ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4261-5594
Current Organisations
Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami
,
James Cook University
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
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)
Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) | Ecological Impacts of Climate Change | Ecology | Ecosystem Function | Ecological Applications | Conservation and Biodiversity | Community Ecology
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments | Ecosystem Adaptation to Climate Change | Coastal and Estuarine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales |
Related Links
Publications
The distribution of the sea urchin Echinometra mathaei (de Blainville) and its predators on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia: The implications for top-down control in an intact reef system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2013
Habitat and fishing control grazing potential on coral reefs
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-10-2019
Regulate or tolerate: Thermal strategy of a coral reef flat resident, the epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-12-2021
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.14616
Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 05-01-2018
Abstract: Coral bleaching occurs when stressful conditions result in the expulsion of the algal partner from the coral. Before anthropogenic climate warming, such events were relatively rare, allowing for recovery of the reef between events. Hughes et al. looked at 100 reefs globally and found that the average interval between bleaching events is now less than half what it was before. Such narrow recovery windows do not allow for full recovery. Furthermore, warming events such as El Niño are warmer than previously, as are general ocean conditions. Such changes are likely to make it more and more difficult for reefs to recover between stressful events. Science , this issue p. 80
Ecomorphological convergence in planktivorous surgeonfishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-02-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JEB.12837
Abstract: Morphological convergence plays a central role in the study of evolution. Often induced by shared ecological specialization, homoplasy hints at underlying selective pressures and adaptive constraints that deterministically shape the ersification of life. Although midwater zooplanktivory has arisen in adult surgeonfishes (family Acanthuridae) at least four independent times, it represents a clearly specialized state, requiring the capacity to swiftly swim in midwater locating and sucking small prey items. Whereas this diet has commonly been associated with specific functional adaptations in fishes, acanthurids present an interesting case study as all nonplanktivorous species feed by grazing on benthic algae and detritus, requiring a vastly different functional morphology that emphasizes biting behaviours. We examined the feeding morphology in 30 acanthurid species and, combined with a pre-existing phylogenetic tree, compared the fit of evolutionary models across two diet regimes: zooplanktivores and nonzooplanktivorous grazers. Accounting for phylogenetic relationships, the best-fitting model indicates that zooplanktivorous species are converging on a separate adaptive peak from their grazing relatives. Driving this bimodal landscape, zooplanktivorous acanthurids tend to develop a slender body, reduced facial features, smaller teeth and weakened jaw adductor muscles. However, despite these phenotypic changes, model fitting suggests that lineages have not yet reached the adaptive peak associated with plankton feeding even though some transitions appear to be over 10 million years old. These findings demonstrate that the selective demands of pelagic feeding promote repeated - albeit very gradual - ecomorphological convergence within surgeonfishes, while allowing local ergences between closely related species, contributing to the overall ersity of the clade.
Benthic community composition influences within-habitat variation in macroalgal browsing on the Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1071/MF09168
Abstract: The removal of macroalgae by herbivores is fundamental to the long-term persistence of coral reefs. Variation in macroalgal browsing has been documented across a range of spatial scales on coral reefs however, few studies have examined the factors that influence within-habitat rates of herbivory. The aim of the present study was to quantify herbivory on two species of Sargassum across three bays on an inshore island in the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR), and to determine whether these removal rates were related to the benthic composition or herbivorous fish communities. Removal rates of Sargassum differed significantly among bays, with removal rates in the southern bay (66.9–83.0% per 3 h) being approximately double that of the two other bays (29.2–38.5% per 3 h). The removal rates displayed a direct relationship with the benthic community structure, in particular the cover of macroalgae and live plate corals. Although it is difficult to determine whether these relationships are related to the availability of food resources or the structural complexity of the substratum, they highlight the potential influence of benthic composition on ecological processes. Quantifying and understanding the drivers of herbivory across a range of spatial scales is essential to the future management of coral reefs.
