Persistent thermally driven shift in the functional trait structure of herbivorous fishes: Evidence of top‐down control on the rebound potential of temperate seaweed forests?

Bosch, Néstor E.; McLean, Matthew; Zarco‐Perello, Salvador; Bennett, Scott; Stuart‐Smith, Rick D.; Vergés, Adriana; Pessarrodona, Albert; Tuya, Fernando; Langlois, Tim; Spencer, Claude; Bell, Sahira; Saunders, Benjamin J.; Harvey, Euan S.; Wernberg, Thomas

doi:10.1111/gcb.16070

Cited by 22 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 131 publications

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“…We compiled eleven functional traits for each fish species recorded from a recently published dataset on behavioural, morphological, and ecological characters of Atlantic reef fishes 66 . Traits selected represent key attributes of fish species that mediate their response to abiotic 27 , 67 , biotic 68 , and anthropogenic factors 51 , as well as their potential contribution to ecosystem functions 47 . These included: home range, diel activity, group size, level in the water column, preferred temperature, size class, body shape, caudal fin, mouth position, diet, and spawning strategy (Table S3 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black coral forests enhance taxonomic and functional distinctiveness of mesophotic fishes in an oceanic island: implications for biodiversity conservation

Bosch

Espino

Tuya

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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The degradation of shallow ecosystems has called for efforts to understand the biodiversity and functioning of Mesophotic Ecosystems. However, most empirical studies have been restricted to tropical regions and have majorly focused on taxonomic entities (i.e., species), neglecting important dimensions of biodiversity that influence community assembly and ecosystem functioning. Here, using a subtropical oceanic island in the eastern Atlantic Ocean (Lanzarote, Canary Islands), we investigated variation in (a) alpha and (b) beta functional (i.e., trait) diversity across a depth gradient (0–70 m), as a function of the presence of black coral forests (BCFs, order Antipatharian) in the mesophotic strata, a vulnerable but often overlooked ‘ecosystem engineer’ in regional biodiversity. Despite occupying a similar volume of the functional space (i.e., functional richness) than shallow (< 30 m) reefs, mesophotic fish assemblages inhabiting BCFs differed in their functional structure when accounting for species abundances, with lower evenness and divergence. Similarly, although mesophotic BCFs shared, on average, 90% of the functional entities with shallow reefs, the identity of common and dominant taxonomic and functional entities shifted. Our results suggest BCFs promoted the specialization of reef fishes, likely linked to convergence towards optimal traits to maximize the use of resources and space. Regional biodiversity planning should thus focus on developing specific management and conservation strategies for preserving the unique biodiversity and functionality of mesophotic BCFs.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black coral forests enhance taxonomic and functional distinctiveness of mesophotic fishes in an oceanic island: implications for biodiversity conservation

Bosch

Espino

Tuya

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…50 cm above the bottom, to enable the seafloor structure and composition to be observed. Replicated transects were spaced by at least 10 m to minimize non-independence of fish counts (Bosch et al 2022 ; Mulders et al 2022 ). Video transects were analysed in the ‘EventMeasure’ software (SeaGIS Pty Ltd), with all fishes within the transect area identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible, and their fork length measured (nearest mm).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Herbivores were further partitioned based on phenotypic traits that determine how they access the nutritional resources (e.g. algae, detritus, and cyanobacteria) contained in canopy- and turf-driven pathways (Bellwood et al 2018 ; Siqueira et al 2019 ; Bosch et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat configurations shape the trophic and energetic dynamics of reef fishes in a tropical–temperate transition zone: implications under a warming future

