Human activities as a driver of spatial variation in the trophic structure of fish communities on Pacific coral reefs

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. e67-e79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan L. W. Ruppert ◽  
Laurent Vigliola ◽  
Michel Kulbicki ◽  
Pierre Labrosse ◽  
Marie-Josée Fortin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Fish Communities

scholarly journals The importance of sponges and mangroves in supporting fish communities in degraded coral reefs in Caribbean Panama

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina Seemann ◽  
Alexandra Yingst ◽  
Rick D Stuart-Smith ◽  
Graham J Edgar ◽  
Andrew H Altieri
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Total Fish

Fish communities associated with coral reefs worldwide are threatened by overexploitation and other human impacts such as bleaching events that cause habitat degradation. We assessed the fish community on coral reefs on the Caribbean coast of Panama, as well as those associated with mangrove and seagrass habitats, to explore the influences of habitat cover, connectivity and environmental characteristics in sustaining biomass, richness and trophic structure in a degraded tropical ecosystem. Overall, 94 % of all fishes across all habitat types were of small body size (≤11 cm), with communities dominated by fishes that usually live in habitats of low complexity, such as Pomacentridae (damselfishes) and Gobiidae (gobies). Moreover, total fish biomass was very low, small fishes from low trophic levels were over-represented, and top predators were under-represented relative to other Caribbean reefs. For example, herbivorous/omnivorous/detrivorous fishes (trophic level 2-2.7) comprised 37 % of total fish biomass, with the diminutive parrotfish Scarus iseri comprising 72 % of the parrotfish biomass. However, the abundance of sponges and proximity of mangroves were found to be important positive drivers of reef fish richness, biomass and trophic structure on a given reef, presumably by promoting functional processes of ecosystems. The masked goby (Coryphopterus personata) was a strong indicator of reef degradation, apparently benefiting from the reduced density of large predators on local reefs. The damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis was more common on reefs with high sponge cover, and also to proximity to mangroves. Our study suggests that a diverse fish community can persist on degraded coral reefs, and that the availability of habitat forming organisms other than corals, including sponges and mangroves, and their arrangement on the landscape, is critical to the maintenance of functional processes in these ecosystems.

scholarly journals The importance of sponges and mangroves in supporting fish communities in degraded coral reefs in Caribbean Panama

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina Seemann ◽  
Alexandra Yingst ◽  
Rick D Stuart-Smith ◽  
Graham J Edgar ◽  
Andrew H Altieri
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Total Fish

Fish communities associated with coral reefs worldwide are threatened by overexploitation and other human impacts such as bleaching events that cause habitat degradation. We assessed the fish community on coral reefs on the Caribbean coast of Panama, as well as those associated with mangrove and seagrass habitats, to explore the influences of habitat cover, connectivity and environmental characteristics in sustaining biomass, richness and trophic structure in a degraded tropical ecosystem. Overall, 94 % of all fishes across all habitat types were of small body size (≤11 cm), with communities dominated by fishes that usually live in habitats of low complexity, such as Pomacentridae (damselfishes) and Gobiidae (gobies). Moreover, total fish biomass was very low, small fishes from low trophic levels were over-represented, and top predators were under-represented relative to other Caribbean reefs. For example, herbivorous/omnivorous/detrivorous fishes (trophic level 2-2.7) comprised 37 % of total fish biomass, with the diminutive parrotfish Scarus iseri comprising 72 % of the parrotfish biomass. However, the abundance of sponges and proximity of mangroves were found to be important positive drivers of reef fish richness, biomass and trophic structure on a given reef, presumably by promoting functional processes of ecosystems. The masked goby (Coryphopterus personata) was a strong indicator of reef degradation, apparently benefiting from the reduced density of large predators on local reefs. The damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis was more common on reefs with high sponge cover, and also to proximity to mangroves. Our study suggests that a diverse fish community can persist on degraded coral reefs, and that the availability of habitat forming organisms other than corals, including sponges and mangroves, and their arrangement on the landscape, is critical to the maintenance of functional processes in these ecosystems.

scholarly journals The importance of sponges and mangroves in supporting fish communities on degraded coral reefs in Caribbean Panama

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina Seemann ◽  
Alexandra Yingst ◽  
Rick D. Stuart-Smith ◽  
Graham J. Edgar ◽  
Andrew H. Altieri
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Total Fish ◽  
The Caribbean