Coral reef conservation in the Anthropocene: Confronting spatial mismatches and prioritizing functions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
Increasing ocean temperatures reduce activity patterns of a large commercially important coral reef fish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.12452
Abstract: Large-bodied fish are critical for sustaining coral reef fisheries, but little is known about the vulnerability of these fish to global warming. This study examined the effects of elevated temperatures on the movement and activity patterns of the common coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae), which is an important fishery species in tropical Australia and throughout the Indo West-Pacific. Adult fish were collected from two locations on Australia's Great Barrier Reef (23°S and 14°S) and maintained at one of four temperatures (24, 27, 30, 33 °C). Following >4 weeks acclimation, the spontaneous swimming speeds and activity patterns of in iduals were recorded over a period of 12 days. At 24-27 °C, spontaneous swimming speeds of common coral trout were 0.43-0.45 body lengths per second (bls(-1)), but dropped sharply to 0.29 bls(-1) at 30 °C and 0.25 bls(-1) at 33 °C. Concurrently, in iduals spent 9.3-10.6% of their time resting motionless on the bottom at 24-27 °C, but this behaviour increased to 14.0% at 30 °C and 20.0% of the time at 33 °C (mean ± SE). The impact of temperature was greatest for smaller in iduals ( 55 cm TL) were first affected by 30 °C and 33 °C, respectively. Importantly, there was some indication that populations can adapt to elevated temperature if presented with adequate time, as the high-latitude population decreased significantly in swimming speeds at both 30 °C and 33 °C, while the low-latitude population only showed significant reductions at 33 °C. Given that movement and activity patterns of large mobile species are directly related to prey encounter rates, ability to capture prey and avoid predators, any reductions in activity patterns are likely to reduce overall foraging and energy intake, limit the energy available for growth and reproduction, and affect the fitness and survival of in iduals and populations.
Not worth the risk: apex predators suppress herbivory on coral reefs
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/OIK.01318
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.
Severe consequences for anemonefishes and their host sea anemones during the 2016 bleaching event at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-04-2017
Limited Cross-Shelf Variation in the Growth of Three Branching Corals on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-09-2018
DOI: 10.20944/PREPRINTS201809.0302.V1
Abstract: Pronounced differences exist in the bio ersity and structure of coral reef assemblages with increasing distance from shore, which may be expected given marked cross-shelf gradients in environmental conditions. Cross-shelf variation in the abundance of coral reef organisms is likely to be caused, at least in part, by differences in demography (e.g., growth and survival), though this has rarely been tested. This study quantified growth of three distinct coral taxa (Acropora nasuta, Pocillopora spp., and Stylophora pistillata) at 6 sites on Australia& rsquo s Great Barrier Reef (GBR), encompassing inshore, mid-shelf and outer-shelf reefs. Replicate colonies (up to 15 colonies per species, per reef) were stained using Alizarin red in December 2015 and retrieved 1-year later to quantify linear extension on replicate branches for each colony. Annual linear extension varied within and among coral taxa, with pronounced differences among reefs. For A. nausta. and S. pistillata, growth rates were highest at Orpheus Island, which is an inner shelf reef. However, inter-reef differences in coral growth were not explained by shelf position. Based on differences in skeletal density, which did vary according to shelf position, branching corals at the inshore sites may actually have higher rates of calcification compared to conspecifics on mid- and outer-shelf reefs. This study shows that growth of branching corals is not lower at inshore sites (and perhaps even higher) compared to sites at mid-shelf and outer reefs, despite generally higher levels of sedimentation and turbidity.
Mass coral bleaching causes biotic homogenization of reef fish assemblages
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14119
Abstract: Global climate change is altering community composition across many ecosystems due to nonrandom species turnover, typically characterized by the loss of specialist species and increasing similarity of biological communities across spatial scales. As anthropogenic disturbances continue to alter species composition globally, there is a growing need to identify how species responses influence the establishment of distinct assemblages, such that management actions may be appropriately assigned. Here, we use trait-based analyses to compare temporal changes in five complementary indices of reef fish assemblage structure among six taxonomically distinct coral reef habitats exposed to a system-wide thermal stress event. Our results revealed increased taxonomic and functional similarity of previously distinct reef fish assemblages following mass coral bleaching, with changes characterized by subtle, but significant, shifts toward predominance of small-bodied, algal-farming habitat generalists. Furthermore, while the taxonomic or functional richness of fish assemblages did not change across all habitats, an increase in functional originality indicated an overall loss of functional redundancy. We also found that prebleaching coral composition better predicted changes in fish assemblage structure than the magnitude of coral loss. These results emphasize how measures of alpha ersity can mask important changes in the structure and functioning of ecosystems as assemblages reorganize. Our findings also highlight the role of coral species composition in structuring communities and influencing the ersity of responses of reef fishes to disturbance. As new coral species configurations emerge, their desirability will hinge upon the composition of associated species and their capacity to maintain key ecological processes in spite of ongoing disturbances.
