ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8256-1412
Current Organisation
University of Technology Sydney
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Ecology | Marine And Estuarine Ecology (Incl. Marine Ichthyology) | Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) | Life Histories (Incl. Population Ecology) | Sociobiology And Behavioural Ecology | Ecological Impacts of Climate Change | Landscape Ecology | Environmental Science and Management | Ecological Applications | Actuarial Mathematics | Environmental Impact Assessment | Environmental Management And Rehabilitation | Climate change impacts and adaptation | Conservation and Biodiversity | Freshwater Ecology | Fisheries Management | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) | Behavioural Ecology | Global change biology | Ecosystem Studies And Stock Assessment | Biological Oceanography | Population, Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics | Physical Oceanography | Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Living resources (flora and fauna) | Fish not elsewhere classified | Fisheries—recreational | Fisheries—commercial | Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Marine protected areas | Coastal and Estuarine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management | Control of pests and exotic species | Integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management | Estuarine and lagoon areas | Rehabilitation of degraded coastal and estuarine areas | Living resources (incl. impacts of fishing on non-target species) | Land and water management | Integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales | Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) | Climate Change Models | Primary mining and extraction processes | Exploration | Land and water management | Physical and chemical conditions | Land and water management |
Related Links
Publications
Mechanisms for climate-induced mortality of fish populations in whole-lake experiments
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 05-06-2007
Abstract: The effects of climate change on plant and animal populations are widespread and documented for many species in many areas of the world. However, projections of climate impacts will require a better mechanistic understanding of ecological and behavioral responses to climate change and climate variation. For vertebrate animals, there is an absence of whole-system manipulative experiments that express natural variation in predator and prey behaviors. Here we investigate the effect of elevated water temperature on the physiology, behavior, growth, and survival of fish populations in a multiple whole-lake experiment, by using 17 lake-years of data collected over 2 years with differing average temperatures. We found that elevated temperatures in excess of the optimum reduced the scope for growth through reduced maximum consumption and increased metabolism in young rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss . Increased metabolism at high temperatures resulted in increased feeding activity (consumption) by in iduals to compensate and maintain growth rates similar to that observed at cooler (optimum) temperatures. However, greater feeding activity rates resulted in greater vulnerability to predators that reduced survival to only half that of the cooler year. Our work therefore identifies temperature-dependent physiology and compensatory feeding behavior as proximate mechanisms for substantial climate-induced mortality in fish populations at the scale of entire populations and waterbodies.
Extreme boldness precedes starvation mortality in six-lined trumpeter (Pelates sexlineatus)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-08-2009
Science under siege-comment on Kearney article: Faith, vested interests and the scientific method: A critique of Kearney
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2012.014
Using otolith microchemistry and shape to assess the habitat value of oil structures for reef fish.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARENVRES.2015.03.007
Abstract: Over 7500 oil and gas structures (e.g. oil platforms) are installed in offshore waters worldwide and many will require decommissioning within the next two decades. The decision to remove such structures or turn them into reefs (i.e. 'rigs-to-reefs') hinges on the habitat value they provide, yet this can rarely be determined because the residency of mobile species is difficult to establish. Here, we test a novel solution to this problem for reef fishes the use of otolith (earstone) properties to identify oil structures of residence. We compare the otolith microchemistry and otolith shape of a site-attached coral reef fish (Pseudanthias rubrizonatus) among four oil structures (depth 82-135 m, separated by 9.7-84.2 km) on Australia's North West Shelf to determine if populations developed distinct otolith properties during their residency. Microchemical signatures obtained from the otolith edge using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) differed among oil structures, driven by elements Sr, Ba and Mn, and to a lesser extent Mg and Fe. A combination of microchemical data from the otolith edge and elliptical Fourier (shape) descriptors allowed allocation of in iduals to their 'home' structure with moderate accuracy (overall allocation accuracy: 63.3%, range: 45.5-78.1%), despite lower allocation accuracies for each otolith property in isolation (microchemistry: 47.5%, otolith shape: 45%). Site-specific microchemical signatures were also stable enough through time to distinguish populations during 3 separate time periods, suggesting that residence histories could be recreated by targeting previous growth zones in the otolith. Our results indicate that reef fish can develop unique otolith properties during their residency on oil structures which may be useful for assessing the habitat value of in idual structures. The approach outlined here may also be useful for determining the residency of reef fish on artificial reefs, which would assist productivity assessments of these habitats.
Can temperature-dependent predation rates regulate range expansion potential of tropical vagrant fishes?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-05-2019
Single-species subgroups form within mixed-species shoals of tropical and temperate fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-10-2022
Decommissioning of offshore oil and gas structures - Environmental opportunities and challenges.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.12.193
Abstract: Thousands of offshore oil and gas structures are approaching the end of their operating life globally, yet our understanding of the environmental effects of different decommissioning strategies is incomplete. Past focus on a narrow set of criteria has limited evaluation of decommissioning effects, restricting decommissioning options in most regions. We broadly review the environmental effects of decommissioning, analyse case studies, and outline analytical approaches that can advance our understanding of ecological dynamics on oil and gas structures. We find that ecosystem functions and services increase with the age of the structure and vary with geographical setting, such that decommissioning decisions need to take an ecosystem approach that considers their broader habitat and bio ersity values. Alignment of decommissioning assessment priorities among regulators and how they are evaluated, will reduce the likelihood of variable and sub-optimal decommissioning decisions. Ultimately, the range of allowable decommissioning options must be expanded to optimise the environmental outcomes of decommissioning across the broad range of ecosystems in which platforms are located.
Coral expansion in Sydney and associated coral-reef fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-08-2018
Molecular approaches to the study of invasive seaweeds
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Date: 12-2007
DOI: 10.1515/BOT.2007.043
Abstract: A wide range of vectors is currently introducing a plethora of alien marine species into indigenous marine species assemblages. Over the past two decades, molecular studies of non-native seaweeds, including cryptic invaders, have successfully identified the species involved and their sources we briefly review these studies. As yet, however, little research has been directed towards examining the genetic consequences of seaweed invasions. Here we provide an overview of seaweed invasions from a genetic perspective, focusing on invader species for which the greatest amount of information is available. We review invasion processes, and rationalize evolutionary and genetic consequences for the indigenous and invader species into two main groups: (1) changes in gene-pool composition, in population structure and allele frequencies and (2) changes in genome organization at the species level through hybridization, and in in idual gene expression profiles at the levels of expressed messenger RNA and the proteome (i.e., all proteins synthesized) and thus the phenotype. We draw on studies of better-known aquatic and terrestrial organisms to point the way forward in revealing the genetic consequences of seaweed invasions. We also highlight potential applications of more recent methodological and statistical approaches, such as microarray technology, assignment tests and mixed stock analysis.
Sustainable development - the East Bali poverty project
Publisher: Thomas Telford Ltd.
Date: 03-2012
DOI: 10.1680/MUEN.9.00043
Abstract: Sustainable development is an essential objective for all governments, whether tasked with leading a fully industrialised country or grappling with the challenges faced by developing countries. Efforts to deal with some of the major issues of the world that have loomed over the past few decades such as water and sanitation and poverty, the scale of which has primarily resulted from very large population growth over the past half century, have generally failed. This is particularly noticeable in the fast industrialising countries of Asia and in parts of Africa. In more recent times, it has been recognised that resolution of poverty problems really only succeed if the people requiring assistance are directly and fully embraced in the solutions needed, along with the approaches and procedures adopted to tackle the problems. In this paper, details are presented of the approach taken to respond to the aspirations of a desperately poor community of 15 000 in a remote area of Bali, Indonesia, with difficult access, and raise it to a situation of sustainable development. In the beginning the elders of the community prioritised education for their children as a means of providing for a better future. Before the children could respond properly, serious health issues had to be addressed, and this meant taking a long-term and holistic view with a matching schedule of parallel infrastructure and social programmes, and full participation of the community. This privately funded integrated development is now in its eleventh year, and the many challenges and solutions to achieve sustainable development are described. The project provides many lessons for adaptation, and is already providing selective assistance elsewhere.
Biodiversity value of a geographically restricted soft coral species within a temperate estuary
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-05-2013
DOI: 10.1002/AQC.2362
Evidence of sustained populations of a small reef fish on artificial structures. Does depth affect production on artificial reefs?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-01-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1095-8649.2011.03201.X
Abstract: The length frequencies and age structures of resident Pseudanthias rubrizonatus (n = 407), a small protogynous serranid, were measured at four isolated artificial structures on the continental shelf of north-western Australia between June and August 2008, to determine whether these structures supported full (complete size and age-structured) populations of this species. The artificial structures were located in depths between 82 and 135 m, and growth rates of juveniles and adults, and body condition of adults, were compared among structures to determine the effect of depth on potential production. All life-history stages, including recently settled juveniles, females and terminal males, of P. rubrizonatus were caught, ranging in standard length (L(s)) from 16·9 to 96·5 mm. Presumed ages estimated from whole and sectioned otoliths ranged between 22 days and 5 years, and parameter ±s.e. estimates of the von Bertalanffy growth model were L(∞) = 152 ± 34 mm, k = 0·15(±0·05) and t(0) = -1·15(±0·15). Estimated annual growth rates were similar between shallow and deep artificial structures however, otolith lengths and recent growth of juveniles differed among in idual structures, irrespective of depth. The artificial structures therefore sustained full populations of P. rubrizonatus, from recently settled juveniles through to adults however, confirmation of the maximum age attainable for the species is required from natural populations. Depth placement of artificial reefs may not affect the production of fish species with naturally wide depth ranges.
Tropical Marine Fishes and Fisheries and Climate Change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-09-2017
Fish assemblages in habitats dominated by Caulerpa taxifolia and native seagrasses in south-eastern Australia
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 24-04-2006
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS312223
Crucial knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes
Publisher: The Company of Biologists
Date: 15-03-2010
DOI: 10.1242/JEB.037895
Abstract: Expert opinion was canvassed to identify crucial knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes. Scientists that had published three or more papers on the effects of climate and environmental factors on reef fishes were invited to submit five questions that, if addressed, would improve our understanding of climate change effects on coral reef fishes. Thirty-three scientists provided 155 questions, and 32 scientists scored these questions in terms of: (i) identifying a knowledge gap, (ii) achievability, (iii) applicability to a broad spectrum of species and reef habitats, and (iv) priority. Forty-two per cent of the questions related to habitat associations and community dynamics of fish, reflecting the established effects and immediate concern relating to climate-induced coral loss and habitat degradation. However, there were also questions on fish demographics, physiology, behaviour and management, all of which could be potentially affected by climate change. Irrespective of their in idual expertise and background, scientists scored questions from different topics similarly, suggesting limited bias and recognition of a need for greater interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Presented here are the 53 highest-scoring unique questions. These questions should act as a guide for future research, providing a basis for better assessment and management of climate change impacts on coral reefs and associated fish communities.
Gravity of human impacts mediates coral reef conservation gains
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 18-06-2018
Abstract: Marine reserves that prohibit fishing are a critical tool for sustaining coral reef ecosystems, yet it remains unclear how human impacts in surrounding areas affect the capacity of marine reserves to deliver key conservation benefits. Our global study found that only marine reserves in areas of low human impact consistently sustained top predators. Fish biomass inside marine reserves declined along a gradient of human impacts in surrounding areas however, reserves located where human impacts are moderate had the greatest difference in fish biomass compared with openly fished areas. Reserves in low human-impact areas are required for sustaining ecological functions like high-order predation, but reserves in high-impact areas can provide substantial conservation gains in fish biomass.
Renewables-to-reefs: Participatory multicriteria decision analysis is required to optimize wind farm decommissioning
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2015
A deep dive into the ecology of Gamay (Botany Bay, Australia): Current knowledge and future priorities for this highly modified coastal waterway
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 19-07-2023
DOI: 10.1071/MF22268
Abstract: Context Gamay is a coastal waterway of immense social, cultural and ecological value. Since European settlement, it has become a hub for industrialisation and human modification. There is growing desire for ecosystem-level management of urban waterways, but such efforts are often challenged by a lack of integrated knowledge. Aim and methods We systematically reviewed published literature and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and consulted scientists to produce a review of Gamay that synthesises published knowledge of Gamay’s aquatic ecosystem to identify knowledge gaps and future research opportunities. Key results We found 577 published resources on Gamay, of which over 70% focused on ecology. Intertidal rocky shores were the most studied habitat, focusing on invertebrate communities. Few studies considered multiple habitats or taxa. Studies investigating cumulative human impacts, long-term trends and habitat connectivity are lacking, and the broader ecological role of artificial substrate as habitat in Gamay is poorly understood. TEK of Gamay remains a significant knowledge gap. Habitat restoration has shown promising results and could provide opportunities to improve affected habitats in the future. Conclusion and implications This review highlights the extensive amount of knowledge that exists for Gamay, but also identifies key gaps that need to be filled for effective management.