Fish communities associated with coral reefs worldwide are threatened by habitat degradation and overexploitation. We assessed coral reefs, mangrove fringes, and seagrass meadows on the Caribbean coast of Panama to explore the influences of their proximity to one another, habitat cover, and environmental characteristics in sustaining biomass, species richness and trophic structure of fish communities in a degraded tropical ecosystem. We found 94% of all fish across all habitat types were of small body size (≤10 cm), with communities dominated by fishes that usually live in habitats of low complexity, such as Pomacentridae (damselfishes) and Gobiidae (gobies). Total fish biomass was very low, with the trend of small fishes from low trophic levels over-represented, and top predators under-represented, relative to coral reefs elsewhere in the Caribbean. For example, herbivorous fishes comprised 27% of total fish biomass in Panama relative to 10% in the wider Caribbean, and the small parrotfishScarus isericomprised 72% of the parrotfish biomass. We found evidence that non-coral biogenic habitats support reef-associated fish communities. In particular, the abundance of sponges on a given reef and proximity of mangroves were found to be important positive correlates of reef fish species richness, biomass, abundance and trophic structure. Our study indicates that a diverse fish community can persist on degraded coral reefs, and that the availability and arrangement within the seascape of other habitat-forming organisms, including sponges and mangroves, is critical to the maintenance of functional processes in such ecosystems.

Spatial variation in the functional characteristics of herbivorous fish communities and the resilience of coral reefs

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alistair J. Cheal ◽  
Michael Emslie ◽  
M. Aaron MacNeil ◽  
Ian Miller ◽  
Hugh Sweatman
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Herbivorous Fish ◽  
Functional Characteristics

scholarly journals Contrasting patterns in the abundance of fish communities targeted by fishers on two coral reefs in southern Mozambique

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-107
Author(s):  
T Sancelme ◽  
J Goetze ◽  
S Jaquemet ◽  
MG Meekan ◽  
A Flam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fish Communities

scholarly journals APPLICATION OF CORAL TRANSPLANTATION TECHNOLOGY FOR CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM PROBLEMS IN SALAH NAMA ISLAND, BATUBARA REGENCY

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-23
Author(s):  
Ipanna Enggar Susetya ◽  
Desrita ◽  
Zulham Apandy Harahap
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystem ◽  
Reef Ecosystem ◽  
Destructive Fishing

Coral reefs are one of the typical ecosystems in coastal areas that have ecological and economicvalue. There are many cases of coral reef damage in Salah Nama Island caused by natural andhuman factors. Coral reefs damage is mostly caused by human activities such as water pollution,destructive fishing and using of ship anchors. Activity of devotion society aims to provideinformation and skills to fishermen groups in Salah Nama Island about coral transplantationtechniques, as well as conducting coral transplantation activities as one of the efforts to preservethe ecosystem of coral reefs. Based on the description of the problems and objectives of devotionsociety, the activities that have been done are counseling to the partner fishermen abouttransplantation and coral benefits in ecosystem, transplantation practice and coral transplantationmonitoring.

scholarly journals Benthic foraminifera as ecological indicators in the Tunda Island Waters, Serang District, Banten Province, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
ISNI NURRUHWATI ◽  
FACHRI ARDIANSYAH ◽  
YUNIARTI ◽  
LINTANG PERMATA SARI YULIADI ◽  
Ruhyat Partasasmita
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Benthic Foraminifera ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Mangrove Forests ◽  
Benthic Foraminifers ◽  
A Site

Abstract. Nurruhwati I, Ardiansyah F, Yuniarti, Yuliadi LPS, Partasasmita R. 2020. Benthic foraminifera as ecological indicators in the Tunda Island Waters Serang District, Banten Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 3142-3148. Coral reef communities all across Southeast Asia are experiencing intense pressures from extensive tourism and massive coastal development. A prediction regarding coral reefs’ capacity to recover is a necessity since it is constantly exposed to damaging events such as mass bleaching and increased erosion. Tunda Island (which is highly rich in biodiversity and include coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass, and algae meadows) was sampled at 10 different sites in August 2019. Coral reefs are highly influenced by ecological factors such as temperature variability, salinity, DO, and pH. The assessments were conducted using the FORAM Index (FI) to accurately predict the capacity of coral reefs to recover based on relative abundances of symbiont-bearing larger benthic foraminifera in reef sediments. The FI values ranged from 3.7 to 7.9 with a median of 4.7 and the average of 5 indicates that the water quality should support the recovery of reefs by reef-building corals and symbiont-bearing larger benthic foraminifers. The lowest FI value sampled was recorded from a site with extensive human activities (FI=3.4), while the highest one was recorded from a site with minimal to none human activities (FI=7.9), which indicates that the deterioration of water quality is caused by wastes from tourism activities near the coastal area.

Seawater turbidity and fish communities on coral reefs of Puerto Rico

2013 ◽  
Vol 474 ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Bejarano ◽  
RS Appeldoorn
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fish Communities

Spatial variation of the underwater soundscape over coral reefs in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
pp. 2276-2276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon E. Freeman ◽  
Lauren A. Freeman ◽  
Marc O. Lammers ◽  
Michael J. Buckingham
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
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