Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs

Wilson, Shaun K.; Dolman, Andrew M.; Cheal, Alistair J.; Emslie, Michael J.; Pratchett, Morgan S.; Sweatman, Hugh

doi:10.1007/s00338-008-0431-2

Cited by 91 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The loss of reef-building corals is likely to have major impacts on the biodiversity, productivity, and biological functioning of coral reef ecosystems [11,12]. In some locations, changes in the structure and quality of benthic reef habitats are now the most important driver of changes in the abundance of reef fishes (including some large piscivorous species), having a greater influence than extractive fisheries [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Effects of Different Disturbances in Coral Reef Habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia

Trapon

Pratchett

Penin

2011

Journal of Marine Biology

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Degradation and loss of critical coastal habitats has significant ramifications for marine fisheries, such that knowledge of changes in habitat quality and quantity are fundamental to effective ecosystem management. This study explores changes in the structure of coral reef habitats, specifically changes in coral cover and composition, in Moorea, French Polynesia, to assess the independent and combined effects of different disturbances since 1979. During this period, reefs on the north coast have been subject to coral bleaching, severe tropical storms, as well as outbreaks of Acanthaster. Coral cover varied significantly among years, showing marked declines during some, but not all, disturbances. The greatest rates of coral loss coincided with outbreaks of A. planci. Moreover, successive disturbances have had differential effects among coral genera, leading to strong directional shifts in coral composition. Acropora is declining in abundance and coral assemblages are becoming increasingly dominated by Pocillopora and Porites. Observed changes in the cover and composition of corals are likely to have further significant impacts on the reef fish assemblages. Given that significant disturbances have been mostly associated with outbreaks of A. planci, rather than climate change, effective ecosystem management may reduce and/or delay impending effects of climate change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Effects of Different Disturbances in Coral Reef Habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia

Trapon

Pratchett

Penin

2011

Journal of Marine Biology

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“…Reductions in coral cover have been shown to have limited effects on the diversity of coral reef fishes [36]. The abundances of facultative reef fishes often lag behind coral mortality by 3-4 years, paralleling the loss of framework structures [37,38].…”

Section: Predicting Ecosystem Responses To Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Cryptofaunal Species Richness and Trophic Potential to Coral Reef Habitat Degradation

Enochs

Manzello

2012

Diversity

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Abstract:Coral reefs are declining worldwide as a result of many anthropogenic disturbances. This trend is alarming because coral reefs are hotspots of marine biodiversity and considered the 'rainforests of the sea. As in the rainforest, much of the diversity on a coral reef is cryptic, remaining hidden among the cracks and crevices of structural taxa. Although the cryptofauna make up the majority of a reef's metazoan biodiversity, we know little about their basic ecology or how these communities respond to reef degradation. Emerging research shows that the species richness of the motile cryptofauna is higher among dead (framework) vs. live coral substrates and, surprisingly, increases within successively more eroded reef framework structures, ultimately reaching a maximum in dead coral rubble. Consequently, the paradigm that abundant live coral is the apex of reef diversity needs to be clarified. This provides guarded optimism amidst alarming reports of declines in live coral cover and the impending doom of coral reefs, as motile cryptic biodiversity should persist independent of live coral cover. Granted, the maintenance of this high species richness is contingent on the presence of reef rubble, which will eventually be lost due to physical, chemical, and biological erosion if not replenished by live coral calcification and mortality. The trophic potential of a reef, as inferred from the abundance of cryptic organisms, is highest on live coral. Among dead framework substrates, however, the density of cryptofauna reaches a peak at intermediate levels of degradation. In summary, the response of the motile cryptofauna, and thus a large fraction of the reef's biodiversity, OPEN ACCESSDiversity 2012, 4 95 to reef degradation is more complex and nuanced than currently thought; such that species richness may be less sensitive than overall trophic function.

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“…The time associated with processing video may be reduced by only counting and measuring a sub-set of species or collating data at higher taxonomic and functional levels. If required, video can then be later re-analyzed to access more detailed or additional information (e.g., Wilson et al 2009) or validate results . This permanent record is a clear advantage of stereo-DOV over UVC.…”

Section: Recordedmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of visual‐ and stereo‐video based fish community assessment methods in tropical and temperate marine waters of Western Australia

Holmes

Wilson

Travers

et al. 2013

Limnology & Ocean Methods

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A central issue in the development of marine research and monitoring programs is the identification of robust methodologies aimed at detecting spatial and temporal changes in abundance, diversity, and biomass of faunal assemblages (e.g., Maxwell and Jennings 2005;Cheal et al. 2008;Murphy and Jenkins 2010). Decisions on how to assess these metrics are initially based on the type of information required, what specific indices must be measured, the level of precision required to detect change, the repeatability of the method, and the environmental conditions under which assessments will take place (Connell et al. 1998;Willis et al. 2000;Smale et al. 2011). Importantly, the human capital and financial resources available to collect data must also be considered, as costs associated with different data collection techniques can vary substantially . However, for long-term monitoring projects technological advancements, scientific innovations, sporadic funding, and changes in the availability of staff expertise often mean that the most suitable assessment methods change through time (Murphy and Jenkins 2010). This may result in time-series datasets that are collected using several techniques. To ensure that trends in data are not attribut- AbstractRobust assessments of abundance and diversity are essential components of research programs aimed at detecting changes in marine fish assemblages through space and time. This study examined the comparability of Underwater Visual Census (UVC), and Diver Operated stereo-Video (Stereo-DOV) datasets collected across a wide latitudinal range (15°) on coral reefs and temperate rocky shores. There were some differences between methods with regards to both species richness and abundance, with UVC consistently recording higher measures of species richness. Differences were most pronounced at tropical locations where these measures were high. Differences in the characteristics of fish assemblages were primarily driven by UVC differentiating between scarid and pomacentrid species and detecting more cryptic species. When examined at higher taxonomic or functional levels however, there was greater comparability between the assemblages recorded by each method, particularly in temperate locations. The UVC method also recorded higher abundances of species targeted by fishers in tropical/sub-tropical locations, and subsequently obtained a much higher proportion of length measurements for these species. Data collected using stereo-DOV took 2-3 times longer to obtain than with UVC due to extensive post-processing time required by the stereo-DOV method. This study shows that data collected by the two methods are most comparable in temperate locations, or when examined at higher taxonomic/functional levels. Comparisons should however be more cautious in higher diversity locations, or when assessing at finer taxonomic resolution. When assessing the suitability of either method, availability of time, funding, and relevant expertise should be primary considerations.

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Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs

Cited by 91 publications

References 62 publications

Comparative Effects of Different Disturbances in Coral Reef Habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia

Comparative Effects of Different Disturbances in Coral Reef Habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia

Responses of Cryptofaunal Species Richness and Trophic Potential to Coral Reef Habitat Degradation

A comparison of visual‐ and stereo‐video based fish community assessment methods in tropical and temperate marine waters of Western Australia

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