et al. 2022

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Understanding the extent to which species’ traits mediate patterns of community assembly is key to predict the effect of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on ecosystem functioning. Here, we apply a trait-based community assembly framework to understand how four different habitat configurations (kelp forests, Sargassum spp. beds, hard corals, and turfs) shape the trophic and energetic dynamics of reef fish assemblages in a tropical–temperate transition zone. Specifically, we tested (i) the degree of trait divergence and convergence in each habitat, (ii) which traits explained variation in species’ abundances, and (iii) differences in standing biomass (kg ha−1), secondary productivity (kg ha−1 day−1) and turnover (% day−1). Fish assemblages in coral and kelp habitats displayed greater evidence of trait convergence, while turf and Sargassum spp. habitats displayed a higher degree of trait divergence, a pattern that was mostly driven by traits related to resource use and thermal affinity. This filtering effect had an imprint on the trophic and energetic dynamics of reef fishes, with turf habitats supporting higher fish biomass and productivity. However, these gains were strongly dependent on trophic guild, with herbivores/detritivores disproportionately contributing to among-habitat differences. Despite these perceived overall gains, turnover was decoupled for fishes that act as conduit of energy to higher trophic levels (i.e. microinvertivores), with coral habitats displaying higher rates of fish biomass replenishment than turf despite their lower productivity. This has important implications for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management, questioning the long-term sustainability of ecological processes and fisheries yields in increasingly altered marine habitats.

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“…MPAs are hypothesized to support both resistance to and resilience from disturbances (Duffy et al, 2016; Roberts et al, 2017; Wilson et al, 2020). Warming is a major disturbance impacting marine systems globally, and its impact can be due to both acute heat waves (Bosch et al, 2022; Garrabou et al, 2022) and persistently warmer waters placing organisms under constant thermal stress. Higher resilience within MPAs under warming could be due to many processes within MPAs, including the presences of older, larger and less sensitive individuals; more intact trophic food webs influencing the strength of trophic cascades; or increases in ecosystem functions via increased diversity (Bates et al, 2019; Brandl et al, 2019; Bruno et al, 2019; Lefcheck et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine protected areas' positive effect on fish biomass persists across the steep climatic gradient of the Mediterranean Sea

Frid

Malamud

Franco

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. The positive effect of fully protected Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on marine biodiversity, and specifically on fishes, has been widely documented. In contrast, the potential of MPAs to mitigate the impact of adverse climatic conditions has seldom been tested.2. Here, we test the effectiveness of MPAs, quantified as increasing fish biomass, across wide geographic and environmental gradients across the Mediterranean Sea. For this, we performed underwater visual surveys within and outside MPAs to characterize fish assemblages in 52 rocky reef sites across an extent of over 3,300 km. We further use the steep spatial temperature gradient across the Mediterranean as a 'space-for-time' substitution to infer climate-driven temporal changes.3. We find that, as expected, Mediterranean MPAs increased fish biomass. At the same time, higher seawater temperatures are associated with decreased fish biomass, changes in species composition and shifts towards more thermophilic species.Importantly, we also found that the rate of decrease in fish biomass with temperature was similar in protected and fished sites.4. Taken together, these results suggest that the capacity of MPAs to harbor higher fish biomass compared to surrounding areas is maintained across a broad temperature range. At the same time, MPAs will not be able to offset larger-scale biotic alterations associated with climate.5. Policy implications. Our results suggest that sustained warming will likely reduce fish biomass in the Mediterranean Sea and shift community structure. At the same time, protection from fishing should remain an important management tool even with future high water temperatures, and MPAs will continue to provide local-scale benefits to conservation, and fisheries.

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Persistent thermally driven shift in the functional trait structure of herbivorous fishes: Evidence of top‐down control on the rebound potential of temperate seaweed forests?

Cited by 22 publications

References 131 publications

Black coral forests enhance taxonomic and functional distinctiveness of mesophotic fishes in an oceanic island: implications for biodiversity conservation

Black coral forests enhance taxonomic and functional distinctiveness of mesophotic fishes in an oceanic island: implications for biodiversity conservation

Habitat configurations shape the trophic and energetic dynamics of reef fishes in a tropical–temperate transition zone: implications under a warming future

Marine protected areas' positive effect on fish biomass persists across the steep climatic gradient of the Mediterranean Sea

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