Shading had no overall effect over the total abundance and assemblage structure of epifauna; these faunal attributes, however, varied between regions. Low seagrass resistance at the Canaries is linked with the peripheral distribution of the species there, favouring isolation and decreased genetic diversity.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographical scenarios modulate seagrass resistance to small‐scale perturbations

et al. 2018

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“…In evaluating the influence of ecoregion, habitat and depth range on the multivariate variation in density of fish assemblages we employed a constrained ordination using a canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP), based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarities (Anderson and Willis 2003;Espino et al 2015;French et al 2021). The canonical correlations were tested using 4999 random permutations of the raw data, for ecoregion, habitat or depth range as constrained factors.…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns and behaviour of notothenioid fishes off the northern Antarctic Peninsula

Mesa¹,

Mesa

Piepenburg

et al. 2022

Polar Biol

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A photographic seabed survey conducted off the Antarctic Peninsula region provided the opportunity to study spatial patterns, abundance and behaviour of the notothenioid benthic fish fauna. Overall, a total of 12,715 images taken with the Ocean Floor Observation System (OFOS) along 26 transects in three ecoregions (Joinville Island, Bransfield Strait and Drake Passage) were analysed. The fish fauna consisted of at least 34 species belonging to four families of both low-Antarctic and high-Antarctic origin. Nototheniids showed the highest relative abundance and species richness, followed by channichthyids, bathydraconids and artedidraconids. Direct in-situ observations in OFOS seabed images allowed descriptions of fish behaviour, such as aggregation of individuals (Notothenia coriiceps), specific body postures (Cygnodraco mawsoni and Cryodraco antarcticus) and parental care (Chaenodraco wilsoni, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, Pagetopsis macropterus and Trematomus hansoni). Fish density and species richness was primarily correlated with the occurrence of bryozoans, ascidians, and large cup-shaped sponges, providing a three-dimensional habitat suitable for fish settling, foraging, breeding and refuge from predators. Fish diversity was higher (a) off Joinville Island and in Bransfield Strait than in Drake Passage, where almost exclusively low-Antarctic species were recorded, and (b) between 100 and 600 m than at greater depths. Overall, the benthic fish fauna off the northern Antarctic Peninsula is zoogeographically composite and widespread, with well-structured spatial partitioning.

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“…Understanding how biological diversity is distributed, and what the drivers of these patterns are, is a challenge in ecology [1][2][3][4][5], particularly in the current context of global change and biodiversity loss [6,7]. The "Environmental Stability Hypothesis" [8][9][10] postulates that the number of species in an environment is higher in areas with less environmental variability, because a more stable environment favors a higher degree of species specialization and more niche diversification, with a consequent increase in the species richness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, some studies in meadows that undergo strong herbivory from macro-consumers, such as dugongs and turtles, suffer a decrease in seagrass abundance, supporting poorer fish assemblages (both in terms of lower species richness and abundances), when compared to "non-grazed" meadows [2]. Despite the identification of environmental and ecological processes driving the abundance, diversity, and structure of fish assemblage across local seagrass meadows [1,2,38,48,49], few studies have examined the contributions of local and large-scale drivers on the diversity and structure of fish assemblages associated with seagrass beds across broad macroecological (biogeographical) scales (but see [50]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in Fish Abundance, Diversity and Assemblage Structure in Seagrass Meadows across the Atlanto-Mediterranean Province

et al. 2022

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Seagrasses worldwide provide key habitats for fish assemblages. Biogeographical disparities in ocean climate conditions and seasonal regimes are well-known drivers of the spatial and temporal variation in seagrass structure, with potential effects on associated fish assemblages. Whether taxonomically disparate fish assemblages support a similar range of ecological functions remains poorly tested in seagrass ecosystems. In this study, we examined variation in the abundance, diversity (from a taxonomic and functional perspective), and assemblage structure of fish community inhabiting nine meadows of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa across three regions in the Mediterranean (Mallorca and Alicante) and the adjacent Atlantic (Gran Canaria), and identified which attributes typifying the structure of meadows, and large-scale variability in ocean climate, contributed most to explaining such ecological variation. Despite a similar total number of species between Mallorca and Gran Canaria, the latter region had more taxonomically and functionally diverse fish assemblages relative to the western Mediterranean regions, which translated into differences in multivariate assemblage structure. While variation in the abundance of the most conspicuous fish species was largely explained by variation in seagrass structural descriptors, most variation in diversity was accounted for by a descriptor of ocean climate (mean seasonal SST), operating at regional scales. Variation in fish assemblage structure was, to a lesser extent, also explained by local variability in seagrass structure. Beyond climatic drivers, our results suggest that lower temporal variability in the canopy structure of C. nodosa meadows in Gran Canaria provides a more consistent source of food and protection for associated fish assemblages, which likely enhances the more abundant and diverse fish assemblages there.

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Macroecological analysis of the fish fauna inhabiting Cymodocea nodosa seagrass meadows

Cited by 11 publications

References 68 publications

Biogeographical scenarios modulate seagrass resistance to small‐scale perturbations

Biogeographical scenarios modulate seagrass resistance to small‐scale perturbations

Spatial patterns and behaviour of notothenioid fishes off the northern Antarctic Peninsula

Variation in Fish Abundance, Diversity and Assemblage Structure in Seagrass Meadows across the Atlanto-Mediterranean Province

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