Cole, Andrew J., and Pratchett, Morgan S. (2014) Diversity in diet and feeding behaviour of butterflyfishes: reliance on reef corals versus reef habitats. In: Pratchett, Morgan S., Berumen, Michael L., and Kapoor, B.G., (eds.) Biology of Butterflyfishes. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 107-139.

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Abstract

[Extract] Considerable research attention has focused on the feeding habits of coral reef butterflyfishes, especially Chaetodon butterflyfishes (reviewed by Cole et al., 2008), largely due to their propensity to feed on corals (more specifically, reef-building scleractinian corals). Coral feeding infers a very high dependence upon living corals, which has led to suggestions that changes in the-abundance (or behaviour) of butterflyfishes may provide an effective indicator for declines in coral cover (e.g., Khalaf and Crosby, 2005; Gochfeld, 2006), or even declining condition of entire coral reef ecosystems (Reese, 1977; Hourigan et al., 1988; Crosby and Reese, 1996, 2005). Butterflyfishes, especially highly specialised coral-feeding species, are certainly sensitive to changes in the availability of scleractinian corals (e.g., Crosby and Reese, 2005; Samways, 2005; Pratchett et al.,2006; Graham, 2007; Wilson et al., Chapter 14). However, responses of butterflyfishes to coral loss are very complex, highly species-specific, and often delayed, which greatly reduces their effectiveness as indicators of coral health (Crosby et al., Chapter 10). Variation in dietary breadth and composition among butterflyfishes, which determines coral-dependence, is nonetheless very important in understanding inherent vulnerabilities of butterflyfishes to sustained and ongoing coral loss associated with the worldwide degradation of coral reef ecosystems (Pratchett et al., 2008a, Pratchett, Chapter 6).

Item ID:	28776
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Research - B1)
ISBN:	978-1-4665-8289-7
Date Deposited:	13 Jun 2014 03:20
FoR Codes:	06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology) @ 50% 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0608 Zoology > 060801 Animal Behaviour @ 30% 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0608 Zoology > 060809 Vertebrate Biology @ 20%
SEO Codes:	97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 50% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960808 Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 50%
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