Behavioural generalism could facilitate coexistence of tropical and temperate fishes under climate change.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-10-2022
Abstract: Coral-reef fishes are shifting their distributions poleward in response to human-mediated ocean warming yet, the consequences for recipient temperate fish communities remain poorly understood. Behavioural modification is often the first response of species to environmental change, but we know little about how this might shape the ongoing colonisation by tropical fishes of temperate-latitude ecosystems under climate change. In a global hotspot of ocean warming (southeast Australia), we quantified 14 behavioural traits of invading tropical and local co-occurring temperate fishes at 10 sites across a 730 km latitudinal gradient as a proxy of species behavioural niche space in different climate ranges (subtropical, warm-temperate and cold-temperate). We found that tropical fishes (four species) modified their behavioural niches as well as increased their overall behavioural niche breadth in their novel temperate ranges where temperate species predominate, but maintained a moderate to high niche segregation with native temperate species across latitudinal range position. Temperate species (three co-occurring species) also modified their niches, but in contrast to tropical species, experienced an increased niche breadth towards subtropical ranges. Alterations to feeding and shoaling behaviours contributed most to niche modifications in tropical and temperate species, while behaviours related to alertness and escape from potential threats contributed least. We here show that at warmer and colder range edges where community structures are being reshuffled due to climate change, behavioural generalism and niche modification are potential mechanisms adopted by tropical range extenders and native temperate fishes to adjust to novel species interactions under climate change.
Searching for seadragons: predicting micro‐habitat use for the common (weedy) seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) based on habitat and prey
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.15025
Abstract: Habitat associations can be critical predictors of larger‐scale organism distributions and range shifts. Here the authors consider how a critical habitat, kelp ( Ecklonia radiata ) and prey (mysid crustacean swarms), can influence small‐ and large‐scale distribution on the iconic common (weedy) seadragon ( Phyllopteryx taeniolatus :Syngnathidae). P. taeniolatus are charismatic fish endemic to the temperate reefs of southern Australia, reported to range from Geraldton, Western Australia (28.7667°S, 114.6167°E) around southern Australia to Port Stephens, New South Wales (32.614369°S, 152.325676°E). The authors test a previously developed model of seadragon habitat preferences to predict P. taeniolatus occurrence within four sites from Sydney to the northern limit of their range in eastern Australia. They determined that P. taeniolatus associations with Ecklonia and mysid shrimp can be extrapolated across multiple sites to predict the occurrence of in idual P. taeniolatus within a location/site. For instance, the authors demonstrated a significant positive relationship between the density of mysid swarms and the density of P. taeniolatus , evident across all sites despite large differences in the density of mysid swarms among sites. The findings are the first to model P. taeniolatus habitat associations across multiple sites to the northern limit of their range and have applications in protecting P. taeniolatus populations and how they may respond under climate change scenarios, such as poleward kelp retractions.
Ontogenetic milestones of chemotactic behaviour reflect innate species-specific response to habitat cues in larval fish
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
Fish assemblages associated with oil industry structures on the continental shelf of north-western Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-12-2014
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.12274
Abstract: This study provides the first assessment of fish associations with oil and gas structures located in deep water (85-175 m) on Australia's north-west continental shelf, using rare oil industry video footage obtained from remotely operated vehicles. A erse range of taxa were observed associating with the structures, including reef-dependent species and transient pelagic species. Ten commercially fished species were observed, the most abundant of which was Lutjanus argentimaculatus, with an estimated biomass for the two deepest structures (Goodwyn and Echo) of 109 kg.
The tropicalization of temperate marine ecosystems: climate-mediated changes in herbivory and community phase shifts
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-08-2014
Abstract: Climate-driven changes in biotic interactions can profoundly alter ecological communities, particularly when they impact foundation species. In marine systems, changes in herbivory and the consequent loss of dominant habitat forming species can result in dramatic community phase shifts, such as from coral to macroalgal dominance when tropical fish herbivory decreases, and from algal forests to ‘barrens’ when temperate urchin grazing increases. Here, we propose a novel phase-shift away from macroalgal dominance caused by tropical herbivores extending their range into temperate regions. We argue that this phase shift is facilitated by poleward-flowing boundary currents that are creating ocean warming hotspots around the globe, enabling the range expansion of tropical species and increasing their grazing rates in temperate areas. Overgrazing of temperate macroalgae by tropical herbivorous fishes has already occurred in Japan and the Mediterranean. Emerging evidence suggests similar phenomena are occurring in other temperate regions, with increasing occurrence of tropical fishes on temperate reefs.
Rapid growth and short life spans characterize pipefish populations in vulnerable seagrass beds
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-03-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.12950
Abstract: The life-history traits of two species of pipefish (Syngnathidae) from seagrass meadows in New South Wales, Australia, were examined to understand whether they enhance resilience to habitat degradation. The spotted pipefish Stigmatopora argus and wide-bodied pipefish Stigmatopora nigra exhibit some of the shortest life spans known for vertebrates (longevity up to 150 days) and rapid maturity (male S. argus 35 days after hatching (DAH) and male S. nigra at 16-19 DAH), key characteristics of opportunistic species. Growth rates of both species were extremely rapid (up to 2 mm day(-1) ), with seasonal and sex differences in growth rate. It is argued that short life spans and high growth rates may be advantageous for these species, which inhabit one of the most threatened marine ecosystems on earth.
Settlement preferences in coral-reef fishes: Effects on patterns of adult and juvenile distributions, individual fitness and population structure
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-1998
Feeding preferences of two seagrass grazing monacanthid fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-06-2007
Detecting range shifts among Australian fishes in response to climate change
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1071/MF10270
Abstract: One of the most obvious and expected impacts of climate change is a shift in the distributional range of organisms, which could have considerable ecological and economic consequences. Australian waters are hotspots for climate-induced environmental changes here, we review these potential changes and their apparent and potential implications for freshwater, estuarine and marine fish. Our meta-analysis detected papers globally on ‘fish’ and ‘range shifts’, with ~7% being from Australia. Of the Australian papers, only one study exhibited definitive evidence of climate-induced range shifts, with most studies focussing instead on future predictions. There was little consensus in the literature regarding the definition of ‘range’, largely because of populations having distributions that fluctuate regularly. For ex le, many marine populations have broad dispersal of offspring (causing vagrancy). Similarly, in freshwater and estuarine systems, regular environmental changes (e.g. seasonal, ENSO cycles – not related to climate change) cause expansion and contraction of populations, which confounds efforts to detect range ‘shifts’. We found that increases in water temperature, reduced freshwater flows and changes in ocean currents are likely to be the key drivers of climate-induced range shifts in Australian fishes. Although large-scale frequent and rigorous direct surveys of fishes across their entire distributional ranges, especially at range edges, will be essential to detect range shifts of fishes in response to climate change, we suggest careful co-opting of fisheries, museum and other regional databases as a potential, but imperfect alternative.
Increasing ocean temperatures allow tropical fishes to survive overwinter in temperate waters
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-01-2010
Ontogeny of space use and diet of two temperate damselfish species, Parma microlepis and Parma unifasciata
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-04-2009
Density- and size-dependent mortality of a settling coral-reef damselfish (Pomacentrus moluccensis Bleeker)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2003
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-003-1377-2
Abstract: Density-dependent mortality may regulate many populations, but due to an offshore larval phase in benthic marine organisms, it is often difficult to quantify the effects of mortality of arriving in iduals. We added approximately 600 recruit-sized in iduals onto coral reef that parallels patterns in naturally settling fish. Strong, positive density-dependent mortality occurred 3 days, 1-2 weeks, and 4 months after release. Since our study species was patchily distributed, we estimated both mean group size and overall density in a transect. Mortality was more strongly related to mean group size than overall density in a transect, indicating that recruit patchiness was important. Cohesive groups may suffer higher mortality than those spread over larger areas, even if overall density of the latter is greater. Aggregative responses of predators may occur in response to larger groups, so may have contributed to positive density-dependent mortality. Increased conspicuousness to predators and congeneric aggression are additional factors that may vary positively with group size. Tagging of recruits showed migration within but not between transects, so persistence was tantamount to survival. Standard otolith back-calculation techniques employed to reconstruct original size of tagged recruits that persisted 4 months after additions indicated that mortality was also size-dependent. Size-dependent mortality was apparent at the site with the highest mortality but not at the site with the lowest mortality, resulting in different mean body sizes of recruits between sites. Size-dependent mortality may influence estimation of growth and lead to onset of size-based maturity in these fish. Strong, positive density-dependent mortality may regulate recruitment, and if coupled with size-dependent mortality, may increase maturity rate, adding to reproductive schedules of those that survive.
Subtropical coral expansion into SE Australia: a haven for both temperate and expatriating tropical reef fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-10-2023
Juvenile groups in a coral-reef damselfish: Density-dependent effects on individual fitness and population demography
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 1995
DOI: 10.2307/1940634
Research challenges to improve the management and conservation of subtropical reefs to tackle climate change threats: (Findings of a workshop conducted in Coffs Harbour, Australia on 13 September 2010)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2011
Ocean acidification may slow the pace of tropicalization of temperate fish communities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-02-2021
New poleward observations of 30 tropical reef fishes in temperate southeastern Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-06-2018
Some old movies become classics - a case study determining the scientific value of ROV inspection footage on a platform on Australia's North West Shelf
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 14-12-2018
Sydney Harbour: What we do and do not know about a highly diverse estuary
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/MF15159
Abstract: Sydney Harbour is a global hotspot for marine and estuarine ersity. Despite its social, economic and biological value, the available knowledge has not previously been reviewed or synthesised. We systematically reviewed the published literature and consulted experts to establish our current understanding of the Harbour’s natural systems, identify knowledge gaps, and compare Sydney Harbour to other major estuaries worldwide. Of the 110 studies in our review, 81 focussed on ecology or biology, six on the chemistry, 10 on geology and 11 on oceanography. Subtidal rocky reef habitats were the most studied, with a focus on habitat forming macroalgae. In total 586 fish species have been recorded from the Harbour, which is high relative to other major estuaries worldwide. There has been a lack of process studies, and an almost complete absence of substantial time series that constrains our capacity to identify trends, environmental thresholds or major drivers of biotic interactions. We also highlight a lack of knowledge on the ecological functioning of Sydney Harbour, including studies on microbial communities. A sound understanding of the complexity, connectivity and dynamics underlying ecosystem functioning will allow further advances in management for the Harbour and for similarly modified estuaries around the world.
Response of estuarine fishes to elevated temperatures within temperate Australia: Implications of climate change on fish growth and foraging performance
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within the green algal genus Codium (Bryopsidales) based on plastid DNA sequences
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2007
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2007.01.009
Abstract: Despite the potential model role of the green algal genus Codium for studies of marine speciation and evolution, there have been difficulties with species delimitation and a molecular phylogenetic framework was lacking. In the present study, 74 evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) are delimited using 227 rbcL exon 1 sequences obtained from specimens collected throughout the genus' range. Several morpho-species were shown to be poorly defined, with some clearly in need of lumping and others containing pseudo-cryptic ersity. A phylogenetic hypothesis of 72 Codium ESUs is inferred from rbcL exon 1 and rps3-rpl16 sequence data using a conventional nucleotide substitution model (GTR+Gamma+I), a codon position model and a covariotide (covarion) model, and the fit of a multitude of substitution models and alignment partitioning strategies to the sequence data is reported. Molecular clock tree rooting was carried out because outgroup rooting was probably affected by phylogenetic bias. Several aspects of the evolution of morphological features of Codium are discussed and the inferred phylogenetic hypothesis is used as a framework to study the biogeography of the genus, both at a global scale and within the Indian Ocean.