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.
Human activity selectively impacts the ecosystem roles of parrotfishes on coral reefs
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 16-11-2011
Abstract: Around the globe, coral reefs and other marine ecosystems are increasingly overfished. Conventionally, studies of fishing impacts have focused on the population size and dynamics of targeted stocks rather than the broader ecosystem-wide effects of harvesting. Using parrotfishes as an ex le, we show how coral reef fish populations respond to escalating fishing pressure across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Based on these fish abundance data, we infer the potential impact on four key functional roles performed by parrotfishes. Rates of bioerosion and coral predation are highly sensitive to human activity, whereas grazing and sediment removal are resilient to fishing. Our results offer new insights into the vulnerability and resilience of coral reefs to the ever-growing human footprint. The depletion of fishes causes differential decline of key ecosystem functions, radically changing the dynamics of coral reefs and setting the stage for future ecological surprises.
Holdfasts of Sargassum swartzii are resistant to herbivory and resilient to damage
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-10-2018
Settlement Patterns of Corals and other Benthos on Reefs with Divergent Environments and Disturbances Histories around the Northeastern Arabian Peninsula
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 20-09-2017
Species-specific impacts of suspended sediments on gill structure and function in coral reef fishes
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 11-2017
Abstract: Reduced water quality, in particular increases in suspended sediments, has been linked to declines in fish abundance on coral reefs. Changes in gill structure induced by suspended sediments have been hypothesized to impair gill function and may provide a mechanistic basis for the observed declines yet, evidence for this is lacking. We exposed juveniles of three reef fish species ( Amphiprion melanopus , Amphiprion percula and Acanthochromis polyacanthus ) to suspended sediments (0–180 mg l −1 ) for 7 days and examined changes in gill structure and metabolic performance (i.e. oxygen consumption). Exposure to suspended sediments led to shorter gill lamellae in A. melanopus and A. polyacanthus and reduced oxygen diffusion distances in all three species. While A. melanopus exhibited impaired oxygen uptake after suspended sediment exposure, i.e. decreased maximum and increased resting oxygen consumption rates resulting in decreased aerobic scope, the oxygen consumption rates of the other two species remained unaffected. These findings imply that species sensitive to changes in gill structure such as A. melanopus may decline in abundance as reefs become more turbid, whereas species that are able to maintain metabolic performance despite suspended sediment exposure, such as A. polyacanthus or A. percula , may be able to persist or gain a competitive advantage.
Canopy‐forming macroalgal beds (Sargassum) on coral reefs are resilient to physical disturbance
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-10-2017
Regional-scale variation in the distribution and abundance of farming damselfishes on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-03-2012
Consumer diversity interacts with prey defenses to drive ecosystem function
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2013
DOI: 10.1890/12-0389.1
Coral settlement and recruitment are negatively related to reef fish trait diversity
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 21-10-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.10.19.464984
Abstract: The process of coral recruitment is crucial to the functioning of coral reef ecosystems, as well as recovery of coral assemblages following disturbances. Fishes can be key mediators of this process by removing benthic competitors like algae, but their foraging impacts are capable of being facilitative or harmful to coral recruits depending on species traits. Reef fish assemblages are highly erse in foraging strategies and the relationship between this ersity with coral settlement and recruitment success remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate how foraging trait ersity of reef fish assemblages covaries with coral settlement and recruitment success across multiple sites at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Using a multi-model inference approach incorporating six metrics of fish assemblage foraging ersity (foraging rates, trait richness, trait evenness, trait ergence, herbivore abundance, and sessile invertivore abundance), we found that herbivore abundance was positively related to both coral settlement and recruitment success. However, the correlation with herbivore abundance was not as strong in comparison with foraging trait ersity metrics. Coral settlement and recruitment exhibited a negative relationship with foraging trait ersity, especially with trait ergence and richness in settlement. Our findings provide further evidence that fish play a role in making benthic habitats more conducive for coral settlement and recruitment. Because of their ability to shape the reef benthos, the variation of fish bio ersity is likely to contribute to spatially uneven patterns of coral recruitment and reef recovery.
