scholarly journals The Ecology of Coral Reef Top Predators in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Dale ◽  
Carl G. Meyer ◽  
Christian E. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Fore Reef ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
National Monument ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
The Pacific

Coral reef habitats in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) are characterized by abundant top-level predators such as sharks and jacks. The predator assemblage is dominated both numerically and in biomass by giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) and Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis). A lower diversity of predatory teleosts, particularly groupers and snappers, distinguishes the PMNM from other remote, unfished atolls in the Pacific. Most coral reef top predators are site attached to a “home” atoll, but move extensively within these atolls. Abundances of the most common sharks and jacks are highest in atoll fore reef habitats. Top predators within the PMNM forage on a diverse range of prey and exert top-down control over shallow-water reef fish assemblages. Ecological models suggest ecosystem processes may be most impacted by top predators through indirect effects of predation. Knowledge gaps are identified to guide future studies of top predators in the PMNM.

Direct and indirect effects of nursery habitats on coral-reef fish assemblages, grazing pressure and benthic dynamics

Oikos ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 125 (7) ◽  
pp. 957-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alastair R. Harborne ◽  
Ivan Nagelkerken ◽  
Nicholas H. Wolff ◽  
Yves-Marie Bozec ◽  
Martijn Dorenbosch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Nursery Habitats

scholarly journals Marine biodiversity of a pristine coral reef in French Polynesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lecchini ◽  
Frédéric Bertucci ◽  
Lily Fogg ◽  
Camille Gache ◽  
Pascal Ung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Biodiversity Survey ◽  
Outer Slope ◽  
Top Predators

Understanding the natural state of coral reefs is paramount to evaluate the response of these ecosystems to local and global human impacts as well as management and conservation strategies. In French Polynesia, some islands are still pristine or uninhabited, such as Tupai atoll. Tupai has been uninhabited, with access to the lagoon prohibited since 2010. However, fishers from nearby islands often take from the outer reef slope at Tupai. Our marine biodiversity survey (coral, macro-invertebrates, and fish) conducted in 2019 highlighted a low density of commercial fish species and top-predators on the outer slope in comparison to the lagoon, where the top-predators represented 16% (of the density) of functional trophic groups. Our surveys also showed a high living coral cover (46%) on the outer slope of Tupai, perhaps due to the absence of both touristic sub-aquatic activities and local pollution from private and commercial activities. Overall, this initial scientific assessment of Tupai has granted an understanding of the spatial patterns of coral, macro-invertebrates, and fish assemblages in the absence of human impacts (i.e., in the lagoon), representing an ecological baseline that could inform conservation management strategies to ensure the preservation of coral reef ecosystem.

Trophic Cascades in Grasslands

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Wilsey
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
Temperate Grasslands ◽  
Cascading Effect ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Invertebrate Predators ◽  
Ecology Of Fear

Top predators have effects that can ‘cascade down’ on lower trophic levels. Because of this cascading effect, it matters how many trophic levels are present. Predators are either ‘sit and wait’ or ‘active’. Wolves are top predators in temperate grasslands and can alter species composition of smaller-sized predators, prey, and woody and herbaceous plant species, either through direct effects or indirect effects (‘Ecology of Fear’). In human derived grasslands, invertebrate predators fill a similar ecological role as wolves. Migrating populations of herbivores tend to be more limited by food than non-migratory populations. The phenology and synchrony of births vary among prey species in a way that is consistent with an adaptation to predation. Precocious species have highly synchronous birth dates to satiate predators. Non-precocious species (‘hiders’) have asynchronous births. Results from studies that manipulate both predators and food support the hypothesis that bottom-up and top-down effects interact.

STABILITY OF CORAL REEF FISH ASSEMBLAGES IMPACTED BY NUCLEAR TESTS

Ecology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
pp. 2578-2585 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Planes ◽  
R. Galzin ◽  
J-P. Bablet ◽  
P. F. Sale
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Nuclear Tests

scholarly journals Habitats as Surrogates of Taxonomic and Functional Fish Assemblages in Coral Reef Ecosystems: A Critical Analysis of Factors Driving Effectiveness

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. e40997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Van Wynsberge ◽  
Serge Andréfouët ◽  
Mélanie A. Hamel ◽  
Michel Kulbicki
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems
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