Community-wide scan identifies fish species associated with coral reef services across the Indo-Pacific
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 25-07-2018
Abstract: Determining whether many functionally complementary species or only a subset of key species are necessary to maintain ecosystem functioning and services is a critical question in community ecology and bio ersity conservation. Identifying such key species remains challenging, especially in the tropics where many species co-occur and can potentially support the same or different processes. Here, we developed a new community-wide scan (CWS) approach, analogous to the genome-wide scan, to identify fish species that significantly contribute, beyond the socio-environmental and species richness effects, to the biomass and coral cover on Indo-Pacific reefs. We found that only a limited set of species (51 out of approx. 400, approx. 13%), belonging to various functional groups and evolutionary lineages, are strongly and positively associated with fish biomass and live coral cover. Many of these species have not previously been identified as functionally important, and thus may be involved in unknown, yet important, biological mechanisms that help sustain healthy and productive coral reefs. CWS has the potential to reveal species that are key to ecosystem functioning and services and to guide management strategies as well as new experiments to decipher underlying causal ecological processes.
Variability in growth of longfinned eels among coastal catchments of south‐eastern Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2006
Effects of metals on condition and reproductive output of the smooth toadfish in Sydney estuaries, south-eastern Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2006
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2005.09.009
Abstract: This study determined the condition and reproductive output of a common estuarine toadfish, Tetractenos glaber, in two metal contaminated and two reference estuaries near Sydney, Australia. Female toadfish from metal contaminated estuaries were smaller and younger than in reference estuaries however, it could not be resolved whether these differences were due to direct effects of metal contamination or differences in nutritional value of prey. Lipid content in liver and gonad tissues was inversely related with levels of As, Pb, Cd and Co in sediment. In contrast, protein content in liver, gonad and muscle tissues was positively related to sediment levels of Ni and Co. Increased levels of Pb in gonads were associated with decreased oocyte diameter and density. This suggests a reduction in egg size and fecundity, which ultimately may lead to a decline in female reproductive output. Changes in fish health and reproduction caused by chemical pollutants may alter fish population and community structure.
ENCORE: The effect of nutrient enrichment on coral reefs. Synthesis of results and conclusions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2001
DOI: 10.1016/S0025-326X(00)00181-8
Abstract: Coral reef degradation resulting from nutrient enrichment of coastal waters is of increasing global concern. Although effects of nutrients on coral reef organisms have been demonstrated in the laboratory, there is little direct evidence of nutrient effects on coral reef biota in situ. The ENCORE experiment investigated responses of coral reef organisms and processes to controlled additions of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N) and/or phosphorus (P) on an offshore reef (One Tree Island) at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. A multi-disciplinary team assessed a variety of factors focusing on nutrient dynamics and biotic responses. A controlled and replicated experiment was conducted over two years using twelve small patch reefs ponded at low tide by a coral rim. Treatments included three control reefs (no nutrient addition) and three + N reefs (NH4Cl added), three + P reefs (KH2PO4 added), and three + N + P reefs. Nutrients were added as pulses at each low tide (ca twice per day) by remotely operated units. There were two phases of nutrient additions. During the initial, low-loading phase of the experiment nutrient pulses (mean dose = 11.5 microM NH4+ 2.3 microM PO4(-3)) rapidly declined, reaching near-background levels (mean = 0.9 microM NH4+ 0.5 microM PO4(-3)) within 2-3 h. A variety of biotic processes, assessed over a year during this initial nutrient loading phase, were not significantly affected, with the exception of coral reproduction, which was affected in all nutrient treatments. In Acropora longicyathus and A. aspera, fewer successfully developed embryos were formed, and in A. longicyathus fertilization rates and lipid levels decreased. In the second, high-loading, phase of ENCORE an increased nutrient dosage (mean dose = 36.2 microM NH4+ 5.1 microM PO4(-3)) declining to means of 11.3 microM NH4+ and 2.4 microM PO4(-3) at the end of low tide) was used for a further year, and a variety of significant biotic responses occurred. Encrusting algae incorporated virtually none of the added nutrients. Organisms containing endosymbiotic zooxanthellae (corals and giant clams) assimilated dissolved nutrients rapidly and were responsive to added nutrients. Coral mortality, not detected during the initial low-loading phase, became evident with increased nutrient dosage, particularly in Pocillopora damicornis. Nitrogen additions stunted coral growth, and phosphorus additions had a variable effect. Coral calcification rate and linear extension increased in the presence of added phosphorus but skeletal density was reduced, making corals more susceptible to breakage. Settlement of all coral larvae was reduced in nitrogen treatments, yet settlement of larvae from brooded species was enhanced in phosphorus treatments. Recruitment of stomatopods, benthic crustaceans living in coral rubble, was reduced in nitrogen and nitrogen plus phosphorus treatments. Grazing rates and reproductive effort of various fish species were not affected by the nutrient treatments. Microbial nitrogen transformations in sediments were responsive to nutrient loading with nitrogen fixation significantly increased in phosphorus treatments and denitrification increased in all treatments to which nitrogen had been added. Rates of bioerosion and grazing showed no significant effects of added nutrients. ENCORE has shown that reef organisms and processes investigated in situ were impacted by elevated nutrients. Impacts were dependent on dose level, whether nitrogen and/or phosphorus were elevated and were often species-specific. The impacts were generally sub-lethal and subtle and the treated reefs at the end of the experiment were visually similar to control reefs. Rapid nutrient uptake indicates that nutrient concentrations alone are not adequate to assess nutrient condition of reefs. Sensitive and quantifiable biological indicators need to be developed for coral reef ecosystems. The potential bioindicators identified in ENCORE should be tested in future research on coral reef/nutrient interactions. Synergistic and cumulative effects of elevated nutrients and other environmental parameters, comparative studies of intact vs. disturbed reefs, offshore vs. inshore reefs, or the ability of a nutrient-stressed reef to respond to natural disturbances require elucidation. An expanded understanding of coral reef responses to anthropogenic impacts is necessary, particularly regarding the subtle, sub-lethal effects detected in the ENCORE studies.
Wave-sheltered embayments are recruitment hotspots for tropical fishes on temperate reefs
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 21-03-2016
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS11599
Sydney Harbour: A review of anthropogenic impacts on the biodiversity and ecosystem function of one of the world's largest natural harbours
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/MF15157
Abstract: Sydney Harbour is a hotspot for ersity. However, as with estuaries worldwide, its ersity and functioning faces increasing threats from urbanisation. This is the first synthesis of threats and impacts in Sydney Harbour. In total 200 studies were reviewed: 109 focussed on contamination, 58 on habitat modification, 11 addressed non-indigenous species (NIS) and eight investigated fisheries. Metal concentrations in sediments and seaweeds are among the highest recorded worldwide and organic contamination can also be high. Contamination is associated with increased abundances of opportunistic species, and changes in benthic community structure. The Harbour is also heavily invaded, but invaders’ ecological and economic impacts are poorly quantified. Communities within Sydney Harbour are significantly affected by extensive physical modification, with artificial structures supporting more NIS and lower ersity than their natural equivalents. We know little about the effects of fishing on the Harbour’s ecology, and although ocean warming along Sydney is among the fastest in the world, we know little about how the ecosystem will respond to warming. The interactive and cumulative effects of stressors on ecosystem functioning and services in the Harbour are largely unknown. Sustainable management of this iconic natural system requires that knowledge gaps are addressed and translated into coherent environmental plans.
Rigs-to-reefs: Will the deep sea benefit from artificial habitat?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2011
DOI: 10.1890/100112
Effect of water temperature on stomach evacuation rates, and estimation of daily food intake of bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque)
Publisher: Canadian Science Publishing
Date: 03-1990
DOI: 10.1139/Z90-084
Abstract: Field experiments were conducted over the summer of 1983 to determine food-evacuation rate and measure stomach fullness of bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). A combination of these data gave estimates of daily food intake of fish. Fish were captured and held in large holding pens in Lake Opinicon, Ontario, Canada, and periodically subs led over 24 h to monitor changes in mean weight of stomach contents. Stomach-evacuation rates obtained in this way increased significantly with water temperature over the range 10–25 °C. However, variation in stomach-evacuation rate was considerable, reducing the utility of water temperature as a predictor of stomach-evacuation rate. It is suggested that the simple field methods employed here to estimate stomach evacuation and food intake are more useful in the estimation of daily ration than the more commonly employed laboratory-based methods.
Tracking biological invasions in space and time: Elucidating the invasive history of the green alga Codium fragile using old DNA
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-09-2008
Enhancing the Scientific Value of Industry Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in Our Oceans
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 15-04-2020
Fluctuating asymmetry as a pollution monitor: The Australian estuarine smooth toadfish Tetractenos glaber (Teleostei: Tetraodontidae)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2015.09.038
Abstract: The relationship between pollution level in estuarine sediment and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of resident smooth toadfish Tetractenos glaber was evaluated. A total of 188 fish from Sydney and Hawkesbury River estuaries (5 locations from each) were analysed for 28 bilateral skull bone characters. Sediment pollution was quantified based on analysis of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and organochlorine pesticides (DDT, DDD, DDE, chlordane, dieldrin, lindane). Sediment toxicity was characterized using the mean quotient approach (MERMQ) and ranged from low to moderate level for heavy metals and from low to severe for organochlorides. The mean shape and directional asymmetry of fish bones differed among locations, suggesting a response to local environments. FA was positively correlated with organochlorine pesticides across locations, but not with heavy metals. These results suggest that fish FA could be a useful estimator of stress caused by organic toxicity based on the MERMQ approach.
Pelagic larval duration is similar across 23° of latitude for two species of butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae) in eastern Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-08-2011
Dietary generalism accelerates arrival and persistence of coral-reef fishes in their novel ranges under climate change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-07-2020
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15221
Trophic responses to nutrient enrichment in a temperate seagrass food chain
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 08-03-2012
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS09541
The effects of sampling frequency on estimates of recruitment of the domino damselfish Dascyllus albisella Gill
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-1991
Stick with your own kind, or hang with the locals? Implications of shoaling strategy for tropical reef fish on a range-expansion frontline
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-01-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14016
Abstract: Range shifts of tropical marine species to temperate latitudes are predicted to increase as a consequence of climate change. To date, the research focus on climate‐mediated range shifts has been predominately dealt with the physiological capacity of tropical species to cope with the thermal challenges imposed by temperate latitudes. Behavioural traits of in iduals in the novel temperate environment have not previously been investigated, however, they are also likely to play a key role in determining the establishment success of in idual species at the range‐expansion forefront. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of shoaling strategy on the performance of juvenile tropical reef fishes that recruit annually to temperate waters off the south east coast of Australia. Specifically, we compared body‐size distributions and the seasonal decline in abundance through time of juvenile tropical fishes that shoaled with native temperate species (‘mixed’ shoals) to those that shoaled only with conspecifics (as would be the case in their tropical range). We found that shoaling with temperate native species benefitted juvenile tropical reef fishes, with in iduals in ‘mixed’ shoals attaining larger body‐sizes over the season than those in ‘tropical‐only’ shoals. This benefit in terms of population body‐size distributions was accompanied by greater social cohesion of ‘mixed’ shoals across the season. Our results highlight the impact that sociality and behavioural plasticity are likely to play in determining the impact on native fish communities of climate‐induced range expansion of coral reef fishes.
