Tropical seaweed beds as important habitats for juvenile fish

Tano, Stina; Eggertsen, Maria; Wikström, Sofia A.; Berkström, Charlotte; Buriyo, Amelia S.; Halling, Christina

doi:10.1071/mf16153

Cited by 44 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…These findings emphasize the need to consider the shallow-water seascape as an integrally-linked coastal area important for species assemblages, rather than an area of isolated homogenous habitats important for particular species. This is consistent with recent results from the tropics showing that both seagrass beds and macroalgae habitats are important for juvenile fish (Tano et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Habitat Connectivity of Fish in Temperate Shallow-Water Seascapes

2018

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Movements of organisms comprise a fundamental aspect of coastal habitat connectivity. Determining the distribution and co-existence of habitat specialists and generalists in shallow-water seascapes leads to a better understanding of the strength of connectivity-driven community patterns in coastal areas. In this study, unbaited Remote Underwater Video (RUV) systems were used to examine habitat usage and connectivity of fish within six shallow-water coastal seascapes on the Swedish west coast. Within each seascape, video sampling was conducted at three different shallow-water habitats: seagrass meadows, rock-macroalgae and unvegetated areas, in June 2014. Comparative analyses showed that the shallow-water fish community was similar in adjacent habitats within a seascape, though abundances of fish were higher within the structurally complex habitats. All habitats were dominated by juveniles, highlighting the importance of the coastal seascape for early fish life stages. The findings demonstrate that adjacent shallow-water habitats in temperate coastal waters are linked through similar species utilization and that the coastal matrix could be regarded in terms of a seascape nursery for fish. The study highlights the importance of considering shallow-water seascape connectivity in coastal conservation planning and management.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Habitat Connectivity of Fish in Temperate Shallow-Water Seascapes

2018

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“…However, in addition to observations in mangroves and seagrass beds, this review also confirms the widespread occurrence of juvenile coral reef fishes in macroalgae beds despite them currently being one of the least studied non-reef habitat types (13% of studies in this review). The potential importance of macroalgal beds as juvenile coral reef fish habitat is further supported by studies from north-eastern Brazil (Chaves et al, 2013) and Zanzibar, Tanzania (Tano et al, 2017). In particular, the use of macroalgal beds seems to be prevalent for labrids, pomacentrids and siganids (Adams & Ebersole, 2002;Evans et al, 2014;Hoey, Brandl, & Bellwood, 2013;Rasher, Hoey, & Hay, 2013;Rossier & Kulbicki, 2000;Wilson et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…This is because studies that did not survey reef fish on coral reefs as well as non‐reef habitats were excluded (e.g. Bradley et al, ; Nagelkerken, Dorenbosch, Verberk, Cocheret de la Morinière, & van der Velde, ; Tano et al, ), and summary statistics, rather than complete species lists, were provided for some studies that met our criteria (e.g. Mumby et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We found that a significant number of coral reef fishes, from a wide range of families, life stages and feeding guilds, are present in nonreef habitats; and that over half of those species are of interest to fisheries. To place the number of species into context, our findings suggest that almost 20% of the 2,642 species present in the highly diverse Coral Triangle region (Allen, 2015) are likely to occur in reef Tano et al, 2017), and summary statistics, rather than complete species lists, were provided for some studies that met our criteria (e.g. .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Beyond the reef: The widespread use of non‐reef habitats by coral reef fishes

et al. 2019

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Marine ecology seeks to understand the factors that shape biological communities. Progress towards this goal has been hampered by habitat‐centric approaches that ignore the influence of the wider seascape. Coral reef fishes may use non‐reef habitats (e.g. mangrove and seagrass) extensively, yet most studies have focused on within‐reef attributes or connectivity between reefs to explain trends in their distribution and abundance. We systematically review the evidence for multihabitat use by coral reef fishes across life stages, feeding guilds and conservation status. At least 670 species of “coral reef fish” have been observed in non‐reef habitats, with almost half (293 species) being recorded in two or more non‐reef habitats. Of the 170 fish species for which both adult and juvenile data were available, almost 76% were recorded in non‐reef habitats in both life stages. Importantly, over half of the coral reef fish species recorded in non‐reef habitats (397 spp.) were potential fisheries targets. The use of non‐reef habitats by “coral reef” fishes appears to be widespread, suggesting in turn that attempts to manage anthropogenic impacts on fisheries and coral reefs may need to consider broader scales and different forms of connectivity than traditional approaches recommend. Faced with the deteriorating condition of many coastal habitats, there is a pressing need to better understand how the wider seascape can influence reef fish populations, community dynamics, food‐webs and other key ecological processes on reefs.

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“…In tropical coastal waters, various vegetation types, such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and seaweeds (henceforth referred to as "vegetative habitats"), offer valuable ecological functions. These habitats provide food, shelter, and physical links between back reef systems [1][2][3][4][5]. The trophic requirements of reef fishes, especially larger species, change over the course of development; many consequently undergo ontogenetic habitat shifts (reviewed by [6]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic Habitat Usage of Juvenile Carnivorous Fish Among Seagrass-Coral Mosaic Habitats

et al. 2019

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Seagrass beds and coral reefs are both considered critical habitats for reef fishes, and in tropical coastal regions, they often grow together to form “mosaic” habitats. Although reef fishes clearly inhabit such structurally complex environments, there is little known about their habitat usage in seagrass-coral mosaic habitats. The goal of this study was to examine potential factors that drive habitat usage pattern by juvenile reef fishes. We quantified (1) prey availability, (2) potential competitors, and 3) predators across a gradient of mosaic habitats (n = 4 habitat types) for four dominant carnivorous fishes (lethrinids and lutjanids) in the main recruitment season at Dongsha Island, South China Sea. We found that the coral-dominated habitats had not only a higher availability of large crustacean prey but also a higher abundance of competitors and predators of juvenile fishes. Food availability was the most important factor underlying the habitat usage pattern by lethrinids and lutjanids through ontogeny. The predation pressure exhibited a strong impact on small juvenile lethrinids but not on larger juveniles and lutjanids. The four juvenile fishes showed distinct habitat usage patterns through ontogeny. Collectively, mosaic habitats in the back reef system may be linked to key ontogenetic shifts in the early life histories of reef fishes between seagrass beds and coral reefs.

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Tropical seaweed beds as important habitats for juvenile fish

Cited by 44 publications

References 67 publications

Habitat Connectivity of Fish in Temperate Shallow-Water Seascapes

Habitat Connectivity of Fish in Temperate Shallow-Water Seascapes

Beyond the reef: The widespread use of non‐reef habitats by coral reef fishes

Ontogenetic Habitat Usage of Juvenile Carnivorous Fish Among Seagrass-Coral Mosaic Habitats

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