Relationships between structural complexity, coral traits, and reef fish assemblages

Darling, Emily, Graham, Nicholas A.J., Januchowski-Hartley, Fraser A., Nash, Kirsty L., Pratchett, Morgan S., and Wilson, Shaun (2017) Relationships between structural complexity, coral traits, and reef fish assemblages. Coral Reefs, 36 (2). pp. 561-575.

[img] PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1539-...
 
168
1


Abstract

With the ongoing loss of coral cover and the associated flattening of reef architecture, understanding the links between coral habitat and reef fishes is of critical importance. Here, we investigate whether considering coral traits and functional diversity provides new insights into the relationship between structural complexity and reef fish communities, and whether coral traits and community composition can predict structural complexity. Across 157 sites in Seychelles, Maldives, the Chagos Archipelago, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef, we find that structural complexity and reef zone are the strongest and most consistent predictors of reef fish abundance, biomass, species richness, and trophic structure. However, coral traits, diversity, and life histories provided additional predictive power for models of reef fish assemblages, and were key drivers of structural complexity. Our findings highlight that reef complexity relies on living corals-with different traits and life histories-continuing to build carbonate skeletons, and that these nuanced relationships between coral assemblages and habitat complexity can affect the structure of reef fish assemblages. Seascape-level estimates of structural complexity are rapid and cost effective with important implications for the structure and function of fish assemblages, and should be incorporated into monitoring programs.

Item ID: 50418
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1432-0975
Keywords: habitat diversity, species traits, functional ecology, reef architecture, scleractinian corals, coral reef fish
Funders: Cedar Tree Foundation (CTF), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Australian Research Council (ARC), Royal Society University Research Fellowship, Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), Seychelles National Parks Authority, Nature Seychelles, Global Vision International
Projects and Grants: CTF David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship, NSERC Banting Fellowship
Date Deposited: 20 Sep 2017 08:46
FoR Codes: 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 100%
SEO Codes: 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 1
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page