Performance of tropical fish recruiting to temperate habitats: role of ambient temperature and implications of climate change
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 29-05-2009
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08057
Physiological and morphological responses of the temperate seagrass Zostera muelleri to multiple stressors: investigating the interactive effects of light and temperature.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-10-2013
Food supplemantation increases larval growth, condition and survival of Acanthochromis polyacanthus
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2002
Trophic niche segregation allows range‐extending coral reef fishes to co‐exist with temperate species under climate change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-12-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14898
Abstract: Changing climate is forcing many terrestrial and marine species to extend their ranges poleward to stay within the bounds of their thermal tolerances. However, when such species enter higher latitude ecosystems, they engage in novel interactions with local species, such as altered predator-prey dynamics and competition for food. Here, we evaluate the trophic overlap between range-extending and local fish species along the east coast of temperate Australia, a hotspot for ocean warming and species range extensions. Stable isotope ratios (δ
A multi-criteria decision approach to decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2014
Predicting Geographic Ranges of Marine Animal Populations Using Stable Isotopes: A Case Study of Great Hammerhead Sharks in Eastern Australia
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 03-12-2020
DOI: 10.3389/FMARS.2020.594636
Abstract: Determining the geographic range of widely dispersed or migratory marine organisms is notoriously difficult, often requiring considerable costs and typically extensive tagging or exploration programs. While these approaches are accurate and can reveal important information on the species, they are usually conducted on only a small number of in iduals and can take years to produce relevant results, so alternative approaches may be preferable. The presence of latitudinal gradients in stable carbon isotope compositions of marine phytoplankton offers a means to quickly determine likely geographic population ranges of species that rely on productivity from these resources. Across sufficiently large spatial and temporal scales, the stable carbon isotopes of large coastal or pelagic marine species should reflect broad geographic patterns of resource use, and could be used to infer geographic ranges of marine populations. Using two methods, one based on a global mechanistic model and the other on targeted low-cost latitudinal s ling of fishes, we demonstrate and compare these stable isotope approaches to determine the core population geography of an apex predator, the great hammerhead ( Sphyrna mokarran ). Both methods indicated similar geographic ranges and suggested that S. mokarran recorded in south-eastern Australia are likely to be from more northern Australian waters. These approaches could be replicated in other areas where coastlines span predictable geographic gradients in isotope values and be used to determine the core population geography of highly mobile species to inform management decisions.
Deep-sea observations at hydrocarbon drilling locations: Contributions from the SERPENT Project after 120 field visits
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
Global Human Footprint on the Linkage between Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Reef Fishes
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-04-2011
A novel ACVR1 mutation in the glycine/serine-rich domain found in the most benign case of a fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva variant reported to date
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2011
Temperate macroalgae impacts tropical fish recruitment at forefronts of range expansion
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-02-2017
Range-extending coral reef fishes trade-off growth for maintenance of body condition in cooler waters
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2019.134598
Abstract: As ocean waters warm due to climate change, tropical species are shifting their ranges poleward to remain within their preferred thermal niches. As a result, novel communities are emerging in which tropical species interact with local temperate species, competing for similar resources, such as food and habitat. To understand how range-extending coral reef fish species perform along their leading edges when invading temperate ecosystems, we studied proxies of their fitness, including somatic growth (length increase), feeding rates, and body condition, along a 730-km latitudinal gradient situated in one of the global warming hotspots. We also studied co-occurring temperate species to assess how their fitness is affected along their trailing edges under ocean warming. We predicted that tropical fishes would experience reduced performance as they enter novel communities with suboptimal environmental conditions. Our study shows that although tropical fish maintain their body condition (based on three proxies) and stomach fullness across all invaded temperate latitudes, they exhibit decreased in situ growth rates, activity levels, and feeding rates in their novel temperate environment, likely a result of lower metabolic rates in cooler waters. We posit that tropical fishes face a growth-maintenance trade-off under the initial phases of ocean warming (i.e. at their leading edges), allowing them to maintain their body condition in cooler temperate waters but at the cost of slower growth. Temperate fish exhibited no distinct patterns in body condition and performance along the natural temperature gradient studied. However, in the face of future climate change, when metabolism is no longer stymied by low water temperatures, tropical range-extending species are likely to approach their native-range growth rates along their leading edges, ultimately leading to increased competitive interactions with local species in temperate ecosystems.
Latitude and protection affect decadal trends in reef trophic structure over a continental scale
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-06-2020
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.6347
Predicting range-shift success potential for tropical marine fishes using external morphology
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 09-2016
Abstract: With global change accelerating the rate of species' range shifts, predicting which are most likely to establish viable populations in their new habitats is key to understanding how biological systems will respond. Annually, in Australia, tropical fish larvae from the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are transported south via the East Australian Current (EAC), settling into temperate coastal habitats for the summer period, before experiencing near-100% mortality in winter. However, within 10 years, predicted winter ocean temperatures for the southeast coast of Australia will remain high enough for more of these so-called ‘tropical vagrants’ to survive over winter. We used a method of morphological niche analysis, previously shown to be an effective predictor of invasion success by fishes, to project which vagrants have the greatest likelihood of undergoing successful range shifts under these new climatic conditions. We find that species from the family of butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae), and the moorish idol, Zanclus cornutus , are most likely to be able to exploit new niches within the ecosystem once physiological barriers to overwintering by tropical vagrant species are removed. Overall, the position of vagrants within the morphospace was strongly skewed, suggesting that impending competitive pressures may impact disproportionately on particular parts of the native community.
Patterns of seagrass biomass removal by two temperate Australian fishes (Monacanthidae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1071/MF07209
Abstract: Despite the global significance of nearshore seagrass beds, little is known of their trophodynamic processes. Herbivory by seagrass fishes is thought to be significant but some species previously suspected to be herbivores may be largely detritivorous. Patterns of grazing on the seagrass Posidonia australis by two abundant monacanthid fishes, Meuschenia freycineti and Meuschenia trachylepis, were determined by calculating the removal of seagrass biomass in three Australian estuaries over 14 months. M. freycineti removed significantly more seagrass biomass than M. trachylepis but seagrass biomass removed by both species varied widely across the three estuaries over time. Median amounts of seagrass removal were generally low for all sites compared with standing stock biomass of P. australis leaves and its epiphytes. Nevertheless, grazing by the two species caused high localised rates of removal (up to 90 mg dry weight of P. australis with epibiota per m2) in winter, the season when seagrass growth is least. Such removal rates are far greater than those reported for any other fish grazer in P. australis. These two fish species directly affect seagrass biomass and potentially alter the trophodynamics of P. australis seagrass beds, especially when grazing intensity is high during the season of lowest seagrass growth.
Growth energy partitioning by juvenile bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 1986
A Novel Artificial Habitat Collection Device for Studying Resettlement Patterns in Anguillid Glass Eels
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2001
Settlement and density of juvenile fish assemblages in natural, Zostera capricorni (Zosteraceae) and artificial seagrass beds
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2003
Assessing the Effectiveness of Conservation Stocking for the Endangered White’s Seahorse Hippocampus whitei
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 22-06-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FMARS.2022.867352
Abstract: The White’s seahorse Hippoc us whitei was listed as an Endangered species in 2020 on Australian state and federal legislation, as a result of population declines across its range attributed to habitat loss over the past decade. A captive-bred reintroduction program has been implemented as a possible management tool for species recovery, however, the viability of such a reintroduction program for seahorses has not been assessed to date. This study implemented a pilot captive-breeding program using adult H. whitei from Sydney Harbour, Australia, as brood stock. A total of 90 captive-bred seahorses were released into the wild on two different artificial habitat types (“seahorse hotels” and protective swimming net). Following release, a monthly post-release monitoring program was implemented for 12 months that involved underwater visual census surveys of the tagged seahorses. Sightings of captive-bred seahorse numbers were found to gradually decline over the 12-month period, with fewer seahorses found on the swimming net compared to the seahorse hotels and higher resighting probability of captive-bred animals on the seahorse hotels. After 12 months, 20% of the captive-bred seahorses were detected on the seahorse hotels, whilst two in iduals were still observed 18 months after release on the hotels. Only 2% of captive-bred seahorses were observed on the swimming net after 12 months, with two in iduals still detected on the net after two years. Nine of the captive-bred seahorses were found to reproduce in the wild, with two in iduals observed mating with the wild population. This pilot study indicates that captive-bred seahorses can survive for up to two years in the wild, as well as contribute to local population recovery through reproductive success. However, while conservation stocking shows promise as a potential management tool to assist with threatened seahorse species recovery, there are several factors such as existing threats to the species that need to be addressed before such a program is implemented.
Ocean warming and acidification degrade shoaling performance and lateralization of novel tropical–temperate fish shoals
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-12-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16022
Abstract: Gregarious behaviours are common in animals and provide various benefits such as food acquisition and protection against predators. Many gregarious tropical species are shifting poleward under current ocean warming, creating novel species and social interactions with local temperate taxa. However, how the dynamics of these novel shoals might be altered by future ocean warming and acidification remains untested. Here we evaluate how novel species interactions, ocean acidification and warming affect shoaling dynamics, motor lateralization and boldness of range-extending tropical and co-shoaling temperate fishes under controlled laboratory conditions. Fishes were exposed to 1 of 12 treatments (combinations of three temperature levels, two pCO
Mortality differentials within large American cities in 1890
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-1979
DOI: 10.1007/BF00888102
Seasonal Dynamics of Fish Assemblages on Breakwaters and Natural Rocky Reefs in a Temperate Estuary: Consistent Assemblage Differences Driven by Sub-Adults
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 26-09-2013
Partial migration of grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) on Australia's east coast revealed by otolith chemistry
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARENVRES.2016.06.010
Abstract: Partial migration affects the ecology and evolution of animal populations, and is an important consideration for the management of harvested species, yet the phenomenon is understudied in fish. We provide the first insights into partially diadromous migration of grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) in Australia by examining the otolith chemistry of old in iduals (aged 7-10 years) from two regions on the east coast. Strontium and Barium concentrations were measured across the otolith using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and indicated considerable ersity in migratory histories among in iduals. Only 15% of in iduals made repeated movements from estuaries to the marine environment, consistent with the annual spawning run in the region. The remainder either made irregular movements between salinity environments (70%), or resided in estuaries or fresh water for their entire life following the early juvenile stage (15%). The patterns are consistent with 'skipped spawning' partial migration, where a proportion of the mature population forgoes spawning each year. If confirmed, the behavior may afford the east coast population of M. cephalus some resilience to fishing pressure on the annual spawning run.
Projected ocean acidification and seasonal temperature alter the behaviour and growth of a range extending tropical fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-06-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-023-02396-2
Abstract: Climate-driven invasions of ecosystems by range-extending animals are often mediated by behavioural modifications that increase their chances of establishment in foreign biological communities. This creates novel ecological interactions that can affect the behaviour of native species in recipient ecosystems. However, this question has seldom been addressed in marine systems, in particular with the additive effect of ocean acidification and the mediating effects of seasonal climate variability. Here, we performed a laboratory experiment to evaluate how novel species interactions, ocean acidification, and projected future summer versus winter temperatures could affect the behaviour and growth of a range-extending tropical and co-shoaling temperate fish. Compared to current-day summer temperatures, tropical fish became 4% more active, 90% more aggressive, and increased their growth rates (standard length: +42%) during future summers in their novel poleward ranges, but reduced their aggression by 64%, boldness by 52%, feeding by 45% and growth rates (wet weight: −70%, standard length: −26%) during future winters compared to current-day summer temperatures. Additionally, tropical fish became 3% more active under ocean acidification compared to no ocean acidification. Conversely, temperate fish behaviour was unaffected by climate treatments but their growth rates were 200% faster under future winter versus current and future summer temperatures. We conclude that projected future winter conditions in temperate ecosystems may reduce the performance of range-extending fishes in temperate fish communities and slow down tropicalisation of higher latitudes.
Larval settlement patterns and preferences by domino damselfish Dascyllus albisella Gill
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-1992
Ratio-dependent response of a temperate Australian estuarine system to sustained nitrogen loading
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-07-2006
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-006-0481-5
Abstract: Classical resource- and the less studied ratio-dependent models of predator-prey relationships provide ergent predictions as to the sustained ecological effects of bottom-up forcing. While resource-dependent models, which consider only instantaneous prey density in modelling predator responses, predict community responses that are dependent on the number of trophic levels in a system, ratio-dependent models, which consider the number of prey per consumer, predict proportional increase in each level irrespective of chain length. The two models are only subtly different for systems with two or three trophic levels but in the case of four trophic levels, predict opposite effects of enrichment on primary producers. Despite the poor discriminatory power of tests of the models in systems with two or three trophic levels, field tests in estuarine and marine systems with four trophic levels have been notably absent. S ling of phytoplankton, macroinvertebrates, invertebrate-feeding fishes, piscivorous fishes in Kooloonbung Creek, Hastings River estuary, eastern Australia, subject to over 20 years of sewage discharge, revealed increased abundances in all four trophic levels at the disturbed location relative to control sites. Increased abundance of phytoplankton at the disturbed site was counter to the predictions of resource-dependent models, which posit a reduction in the first trophic level in response to enrichment. By contrast, the increase in abundance of this first trophic level and the proportionality of increases in abundances of each of the four trophic groups to nitrogen loading provided strong support for ratio dependency. This first evidence of ratio dependence in an estuarine system with four trophic levels not only demonstrates the applicability of ecological theory which seeks to simplify the complexity of systems, but has implications for management. Although large nutrient inputs frequently induce mortality of invertebrates and fish, we have shown that smaller inputs may in fact enhance biomass of all trophic levels.