Influence of depth on sex-specific energy allocation patterns in a tropical reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-05-2007
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
Functional composition of Chaetodon butterflyfishes at a peripheral and extreme coral reef location, the Persian Gulf
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2012.10.014
Abstract: The functional composition of reef fish assemblages is highly conserved across large biogeographic areas, but it is unknown whether assembly rules hold at biogeographical and environmental extremes for coral reefs. This study examined the functional composition of butterflyfishes in the Persian Gulf, Musandam Peninsula, and Gulf of Oman. Only five species of butterflyfishes were recorded during this study, and mostly just in the Gulf of Oman. Unlike most locations in the Indo-Pacific where butterflyfish assemblages are dominated by obligate corallivores, the only obligate corallivore recorded, Chaetodon melapterus, was rare or absent at all locations. The most common and widespread species was Chaetodon nigropunctatus, which is shown to be a facultative corallivore. The ersity of butterflyfishes in the Persian Gulf is likely to have been constrained by its' biogeographical history and isolation, but functional composition appears to be further affected by limited abundance of prey corals and harsh environmental conditions.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2019
Changes in biodiversity and functioning of reef fish assemblages following coral bleaching and coral loss
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-08-2011
DOI: 10.3390/D3030424
Variation in the Physiological Condition of Common Coral Trout (Plectropomus leopardus) Unrelated to Coral Cover on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 05-10-2023
Cross-shelf differences in the response of herbivorous fish assemblages to severe environmental disturbances
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-02-2019
DOI: 10.3390/D11020023
Abstract: Cross-shelf differences in coral reef benthic and fish assemblages are common, yet it is unknown whether these assemblages respond uniformly to environmental disturbances or whether local conditions result in differential responses of assemblages at different shelf positions. Here, we compare changes in the taxonomic and functional composition, and associated traits, of herbivorous reef fish assemblages across a continental shelf, five years before and six months after two severe cyclones and a thermal bleaching event that resulted in substantial and widespread loss of live hard coral cover. Each shelf position maintained a distinct taxonomic assemblage of fishes after disturbances, but the assemblages shared fewer species among shelf positions. There was a substantial loss of species richness following disturbances within each shelf position. Total biomass of the herbivorous fish assemblage increased after disturbances on mid- and outer-shelf reefs, but not on inner-shelf reefs. Using trait-based analyses, we found there was a loss of trait richness at each shelf position, but trait specialisation and originality increased on inner-shelf reefs. This study highlights the pervasiveness of extreme environmental disturbances on ecological assemblages. Whilst distinct cross-shelf assemblages can remain following environmental disturbances, assemblages have reduced richness and are potentially more vulnerable to chronic localised stresses.
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.
Suppression of herbivory by macroalgal density: a critical feedback on coral reefs?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-01-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1461-0248.2010.01581.X
Abstract: Coral reefs globally are in decline, with some reefs undergoing phase shifts from coral-dominance to degraded states dominated by large fleshy macroalgae. These shifts have been underpinned by the overharvesting of herbivorous fishes and represent a fundamental change in the physical structure of these reefs. Although the physical structure provided by corals is regarded as a key feature that facilitates herbivore activity, the influence of the physical structure of macroalgal stands is largely unknown. Using transplanted Sargassum, the largest coral reef macroalga, we created habitat patches of predetermined macroalgal density (0.25-6.23 kg m(-2)). Remote video cameras revealed both grazing and browsing fishes avoided high density patches, preferring relatively open areas with low macroalgal cover. This behaviour may provide a positive feedback leading to the growth and persistence of macroalgal stands increasing the stability of phase shifts to macroalgae.
Modelling growth of Juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish on the northern Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 29-12-2017
DOI: 10.3390/D9010001
To feed or to breed: morphological constraints of mouthbrooding in coral reef cardinalfishes
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 08-02-2012
Abstract: Functionally coupled biomechanical systems are widespread in nature and are viewed as major constraints on evolutionary ersification, yet there have been few attempts to explore the implications of performing multiple functions within a single anatomical structure. Paternally mouthbrooding cardinalfishes present an ideal system to investigate the constraints of functional coupling as the oral jaws of male fishes are directly responsible for both feeding and reproductive functions. To test the effects of (i) mouthbrooding on feeding and (ii) feeding on reproductive potential we compared the feeding apparatus between sexes of nine species of cardinalfish and compared brood characteristics among species from different trophic groups, respectively. Mouthbrooding was strongly associated with the morphology of the feeding apparatus in males. Male cardinalfishes possessed longer heads, snouts and jaws than female conspecifics irrespective of body size, trophic group or evolutionary history. Conversely, reproductive potential also appeared to be related to trophic morphology. Piscivorous cardinalfishes produced larger, but fewer eggs, and had smaller brood volumes than species from the two invertebrate feeding groups. These interrelationships suggest that feeding and reproduction in the mouth of cardinalfishes may be tightly coupled. If so this may, in part, have contributed to the limited morphological ersification exhibited by cardinalfishes.
