ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5099-0984
Current Organisation
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
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Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 18-06-2018
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.5014
Abstract: Knowledge of community structure within an ecosystem is essential when trying to understand the function and importance of the system and when making related management decisions. Within the larger ecosystem, microhabitats play an important role by providing inhabitants with a subset of available resources. On coral reefs, cryptobenthic fishes encompass many groups and make up an important proportion of the bio ersity. However, these fishes are relatively small, exhibit extreme visual or behavioral camouflage, and, therefore, are often overlooked. We examined the differences in fish community structure between three common reef microhabitats (live hard coral, dead coral rubble, and sand) using ichthyocide stations in the central Red Sea. Using a combination of morphological and genetic (cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcoding) techniques, we identified 326 in iduals representing 73 species spread across 17 families, from fifteen 1 m 2 quadrats. Fish assemblages in the three microhabitats were significantly different from each other. Rubble microhabitats yielded the highest levels of fish abundance, richness, and ersity, followed by hard coral, and then sand. The results show that benthic composition, even at a small scale, influences cryptobenthic communities. This study also provides new COI sequence data to public databases, in order to further the research of cryptobenthic fishes in the Red Sea region.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-08-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/FAF.12653
Abstract: Macroalgae‐dominated reefs are a prominent habitat in tropical seascapes that support a ersity of fishes, including fishery target species. To what extent, then, do macroalgal habitats contribute to small‐scale tropical reef fisheries? To address this question we: (1) Quantified the macroalgae‐associated fish component in catches from 133 small‐scale fisheries, (2) Compared life‐history traits relevant to fishing (e.g. growth, longevity) in macroalgal and coral‐associated fishes, (3) Examined how macroalgae‐associated species can influence catch ersity, trophic level and vulnerability and (4) Explored how tropical fisheries change with the expansion of macroalgal habitats using a case study of fishery‐independent data for Seychelles. Fish that utilised macroalgal habitats comprise 24% of the catch, but very few fished species relied entirely on macroalgal or coral habitats post‐settlement. Macroalgal and coral‐associated fishes had similar life‐history traits, although vulnerability to fishing declined with increasing contribution of macroalgae association to the catch, whilst mean trophic level and ersity peaked when macroalgal‐associated fish accounted for 20%–30% of catches. The Seychelles case study revealed similar total fish biomass on macroalgal and coral reefs, although the biomass of primary target species increased as macroalgae cover expanded. Our findings reinforce that multiple habitat types are needed to support tropical fishery stability and sustainability. Whilst coral habitats have been the focus of tropical fisheries management, we show the potential for macroalgae‐associated fish to support catch size and ersity in ways that reduce vulnerability to overfishing. This is pertinent to seascapes where repeated disturbances are facilitating the replacement of coral reef with macroalgal habitats.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-05-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00227-023-04234-Z
Abstract: Marine vegetated habitats such as seagrass, mangroves, and macroalgae are common along tropical coastlines globally and provide habitats for a ersity of fishes, including juvenile fish and species found on coral reefs. Understanding the use of these habitats by different fish species and life stages is fundamental to spatial planning, fisheries management, and conservation. While previous studies have focused on the habitat potential of seagrass, macroalgae, or mangroves for coral reef fish independently, it is important to consider their combined roles, as tropical seascapes are often mosaics of such habitats. In this study, we evaluated habitat associations across life stages for fish species in coral reefs, seagrasses, macroalgae, and mangroves in Saudi Arabia’s central Red Sea. Through in situ visual surveys, we documented 36% of local coral reef fish species in one or more vegetated habitats, with the fraction of coral reef species utilizing macroalgae or seagrass much greater than that of mangroves (29%, 18%, and 6%, respectively). Mangroves hosted mainly juvenile fish (83% of observed population) and macroalgae hosted the largest proportion of herbivores (39% of observed population), suggesting that each environment offers different combinations of resources (food and shelter), and a mix of these habitats could support biological connectivity across a seascape. Species targeted by local fisheries made up 37% of the species documented in vegetated habitats. The use of multiple habitat types by juvenile and commercially important fishes in the Red Sea underscores the need for a holistic approach to habitat protection. Graphical abstract
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00227-022-04117-9
Abstract: Social hierarchies within groups define the distribution of resources and provide benefits that support the collective group or favor dominant members. The progression of in iduals through social hierarchies is a valuable characteristic for quantifying population dynamics. On coral reefs, some clownfish maintain size-based hierarchical communities where in iduals queue through social ranks. The cost of waiting in a lower-ranked position is outweighed by the reduced risk of eviction and mortality. The orange clownfish, Amphiprion percula , maintains stable social groups with subordinate in iduals queuing to be part of the dominant breeding pair. Strong association with their host anemone, complex social interactions, and relatively low predation rates make them ideal model organisms to assess changes in group dynamics through time in their natural environment. Here, we investigate the rank changes and isometric growth rates of A. percula from 247 naturally occurring social groups in Kimbe Island, Papua New Guinea (5° 12′ 13.54″ S, 150° 22′ 32.69″ E). We used DNA profiling to assign and track in iduals over eight years between 2011 and 2019. Over half of the in iduals survived alongside two or three members of their original social group, with twelve breeding pairs persisting over the study period. Half of the surviving in iduals increased in rank and experienced double the growth rate of those that maintained their rank. Examining rank change in a wild fish population provides new insights into the complex social hierarchies of reef fishes and their role in social evolution.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-07-2021
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 21-08-2020
Abstract: Nutrients become a death knell 5 for corals as the ocean warms.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2020
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.6566
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-09-2023
Location: Saudi Arabia
No related grants have been discovered for Darren Coker.