Are the effects of adjacent habitat type on seagrass gastropod communities being masked by previous focus on habitat dyads?
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/ZO15057
Abstract: Variation in abundance and ersity of organisms along habitat edges has long been a key research focus in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Previous investigations into edge effects in seagrass ecosystems have predominantly focussed on the seagrass–sandy substrate boundary. However, little is known about what role other habitats (e.g. rocky algal reefs) may play in faunal assemblage patterns. This study investigated the strength to which habitat type influenced gastropod assemblages within seagrass (Posidonia australis) beds, bordered by both sandy substrate and rocky algal reef. We found that benthic invertebrate community composition significantly changed with distance from rocky algal reef, but not with distance from sandy substrate. Proximity to rocky reef had a stronger effect on community composition than other local drivers examined (seagrass biomass and sand particle size). We hypothesise that gastropod affinity for rocky algal reef may be a result of both species-specific habitat preference, and lower predation pressure along adjacent rocky algal reef habitats. This study provides evidence that heterogeneous habitats within close proximity to seagrass beds may exert previously overlooked effects on the distribution of gastropod assemblages, highlighting the need for the inclusion of adjacent habitat type in experimental design for gastropod assemblage distribution studies.
Seagrass Viviparous Propagules as a Potential Long-Distance Dispersal Mechanism
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-07-2015
Habitat value of subsea wells and pipelines for fishery target species in Australia
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 26-08-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FMARS.2022.960496
Abstract: Subsea pipelines and wells installed to support the oil and gas industry represent some of the most extensive and numerous anthropogenic structures throughout global marine ecosystems. There remains a paucity of information on the habitat value of these structures for fishery target species and, as a result, little understanding of how decommissioning should be conducted to minimise impacts to populations of these economically and socially important species. We assess the ersity and abundance of species that are targets of recreational and commercial fisheries on 33 subsea wells and 17 pipelines across the tropical northwest and temperate southeast marine regions of Australia. We examine relationships between fish identity and abundance and a range of environmental (e.g., depth, location), infrastructure-specific (e.g., pipeline position, diameter, age, length of pipeline, height of well, position on well), and biological (% cover of epibiota) variables using video filmed by remotely operated vehicles during their routine offshore inspection and maintenance c aigns. A total of 100 fishery target species were observed across subsea well and pipeline infrastructure, 56 species uniquely observed on pipelines and nine unique to wells. The families Lutjanidae (snapper), Serranidae (rock cods, groupers, perch), and Carangidae (trevallies) were most common and abundant on both wells and pipelines. In the northwest, lutjanids were most abundant around the base of wells, in shallow depths, on shorter wells, and where pipelines spanned the seafloor. A greater number of fishery target species and abundance of ocean perch ( Helicolenus spp.) were also associated with pipelines that spanned the seafloor in temperate southeast Australia. The combined biomass of three species of snapper on wells in the northwest was 1,270 kg, with production levels for these species on each well estimated to be 105.2 g m 2 year -1 . The present study serves as an important reference point for informing decommissioning decisions for pipeline and well infrastructure and demonstrates the utility of industry-held data for science. We suggest that key predictor variables identified here be incorporated into comprehensive before-after-control-impact scientific studies for specific fields/assets to enable the prediction of potential impacts of decommissioning scenarios on marine communities present and quantification of such impacts after the decommissioning activity has occurred.
Positive responses of a seagrass ecosystem to experimental nutrient enrichment
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 30-07-2013
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS10364
Transgenerational plasticity of reproduction depends on rate of warming across generations
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-06-2016
DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12386
Abstract: Predicting the impacts of climate change to biological systems requires an understanding of the ability for species to acclimate to the projected environmental change through phenotypic plasticity. Determining the effects of higher temperatures on in idual performance is made more complex by the potential for environmental conditions experienced in previous and current generations to independently affect phenotypic responses to high temperatures. We used a model coral reef fish ( Acanthochromis polyacanthus ) to investigate the influence of thermal conditions experienced by two generations on reproductive output and the quality of offspring produced by adults. We found that more gradual warming over two generations, +1.5°C in the first generation and then +3.0°C in the second generation, resulted in greater plasticity of reproductive attributes, compared to fish that experienced the same increase in one generation. Reproduction ceased at the projected future summer temperature (31.5°C) when fish experienced +3.0°C for two generations. Additionally, we found that transgenerational plasticity to +1.5°C induced full restoration of thermally affected reproductive and offspring attributes, which was not possible with developmental plasticity alone. Our results suggest that transgenerational effects differ depending on the absolute thermal change and in which life stage the thermal change is experienced.
Should we reef obsolete oil platforms?
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 30-12-2015
Response to “Comment on ‘Seagrass Viviparous Propagules as a Potential Long-Distance Dispersal Mechanism’ by A. C. G. Thomson et al”
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-10-2016
Fish habitat provided by Saipan's WWII submerged heritage
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2015
Meeting fisheries, ecosystem function, and biodiversity goals in a human-dominated world
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 17-04-2020
Abstract: Coral reefs are among the most bio erse systems in the ocean, and they provide both food and ecological services. They are also highly threatened by climate change and human pressure. Cinner et al. looked at how best to maximize three key components of reef use and health: fish biomass, parrotfish grazing, and fish trait ersity. They found that when human pressure is low, all three traits can be maximized at high conservation levels. However, as human use and pressure increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to promote bio ersity conservation. At some levels of human impact, even the highest amount of protection is not able to maximize bio ersity conservation. Science , this issue p. 307
Prey detection by the blue-eye, pseudomugil signifer kner (Atherinidae):Analysis of field behaviour by controlled laboratory experiments
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 1985
DOI: 10.1071/MF9850691
Abstract: Observations in a brackish creek in eastern Australia indicate that the blue-eye, P. signifer, includes various kinds of insects in its diet in the proportions encountered, provided that they are below a maximum size dictated by the mouth-gape of the fish. Encounter rates are affected by prey body size and water turbidity, but not by hunger level of the fish. Fish fed on insects at rates varying between 0.04 and 0.08 mg s-1.
Movement, home range and site fidelity of the weedy seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Teleostei: Syngnathidae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2004
Environmental benefits of leaving offshore infrastructure in the ocean
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-07-2018
DOI: 10.1002/FEE.1827
Natural and anthropogenic climate variability shape assemblages of range‐extending coral‐reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-02-2021
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14058
Opposing life stage‐specific effects of ocean warming at source and sink populations of range‐shifting coral‐reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-12-2021
Rigs-to-reefs policy: Can science trump public sentiment?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2012
DOI: 10.1890/12.WB.013
Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-03-2018
Beyond the transect: An alternative microchemical imaging method for fine scale analysis of trace elements in fish otoliths during early life
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2014.05.115
Abstract: Microchemical analysis of otolith (calcified 'ear stones' used for balance and orientation) of fishes is an important tool for studying their environmental history and management. However, the spatial resolution achieved is often too coarse to examine short-term events occurring in early life. Current methods rely on single points or transects across the otolith surface, which may provide a limited view of elemental distributions, a matter that has not previously been investigated. Imaging by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) permits microchemical analyses of short-term events in early life with high ( 97% was achieved using a multi-point non matrix-matched calibration of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 610 and 612 (trace elements in glass) using Longerich's calculation method against the matrix-matched standard FEBS-1 (powdered red snapper [Lutjanus c echanus] otolith). The spatial resolution achieved in the otolith corresponded to a time period of 2 ± 1 days during the larval phase, and 4 ± 1 days during the post-settlement juvenile phase. This method has the potential to improve interpretations of early life-history events at scales corresponding to specific events. While the images showed gradients in Sr and Ba across the larval settlement zone more clearly than single transects, the method proved s le homogeneity throughout the structure demonstrating that 2D scanning has no significant advantage over line scans.
Influence of recruit condition on food competition and predation risk in a coral reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-06-2004
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-004-1608-1
Abstract: Settlement rate is considered to be a major determinant of the population structure of coral reef fishes. In this study, the effects of larval physiological condition on survival, predation risk and competitive ability are assessed for a small damselfish, Pomacentrus moluccensis. New settlers were collected and fed for 5 days to produce high and low condition (measured as lipid) treatment fish. In a field experiment, pairs (one high and one low condition fish) were transplanted to corals. Persistence over 2 weeks was much higher (100% vs. 25%) in high condition fish. In mixed groups in the laboratory, high condition fish were both aggressively dominant and consumed more of a limiting prey source than low condition fish. In addition, low condition fish were shown to be at much higher risk of predation. All of the low condition fish but only 33% of high condition fish in mixed groups were consumed by fish predators, and in a separate experiment, 73% of feeding strikes by predators were directed at low condition fish. Quality of new settlers can have an important influence on subsequent juvenile survival. The mechanisms for this effect are likely to include a combination of effects of condition on food competition and predation risk.
Seasonal Sexual and Size Segregation of White Sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, at the Neptune Islands, South Australia
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 03-02-2012
DOI: 10.1201/B11532-25
Genomic and morphological evidence of distinct populations in the endemic common (weedy) seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Syngnathidae) along the east coast of Australia
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 23-12-2020
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0243446
Abstract: The common or weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus , is an iconic and endemic fish found across temperate reefs of southern Australia. Despite its charismatic nature, few studies have been published, and the extent of population sub-structuring remains poorly resolved. Here we used 7462 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify the extent of population structure in the weedy seadragon along the temperate southeast coast of Australia. We identified four populations, with strong genetic structure ( F ST = 0.562) between them. Both Discriminant Analysis of Principle Components (DAPC) and Bayesian clustering analyses support four distinct genetic clusters (north to south: central New South Wales, southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania). In addition to these genetic differences, geographical variation in external morphology was recorded, with in iduals from New South Wales shaped differently for a few measurements to those from the Mornington Peninsula (Victoria). We posit that these genetic and morphological differences suggest that the Victorian population of P . taeniolatus was historically isolated by the Bassian Isthmus during the last glacial maximum and should now be considered at least a distinct population. We also recorded high levels of genetic structure among the other locations. Based on the genomic and to a degree morphological evidence presented in this study, we recommend that the Victorian population be managed separately from the eastern populations (New South Wales and Tasmania).
Implications of climate change for macrophytic rafts and their hitchhikers
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 20-12-2011
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS09529
The reproductive biology of the common stingaree Trygonoptera testacea (Urolophidae) in eastern Australia
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2011.015
Novel species interactions and environmental conditions reduce foraging competency at the temperate range edge of a range-extending coral reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-07-2021
Recruiting a long way from home: Domino damselfish Dascyllus trimaculatus can detect new temperate coral habitat and conspecifics
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.15064
Abstract: Climate change is driving tropicalisation of temperate reefs, yet it is unclear how range‐shifting tropical fishes locate suitable habitat. The authors tested whether juvenile tropical damsels Dascyllus trimaculatus could detect rare coral habitat ( Pocillopora aliciae ) and conspecifics on temperate rocky reefs using olfactory and visual preference experiments. For all cues, in iduals selected and spent more time than expected in aquarium areas with the cue present, which included coral odour and conspecific odour and visual cues. This indicates that vagrant coral‐reef fish can detect rare suitable habitat outside of their natal range.
Ability to home in small site-attached coral reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-06-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.13043
Abstract: The ability of two common, site‐attached coral‐reef fishes to return to their home corals after displacement was investigated in a series of field experiments at One Tree Island, southern Great Barrier Reef. The humbug Dascyllus aruanus was displaced up to 250 m, with 42% of in iduals returning home, irrespective of body size, displacement, direction (up or across currents) and route complexity, while for the lemon damselfish Pomacentrus moluccensis 35% of in iduals returned overall, with 33% from the greatest displacement, 100 m along a reef edge. Given that the home range of both species is m 2 , over their 10+ year life span, the mechanisms and motivations for such homing ability are unclear but it may allow resilience if fishes are displaced by storm events, allowing rapid return to home corals.
Space use by the endemic common (weedy) seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus): influence of habitat and prey
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-11-2021
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.14931
Abstract: The weedy seadragon ( Phyllopteryx taeniolatus : Syngnathidae) is an iconic fish endemic to the southern coastal waters of Australia. The authors of this study analysed the habitat preferences and factors influencing microhabitat selection by P. taeniolatus in a population from Kurnell, NSW, Australia. Using field surveys and the resource selection probability function, the authors determined that P. taeniolatus significantly preferred kelp ( Ecklonia radiata ) – dominated habitat and avoided rock‐dominated habitat. They showed P. taeniolatus preferred habitat of between 40% and 80% coverage of Ecklonia , while avoiding areas of % cover. Furthermore, across all habitats, mysid prey availability significantly influenced P. taeniolatus habitat selection. The strong dependence of P. taeniolatus on Ecklonia habitat shown in this study was previously untested and highlights that reductions in Ecklonia cover under climate change, or impacts from increasing urbanisation, may render seadragon populations vulnerable to declines.
Estuarine habitat preferences of Anguilla australis and A. reinhardtii glass eels as inferred from laboratory experiments
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2004
Phenotypic responses in fish behaviour narrow as climate ramps up
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10584-022-03341-Y
Abstract: Natural selection alters the distribution of phenotypes as animals adjust their behaviour and physiology to environmental change. We have little understanding of the magnitude and direction of environmental filtering of phenotypes, and therefore how species might adapt to future climate, as trait selection under future conditions is challenging to study. Here, we test whether climate stressors drive shifts in the frequency distribution of behavioural and physiological phenotypic traits (17 fish species) at natural analogues of climate change (CO 2 vents and warming hotspots) and controlled laboratory analogues (mesocosms and aquaria). We discovered that fish from natural populations (4 out of 6 species) narrowed their phenotypic distribution towards behaviourally bolder in iduals as oceans acidify, representing loss of shyer phenotypes. In contrast, ocean warming drove both a loss (2/11 species) and gain (2/11 species) of bolder phenotypes in natural and laboratory conditions. The phenotypic variance within populations was reduced at CO 2 vents and warming hotspots compared to control conditions, but this pattern was absent from laboratory systems. Fishes that experienced bolder behaviour generally showed increased densities in the wild. Yet, phenotypic alterations did not affect body condition, as all 17 species generally maintained their physiological homeostasis (measured across 5 different traits). Boldness is a highly heritable trait that is related to both loss (increased mortality risk) and gain (increased growth, reproduction) of fitness. Hence, climate conditions that mediate the relative occurrence of shy and bold phenotypes may reshape the strength of species interactions and consequently alter fish population and community dynamics in a future ocean.
Latitudinal shifts in coral reef fishes: why some species do and others do not shift
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-04-2014
DOI: 10.1111/FAF.12036
Sustainable reference points for multispecies coral reef fisheries
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-09-2023
Latitude-wide genetic patterns reveal historical effects and contrasting patterns of turnover and nestedness at the range peripheries of a tropical marine fish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-03-2015
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.01398
Selective mortality of a coral reef damselfish: role of predator-competitor synergisms
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-02-2008
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-008-0985-2
Abstract: Phenotypic variability within cohorts of juvenile organisms can serve as the basis for selective mortality. Previous studies have demonstrated the important role that predators play in this process but not the impact of competitors on selective predation. We use a combination of lab and field studies to evaluate the effect of the presence of adult competitor damselfish (Dascyllus aruanus and Pomacentrus moluccensis family Pomacentridae) on the selective mortality of newly-arrived (settled) lemon damselfish (P. moluccensis) by resident predator fishes (Pseudochromis fuscus Pseudochromidae and Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus Apogonidae). Lab trials consisted of mesocosm experiments in which the behaviour, mortality, and physiological condition (measured as lipid content) of surviving P. moluccensis settlers from each of three treatments: (1) predators absent, (2) predators present, and (3) predators and competitors present, were compared. The field study involved stocking newly settled P. moluccensis on natural bommies (patch reefs) which had either been subject to a partial removal of resident fish (predators and competitors) or left alone. Results indicated there was very strong condition-based selective mortality in both the lab and field trials. In both cases there was a strong positive relationship between mortality and the lipid content of surviving fish implying low-condition fish were selectively removed. The mesocosm trials indicated that the strength of mortality as well as condition selectivity was higher when competitors were present than when they were absent. Behavioural observations in the mesocosm study suggest that attention by juvenile P. moluccensis to the movements and occasional chases of the competitors (especially D. aruanus) reduced their vigilance to the predators. These results suggest the important and interactive roles which condition of newly settled reef fish and interspecific competition can play in the outcomes of post-settlement predation.
Impact of cigarette butt leachate on tidepool snails
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2015.04.004
Abstract: In urban areas, cigarette butts are the most common discarded refuse articles. In marine intertidal zones, they often fall into tidepools. We tested how common intertidal molluscs were affected by butt leachate in a laboratory experiment, where snails were exposed to various leachate concentrations. Mortality was very high, with all species showing 100% mortality at the full leachate concentration (5 butts per litre and 2h soak time) after 8days. However, Austrocochlea porcata showed higher mortality than the other 2 species at lower concentrations (10%, 25%) which may affect the relative abundance of the 3 snails under different concentrations of leachate pollution. Also, sublethal effects of leachate on snail activity were observed, with greater activity of Nerita atramentosa than the other 2 species at higher concentrations, suggesting it is more resilient than the other 2 species. While human health concerns predominate with respect to smoking, we show strong lethal and sublethal (via behavioural modifications) impacts of discarded butts on intertidal organisms, with even closely-related taxa responding differently.
Changes in a fish assemblage after a coral bleaching event
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS245205
Predicting success of range-expanding coral reef fish in temperate habitats using temperature-abundance relationships
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 13-02-2018
Sexual dimorphism and gonadal development of the Australian longfinned river eel
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2003
Effects of photoperiod and feeding frequency on performance of newly weaned Australian snapper Pagrus auratus
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2006
Reproductive acclimation to increased water temperature in a tropical reef fish
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 13-05-2014
Physiological factors facilitating the persistence of Pocillopora aliciae and Plesiastrea versipora in temperate reefs of south-eastern Australia under ocean warming
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-06-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-022-02277-0
Abstract: High-latitude reefs are suboptimal coral habitats, but such habitats are increasingly considered to be potential refugia from climate change for range-shifting coral reef species. Notably, tropical reef fish have been observed along the south-east coast of Australia, but their establishment on temperate rocky reefs is currently limited by winter minimum temperatures and other resource needs, such as structurally complex habitats typical of tropical reefs. Recent expansion of the branching subtropical coral Pocillopora aliciae in rocky reefs near Sydney (34° S) could ersify the architectural structure of temperate marine environments, thereby providing potential shelter for tropical reef taxa in warming seas. Here, we investigated whether future environmental conditions ( i.e. temperature increase) can influence the dominance of the subtropical branching coral P. aliciae over the resident encrusting coral Plesiastrea versipora in coastal Sydney by characterising physiological ( e.g. metabolic stability) and behavioural ( e.g. interspecific competitive hierarchy) traits that contribute to their competitive fitness. Our results suggest that a metabolic response, mediated by sterol and lipid metabolic pathways and provision of antioxidants, allows P. aliciae to reduce cellular stress and withstand exposure to short-term increased temperature. Conversely, P. versipora was more susceptible to heat exposure with no metabolic mediation observed. While P. versipora displayed greater aggressive behaviour when in direct contact with P. aliciae under all temperature conditions, the superior physiological and metabolic flexibility under increased temperatures of P. aliciae suggests that this species will likely outperform P. versipora under future increased temperatures. Such contrasting responses to environmental change would facilitate shifts in coral community and functional composition that could support further tropicalisation of coastal New South Wales.
Seasonal recruitment, habitat associations and survival of pomacentrid reef fish in the US Virgin Islands
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-1994
DOI: 10.1007/BF00300765
Reproductive cycle and growth of Phyllopteryx taeniolatus
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2005
Allometry in the Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata (Sauria:Agamidae) : Sex and Geographic differences
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 02-2003
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2003.005
Distribution changes after settlement in six species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) in One Tree Island lagoon, Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS226157
Movement patterns of an iconic recreational fish species, mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus), revealed by cooperative citizen-science tagging programs in coastal eastern Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
How well do sunken vessels approximate fish assemblages on coral reefs? Conservation implications of vessel-reef deployments
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-08-2012
Assessing range shifts of tropical reef fishes: a comparison of belt transect and roaming underwater visual census methods
Publisher: Bulletin of Marine Science
Date: 04-2014
Eyes in the sea: Unlocking the mysteries of the ocean using industrial, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.04.049
Abstract: For thousands of years humankind has sought to explore our oceans. Evidence of this early intrigue dates back to 130,000BCE, but the advent of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in the 1950s introduced technology that has had significant impact on ocean exploration. Today, ROVs play a critical role in both military (e.g. retrieving torpedoes and mines) and salvage operations (e.g. locating historic shipwrecks such as the RMS Titanic), and are crucial for oil and gas (O&G) exploration and operations. Industrial ROVs collect millions of observations of our oceans each year, fueling scientific discoveries. Herein, we assembled a group of international ROV experts from both academia and industry to reflect on these discoveries and, more importantly, to identify key questions relating to our oceans that can be supported using industry ROVs. From a long list, we narrowed down to the 10 most important questions in ocean science that we feel can be supported (whole or in part) by increasing access to industry ROVs, and collaborations with the companies that use them. The questions covered opportunity (e.g. what is the resource value of the oceans?) to the impacts of global change (e.g. which marine ecosystems are most sensitive to anthropogenic impact?). Looking ahead, we provide recommendations for how data collected by ROVs can be maximised by higher levels of collaboration between academia and industry, resulting in win-win outcomes. What is clear from this work is that the potential of industrial ROV technology in unravelling the mysteries of our oceans is only just beginning to be realised. This is particularly important as the oceans are subject to increasing impacts from global change and industrial exploitation. The coming decades will represent an important time for scientists to partner with industry that use ROVs in order to make the most of these 'eyes in the sea'.
Temperate predators and seasonal water temperatures impact feeding of a range expanding tropical fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-03-2016
Ontogenetic diet shifts in the reef fish Pseudanthias rubrizonatus from isolated populations on the North-West Shelf of Australia
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 30-11-2010
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08827
Landscape of fear visible from space
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-06-2011
DOI: 10.1038/SREP00014
Towards an ultimate explanation for mixed‐species shoaling
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-06-2019
DOI: 10.1111/FAF.12384
Density, habitat use and behaviour of the weedy seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) around Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1071/MF05220
Abstract: The vulnerability of marine fish species, particularly those inhabiting coastal waters, is an increasingly important issue in marine conservation. Although the weedy seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Lacepede, 1804), a syngnathid fish endemic to southern Australia, is legally protected in New South Wales, there are no studies on population density, habitat use and behaviour to support this protection. We investigated the abundance, sex ratios and distribution of the weedy seadragon at three sites near Sydney, Australia. The distribution, density and sex ratios of seadragons were temporally stable, suggesting no large-scale seasonal migrations. Estimated population densities varied among sites from 10 in iduals per ha to 65 in iduals per ha, with sex ratios close to 1 : 1. Survival rates from one encounter to the next (approximately weekly) were high, being slightly lower for males (0.985 ± 0.006, mean ± se) and females (0.987 ± 0.005) compared with juveniles (1.000 ± 0.000). All size classes and both sexes were most common near the border of kelp and sand except when exhibiting hiding behaviour, when they were more often found in kelp beds. Kelp beds were the least-used habitat when feeding. Pregnant males tended to hide more often than other groups and therefore were more frequently found in kelp and kelp patches. Seadragons tended to be solitary, although pairing and grouping behaviour was also observed. Results of the present study show that weedy seadragons are resident in the same area throughout the year and have a strong affinity with heavily weeded rock and/or sand habitat. It is therefore recommended that the current species-based protection laws be used in concert with habitat-protection zones as a necessary measure to ensure the conservation of weedy seadragon populations.
Metal accumulation in the smooth toadfish, Tetractenos glaber, in estuaries around Sydney, Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2006
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2005.09.010
Abstract: This study determined the metal levels in sediments and tissues of a common estuarine fish, Tetractenos glaber (smooth toadfish), from two metal contaminated and two reference estuaries near Sydney, Australia. Metal levels were highest in sediments and fish from contaminated estuaries. Gonads contained the highest metal levels followed by muscle, gill and liver. Metal accumulation was gender-dependant (e.g. male gonads were >20 times higher in As than females female gills were >30 times higher than males for Pb). Cadmium, Pb and Ni levels in fish tissues reflected sediment levels, indicating sediment and/or dietary metal uptake. Levels of As, Co, Cd & Pb in gills showed similar patterns to other tissues, suggesting that metals may have been taken up by gills through contaminated water. Similar metal patterns in tissues and sediments suggest more than one uptake pathway. This study indicates that multiple factors influence metal accumulation in fish.
Impact of Spatial Management on Nontarget Species in an Oceanic Penaeid Trawl Fishery
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2020
DOI: 10.1002/NAFM.10427
Coral-reef fishes can become more risk-averse at their poleward range limits.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 23-03-2022
Abstract: As climate warms, tropical species are expanding their distribution to temperate ecosystems where they are confronted with novel predators and habitats. Predation strongly regulates ecological communities, and range-extending species that adopt an effective antipredator strategy have a higher likelihood to persist in non-native environments. Here, we test this hypothesis by comparing various proxies of antipredator and other fitness-related behaviours between range-extending tropical fishes and native-temperate fishes at multiple sites across a 730 km latitudinal range. Although some behavioural proxies of risk aversion remained unaltered for in idual tropical fish species, in general they became more risk-averse (increased sheltering and/or flight initiation distance), and their activity level decreased poleward. Nevertheless, they did not experience a decline in body condition or feeding rate in their temperate ranges. Temperate fishes did not show a consistently altered pattern in their behaviours across range locations, even though one species increased its flight initiation distance at the warm-temperate location and another one had lowest activity levels at the coldest range location. The maintenance of feeding and bite rate combined with a decreased activity level and increased sheltering may be behavioural strategies adopted by range-extending tropical fishes, to preserve energy and maintain fitness in their novel temperate ecosystems.
Distribution and spatial modelling of a soft coral habitat in the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park: Implications for management
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/MF14059
Abstract: Habitat mapping is a useful method for understanding the complex spatial relationships that exist in the marine environment, and is used to evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies, particularly in regards to marine protected areas. This study explored the observed and predicted distribution of an uncommon soft coral species, Dendronephthya australis within the Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park. Dendronephthya australis was mapped by video operated by a SCUBA er towing a time synchronised GPS. A species distribution model was created to explore the possible occurrence of D. australis outside of the mapped area, using four environmental parameters: bathymetry, slope of seabed, velocity of tidal currents, and distance from estuary mouth. Dendronephthya australis colonies occurred along the southern shoreline in the Port Stephens estuary between Fly Point and Corlette Point, but no colonies were found within sanctuary (no-take) zones within the marine park. The model illustrated limited habitat suitability for D. australis within a larger section of the estuary, suggesting this species has specific environmental requirements survival. Owing to its current threats (anchor damage and fishing line entanglement), implications from these findings will assist future management and protection decisions, particularly in regard to its protection within a marine park.
Bright spots among the world’s coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-06-2016
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE18607
Abstract: Ongoing declines in the structure and function of the world’s coral reefs require novel approaches to sustain these ecosystems and the millions of people who depend on them3. A presently unexplored approach that draws on theory and practice in human health and rural development is to systematically identify and learn from the ‘outliers’—places where ecosystems are substantially better (‘bright spots’) or worse (‘dark spots’) than expected, given the environmental conditions and socioeconomic drivers they are exposed to. Here we compile data from more than 2,500 reefs worldwide and develop a Bayesian hierarchical model to generate expectations of how standing stocks of reef fish biomass are related to 18 socioeconomic drivers and environmental conditions. We identify 15 bright spots and 35 dark spots among our global survey of coral reefs, defined as sites that have biomass levels more than two standard deviations from expectations. Importantly, bright spots are not simply comprised of remote areas with low fishing pressure they include localities where human populations and use of ecosystem resources is high, potentially providing insights into how communities have successfully confronted strong drivers of change. Conversely, dark spots are not necessarily the sites with the lowest absolute biomass and even include some remote, uninhabited locations often considered near pristine6. We surveyed local experts about social, institutional, and environmental conditions at these sites to reveal that bright spots are characterized by strong sociocultural institutions such as customary taboos and marine tenure, high levels of local engagement in management, high dependence on marine resources, and beneficial environmental conditions such as deep-water refuges. Alternatively, dark spots are characterized by intensive capture and storage technology and a recent history of environmental shocks. Our results suggest that investments in strengthening fisheries governance, particularly aspects such as participation and property rights, could facilitate innovative conservation actions that help communities defy expectations of global reef degradation.
Sustainable reference points for multispecies coral reef fisheries
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 17-09-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.14.508013
Abstract: Sustainably managing fisheries requires regular and reliable evaluation of stock status. However, most multispecies reef fisheries around the globe tend to be data-poor and lack research and monitoring capacity (e.g., long-term fishery data), preventing the estimation of sustainable reference points against which stocks can be assessed. Here, combining fish biomass data for more than 2000 coral reefs with catch estimates from 99 jurisdictions, we estimate site-specific sustainable reference points for coral reef fisheries and use these to assess the status of coral reef fish stocks. We reveal that more than half of jurisdictions with available information have stocks of conservation concern, having failed at least one fisheries sustainability benchmark. We quantify the trade-offs between bio ersity, mean fish length, and ecosystem functions relative to key benchmarks and highlight the ecological benefits of increasing sustainability. Our approach yields multispecies sustainable reference points for coral reef fisheries using environmental conditions, a promising means for enhancing the sustainability of the world’s coral reef fisheries. A global assessment of the sustainability of multispecies reef fisheries indicates that more than half of jurisdictions have failed at least one of two key sustainability benchmarks.
Sediment pollution impacts sensory ability and performance of settling coral-reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-06-2015
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-015-3367-6
Abstract: Marine organisms are under threat globally from a suite of anthropogenic sources, but the current emphasis on global climate change has deflected the focus from local impacts. While the effect of increased sedimentation on the settlement of coral species is well studied, little is known about the impact on larval fish. Here, the effect of a laterite "red soil" sediment pollutant on settlement behaviour and post-settlement performance of reef fish was tested. In aquarium tests that isolated sensory cues, we found significant olfaction-based avoidance behaviour and disruption of visual cue use in settlement-stage larval fish at 50 mg L(-1), a concentration regularly exceeded in situ during rain events. In situ light trap catches showed lower abundance and species richness in the presence of red soil, but were not significantly different due to high variance in the data. Prolonged exposure to red soil produced altered olfactory cue responses, whereby fish in red soil made a likely maladaptive choice for dead coral compared to controls where fish chose live coral. Other significant effects of prolonged exposure included decreased feeding rates and body condition. These effects on fish larvae reared over 5 days occurred in the presence of a minor drop in pH and may be due to the chemical influence of the sediment. Our results show that sediment pollution of coral reefs may have more complex effects on the ability of larval fish to successfully locate suitable habitat than previously thought, as well as impacting on their post-settlement performance and, ultimately, recruitment success.
Zooplankton patchiness and the associated shoaling response of the temperate reef fish Trachinops taeniatus
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS299269
'Personality' in two species of temperate damselfish
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 16-12-2010
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08899
The effect of subsampling when monitoring bycatch in a penaeid trawl fishery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Resistance and Buffer Capacity
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2008
Predation avoidance and foraging efficiency contribute to mixed‐species shoaling by tropical and temperate fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-02-2020
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.14277
Estuarine macrobenthic community structure in the Hawkesbury River, Australia: Relationships with sediment physicochemical and anthropogenic parameters
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2001
Abstract: Macrobenthic community assemblage ersity and abundance were monitored on both Cowan and Berowra Creeks in the estuarine reaches of the Hawkesbury River, Sydney Australia during 1997-1998. Natural sediment physicochemical differences were assessed, along with low-level anthropogenic contaminants including copper, lead, zinc, phosphorus and nitrogen. Contaminant levels at all sites were below sediment guideline values for biological effects. Natural physicochemical sediment differences were the main determinants in species assemblage patterns among sites. Three groupings of sites with similar assemblages were observed during February 1998. Berowra Creek sites, which were higher in organic content and silt/clay (and thus metals and nutrients), higher in pH and lower in salinity, were similar in terms of contributions by the polychaetes Ceratoneresis aequisetis, Scoloplos normalis, the isopod Cyathura hakea and the bivalve mollusc Soletellina alba. Sites on upper Cowan Creek, higher in organic content, silt/clay (nutrients and metals) and lower in salinity, were similar and separated from other sites in terms of the polychaete Carazziella victoriensis and the gastropod mollusc Nassarius jonasii. Sites lower in Cowan Creek, tended to be higher in sand content, more saline and lower in organic content and thus nutrient and metal concentrations. These sites were similar in terms of contributions of the polychaete Sigalion bandaensis and the bivalve molluscs, Mysella vitrea and Tellina deltoidalis. The biotic assemblage patterns were not maintained temporally, suggesting the importance of monitoring over time to assess possible future impacts. Aggregating species data to the family level resulted in similar site discrimination. Site differences were less distinct at higher taxonomic levels and suggests future monitoring at the family level is sufficient to detect assemblage differences among sites. The results obtained represent the difficulty in detecting responses to low-level contamination at the community level, and provide a sound anticipatory baseline for the assessment of future possible anthropogenic disturbance in the Hawkesbury River.
Variation in the sex ratio, size and age of longfinned eels within and among coastal catchments of south-eastern Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-04-2004
Growth and temperature relationships for juvenile fish species in seagrass beds: implications of climate change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.12255
Abstract: The effect of water temperature on growth responses of three common seagrass fish species that co-occur as juveniles in the estuaries in Sydney (34° S) but have differing latitudinal ranges was measured: Pelates sexlineatus (subtropical to warm temperate: 27-35°S), Centropogon australis (primarily subtropical to warm temperate: 24-37°S) and Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus (warm to cool temperate: below 32°S). Replicate in iduals of each species were acclimated over a 7 day period in one of three temperature treatments (control: 22°C, low: 18°C and high: 26°C) and their somatic growth was assessed within treatments over 10 days. Growth of all three species was affected by water temperature, with the highest growth of both northern species (P. sexlineatus and C. australis) at 22 and 26°C, whereas growth of the southern ranging species (A. spilomelanurus) was reduced at temperatures higher than 18°C, suggesting that predicted increase in estuarine water temperatures through climate change may change relative performance of seagrass fish assemblages.
The effects of climate change on the ecology of fishes
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-08-2023
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PCLM.0000258
Abstract: Ocean warming and acidification are set to reshuffle life on Earth and alter ecological processes that underpin the bio ersity, health, productivity, and resilience of ecosystems. Fishes contribute significantly to marine, estuarine, and freshwater species ersity and the functioning of marine ecosystems, and are not immune to climate change impacts. Whilst considerable effort has been placed on studying the effects of climate change on fishes, much emphasis has been placed on their (eco)physiology and at the organismal level. Fishes are affected by climate change through impacts at various levels of biological organisation and through a large variety of traits, making it difficult to make generalisations regarding fish responses to climate change. Here, we briefly review the current state of knowledge of climate change effects on fishes across a wide range of subfields of fish ecology and evaluate these effects at various scales of biological organisation (from genes to ecosystems). We argue that a more holistic synthesis of the various interconnected subfields of fish ecology and integration of responses at different levels of biological organisation are needed for a better understanding of how fishes and their populations and communities might respond or adapt to the multi-stressor effects of climate change. We postulate that studies using natural analogues of climate change, meta-analyses, advanced integrative modelling approaches, and lessons learned from past extreme climate events could help reveal some general patterns of climate change impacts on fishes that are valuable for management and conservation approaches. Whilst these might not reveal many of the underlying mechanisms responsible for observed bio ersity and community change, their insights are useful to help create better climate adaptation strategies for their preservation in a rapidly changing ocean.
Global Observing Needs in the Deep Ocean
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 29-05-2019
Resource partitioning amongst co-occurring decapods on wellheads from Australia's North-West shelf. An analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2011
Long-term demographics of a coral-reef fish: growth, survival and abundance at several spatial scales
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-06-2021
Food ration and condition affect early survival of the coral reef damselfish, Stegastes partitus
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-11-1999
Abstract: The supply of larvae is a major determinant of population and community structure in coral reef fishes. However, spatial and temporal variation in condition (i.e. quality) of potential recruits, as well as their density (i.e. quantity), may influence survival and growth of juveniles. We conducted an experiment to test whether recent feeding history could affect growth, condition and post-recruitment survival in a Caribbean damselfish, Stegastes partitus. Fish were collected soon after settlement, and fed either low or high rations in aquaria for 7 days. Fish fed the high ration grew faster in aquaria and were in a better condition (higher total lipids and Fulton's condition factor) at the end of the feeding period. Subsequently, we released 50 fish in 25 pairs (one fish subjected to low rations, the other to high rations) on a Bahamian coral reef and monitored survival for 10 days. Survivorship of high-ration fish was double that of low-ration fish (80 vs 40% over 10 days). However, low-ration fish that survived 10 days were of similar condition and grew at similar rates to high-ration fish, suggesting that short-term ration differences may not persist in surviving fish. Laboratory experiments showed that low-ration fish were taken by piscivorous fishes before high-ration fish, indicating that differential predation may account for survival differences. This study highlights the potential of feeding history and condition to affect the relationship between patterns of larval arrival at reefs, and subsequent juvenile and adult population densities.
The Role of Recruitment Dynamics in Rocky Shore and Coral Reef Fish Communities
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 1995
Temperature influences habitat preference of coral reef fishes: Will generalists become more specialised in a warming ocean?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-05-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14166
Abstract: Climate change is expected to pose a significant risk to species that exhibit strong behavioural preferences for specific habitat types, with generalist species assumed to be less vulnerable. In this study, we conducted habitat choice experiments to determine how water temperature influences habitat preference for three common species of coral reef damselfish (Pomacentridae) that differ in their levels of habitat specialisation. The lemon damselfish Pomacentrus moluccensis, a habitat specialist, consistently selected complex coral habitat across all temperature treatments (selected based on local average seasonal temperatures naturally experienced in situ: ambient winter 22°C ambient summer 28°C and elevated 31°C). Unexpectedly, the neon damselfish Pomacentrus coelestis and scissortail sergeant Abudefduf sexfasciatus, both of which have more generalist habitat associations, developed strong habitat preferences (for complex coral and boulder habitat, respectively) at the elevated temperature treatment (31°C) compared to no single preferred habitat at 22°C or 28°C. The observed shifts in habitat preference with temperature suggest that we may be currently underestimating the vulnerability of some habitat generalists to climate change and highlight that the ongoing loss of complex live coral through coral bleaching could further exacerbate resource overlap and species competition in ways not currently considered in climate change models.
Validation of otolith daily increment formation for two temperate syngnathid fishes: The pipefishes Stigmatopora argus and Stigmatopora nigra
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-02-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1095-8649.2011.03194.X
Abstract: Otoliths were used for the first time to successfully validate the age of members of the family Syngnathidae: the spotted pipefish Stigmatopora argus and the wide-bodied pipefish Stigmatopora nigra. Otolith increments were deposited daily in (1) known-age juveniles ranging in age from 0 to 31 days and (2) adults that had been stained with alizarin complexone, and a hatch mark was found on all otoliths which represented day 0. Otolith increment validation will allow development of growth models for S. argus and S. nigra, essential to understanding and managing these exclusive seagrass species.
Understanding interactions between plasticity, adaptation and range shifts in response to marine environmental change
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 28-01-2019
Abstract: Climate change is leading to shifts in species geographical distributions, but populations are also probably adapting to environmental change at different rates across their range. Owing to a lack of natural and empirical data on the influence of phenotypic adaptation on range shifts of marine species, we provide a general conceptual model for understanding population responses to climate change that incorporates plasticity and adaptation to environmental change in marine ecosystems. We use this conceptual model to help inform where within the geographical range each mechanism will probably operate most strongly and explore the supporting evidence in species. We then expand the discussion from a single-species perspective to community-level responses and use the conceptual model to visualize and guide research into the important yet poorly understood processes of plasticity and adaptation. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of plasticity in phenotypic adaptation to rapid environmental change’.
Odd one in: Oddity within mixed‐species shoals does not affect shoal preference by vagrant tropical damselfish in the presence or absence of a predator
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-12-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.13110
The Semaphore crab, Heloecius cordiformis: bio-indication potential for heavy metals in estuarine systems.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2000
DOI: 10.1016/S0166-445X(00)00083-7
Abstract: Although alterations at the organism level in decapod crustaceans on exposure to heavy metals have been evidenced in the laboratory, little examination of metal effects on morphology and population parameters have been explored in a field-based situation. Relationships between morphological parameters, population demography and heavy metal sediment loadings were examined in conjunction with the accumulation of metals in the Semaphore crab, Heloecius cordiformis, in the Port Jackson and Hawkesbury River estuaries, Sydney, Australia. H. cordiformis exhibited sexual dimorphism, with males having larger carapace width, carapace length, chelae length and total mass than females. Sexes were subsequently treated separately to assess morphological differences among locations. Locations that had greater proportions of females with purple chelae and less females in the population tended to have higher sediment metal levels. These relationships were maintained over time, and could be employed as population-level biological indicators of heavy metal stress. Copper and zinc were regulated in the hepatopancreas of H. cordiformis. Lead was accumulated in the hepatopancreas of H. cordiformis in proportion to sediment lead levels, suggesting the species is both an appropriate candidate for bio-indication of lead pollution, and Pb is the main metal linked with population level differences. Accumulation of lead varied between sexes, indicating that sexes must be monitored separately. Smaller males accumulated more lead than larger males, suggesting size is an important consideration for lead accumulation.
Do otolith increments allow correct inferences about age and growth of coral reef fishes?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-11-2014
The effects of water temperature on the juvenile performance of two tropical damselfishes expatriating to temperate reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-09-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-019-50303-Z
Abstract: Ocean warming associated with global climate change is already inducing geographic range shifts of marine species. Juvenile coral reef fishes transported into temperate latitudes (termed ‘vagrant’ fishes) can experience winter water temperatures below their normal thermal minimum. Such environmental extremes may increase energetic costs for such fishes, resulting in reduced performance, which may be the governing factor that limits the potential for poleward range expansion of such fishes. This study compared the juvenile physiological performance and behaviour of two congeneric tropical damselfishes which settle during austral summer months within temperate eastern Australia: Abudefduf vaigiensis have an extended southern range, and lower threshold survival temperature than the congeneric A. whitleyi . Physiological and behavioural performance parameters that may be affected by cooler temperature regimes at higher latitudes were measured in aquaria. Lower water temperature resulted in reduced growth rates, feeding rates, burst escape speed and metabolic rates of both species, with significantly reduced performance (up to six-fold reductions) for fishes reared at 18 °C relative to 22 °C and 26 °C. However, A. whitleyi exhibited lower growth rates than A. vaigiensis across all temperatures, and lower aerobic capacity at the lowest temperature (18 °C). This difference between species in growth and metabolic capacity suggests that the extended southern distribution and greater overwintering success of A. vaigiensis , in comparison to A. whitleyi is related to thermal performance parameters which are critical in maintaining in idual health and survival. Our results support previous findings in the region that water temperature below 22 °C represents a critical physiological threshold for tropical Abudefduf species expatriating into temperate south-eastern Australia.
Future shock: Ocean acidification and seasonal water temperatures alter the physiology of competing temperate and coral reef fishes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Understanding the global scientific value of industry ROV data, to quantify marine ecology and guide offshore decommissioning strategies
Publisher: OTC
Date: 20-03-2018
DOI: 10.4043/28312-MS
Abstract: This paper describes the potential global scientific value of video and other data collected by Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). ROVs are used worldwide, primarily by the offshore oil and gas industry, to monitor the integrity of subsea infrastructure and, in doing so, collect terabytes of video and in situ physical data from inaccessible regions and poorly understood marine environments. The paper begins by describing how recent ROV surveys for projects in Australia have gained a new dimension by involving marine scientists in their interpretation. A previously unrecognised influence of marine life on oil and gas pipelines was uncovered, triggering new collaborations between industry and marine science. This new collaboration prompted a team of international engineers and marine scientists to gather together with West Australian based members of the oil and gas sector and ROV operators, to examine the global scientific value of ROV-collected data. If made available for research, these data have immense value for science to quantify the marine ecology and assist good stewardship of this environment by industry. It was found that most ROV operations are conducted by industry in a way that fulfils immediate industry requirements but which can confound scientific interpretation of the data. For ex le, there is variation in video resolution, ROV speed, distance above substrate and time (e.g. both seasonal and time of day), and these variations can limit the quantitative conclusions that can be drawn about marine ecology. We examined potential cost-effective, simple enhancements to standard ROV hardware and operational procedures that will increase the value of future industrial ROV operational data, without disrupting the primary focus of these operations. The ecological value of existing ROV data represents an immense and under-utilized resource with worldwide coverage. We describe how ROVs can unravel the mysteries of our oceans, yield scientific discoveries, and provide ex les of how these data can allow quantification of the ecological value of subsea infrastructure. By using these data, we can greatly improve our knowledge of marine bio ersity on and around offshore infrastructure and their environmental impact on marine ecosystems, both of which are particularly important in the consideration and selection of decommissioning strategies. Predicting the environmental consequences of removing or retaining subsea structures after decommissioning relies on an understanding of the ecological communities that have developed in association with these structures during their operational lives. Making industrial ROV data available for scientific research, and collating it in the future using modified protocols, would provide a very positive contribution to both science and industry, allowing the environmental impacts of subsea infrastructure to be quantified. It will also allow industry to contribute to a broader scientific understanding of our oceans, given the location of ROVs in areas that can rarely be accessed by independent researchers. This would provide novel and valuable information about under-researched and little known regions of the world's oceans.
Resource use by Enneapterygius rufopileus and other rockpool fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2001
Opposing climate-change impacts on poleward-shifting coral-reef fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-03-2020
Occurrence of tropical fishes in temperate southeastern Australia: Role of the East Australian Current
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2007
Demographics and vulnerability of a unique Australian fish, the weedy seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 31-01-2011
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08920
Macroalgal resource use differences across age and size classes in the dominant temperate herbivorous fish Aplodactylus lophodon (Aplodactylidae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/MF18086
Abstract: Herbivorous fishes comprise a substantial proportion of temperate fish communities, although there is little understanding of their trophic resource use and whether this changes throughout post-settlement ontogeny. With increasing loss of macroalgal forests, understanding how temperate fishes use macroalgae will be vital in predicting future effects on temperate fish bio ersity. The Australian rock cale (Aplodactylus lophodon) is one of the most abundant herbivorous fish inhabiting shallow temperate south-eastern Australian reefs. We examined gastrointestinal contents throughout ontogeny and demonstrated that this species maintains a herbivorous diet through all life stages. Differences in algal taxa consumed were apparent through ontogeny, with the juvenile diet dominated by filamentous red and green algae and the adult diet dominated by brown and calcareous red algae. Relative gut length increased through ontogeny, potentially facilitating dietary transition to less digestible algae, but no concurrent increase in jaw power was observed. The results highlight the ersity of trophic resource use in a temperate marine herbivore, but the near-complete dominance of dietary algae throughout ontogeny indicates the reliance on primary producers across all life stages. Given the importance of fucoid resources in the adult diet, any loss of macroalgal forests within south-eastern Australia may affect foraging success and persistence.
Impacts of introduced seaweeds
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Date: 16-01-2007
Synergistic effects of conspecifics and food on growth and energy allocation of a damselfish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2004
DOI: 10.1890/03-0535
The utility of otolith-based methods for discriminating stock structure of the fishery important monacanthid, Nelusetta ayraud, over an intermediate scale
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2023
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