Recent Advances in Understanding the Effects of Climate Change on Coral Reefs
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-05-2016
DOI: 10.3390/D8020012
Contributions of pre- versus post-settlement processes to fluctuating abundance of crown-of-thorns starfishes (Acanthaster spp.)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2018.07.006
Abstract: Numerous hypotheses have been put forward to account for population outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfishes (CoTS, Acanthaster spp.), which place specific importance on either pre- or post-settlement mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to specifically assess the contributions of pre- versus post-settlement processes in the population dynamics of CoTS. Given the immense reproductive potential of CoTS (>100 million eggs per female), persistent high densities would appear inevitable unless there were significant constraints on larval development, settlement success, and/or early post-settlement growth and survival. In terms of population constraints, pre- and post-settlement processes are both important and have additive effects to suppress densities of juvenile and adult CoTS within reef ecosystems. It is difficult, however, to assess the relative contributions of pre- versus post-settlement processes to population outbreaks, especially given limited data on settlement rates, as well as early post-settlement growth and mortality. Prioritising this research is important to resolve potential effects of anthropogenic activities (e.g., fishing) and habitat degradation on changing population dynamics of CoTS, and will also improve management effectiveness.
Post-settlement growth and mortality rates of juvenile scleractinian corals in Moorea, French Polynesia versus Trunk Reef, Australia
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 15-08-2013
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS10389
Long-term empirical evidence of ocean warming leading to tropicalization of fish communities, increased herbivory, and loss of kelp
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 14-11-2016
Abstract: Most studies of the impact of global warming focus on the direct physiological impacts of climate change. However, global warming is shifting the distribution of many species and leading to novel interactions between previously separated species that have the potential to transform entire ecological communities. This study shows that an increase in the proportion of warmwater species (“tropicalization”) as oceans warm is increasing fish herbivory in kelp forests, contributing to their decline and subsequent persistence in alternate “kelp-free” states. These tropical and subtropical herbivores are increasingly impacting temperate algal communities worldwide, posing a significant threat to the long-term stability of these iconic ecosystems and the valuable services they provide.
BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12729
Regional versus latitudinal variation in the life‐history traits and demographic rates of a reef fish, Centropyge bispinosa , in the Coral Sea and Great Barrier
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-08-2021
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.14865
Abstract: Environmental temperature is an important determinant of physiological processes and life histories in ectotherms. Over latitudinal scales, variation in temperature has been linked to changes in life‐history traits and demographic rates, with growth and mortality rates generally being greatest at low latitudes, and longevity and maximum length being greater at higher latitudes. Using the two‐spined angelfish, Centropyge bispinosa , as our focal species, we compared growth patterns, growth rates, longevity, mortality, asymptotic length and maximum length across 22 reefs that span 13° of latitude within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) and the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP), Australia. We found no predictable latitudinal variation in mortality rates, growth patterns, growth rates, asymptotic or maximum length of C. bispinosa at regional to biogeographic scales. However, C. bispinosa consistently exhibited reduced longevity at lower, warmer latitudes within the CSMP. The greatest differences in mean maximum length of C. bispinosa were between continental (GBRMP) and oceanic (central CSMP) reefs of similar latitude, with in iduals being larger on average on continental versus oceanic reefs. The lack of predictable life‐history and demographic variation in C. bispinosa across a 13° latitudinal gradient within the CSMP, coupled with differences in mean maximum length between continental and oceanic reefs at similar latitudes, suggest that local environmental conditions have a greater influence than environmental temperature on the demographic rates and life‐history traits of C. bispinosa .
Body size and substrate type modulate movement by the western Pacific crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster solaris
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 06-09-2017
Risk factors for mortality over 18 years in 317 ICUs in 9 Asian countries: The impact of healthcare-associated infections.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 24-10-2022
DOI: 10.1017/ICE.2022.245
Abstract: To identify risk factors for mortality in intensive care units (ICUs) in Asia. Prospective cohort study. The study included 317 ICUs of 96 hospitals in 44 cities in 9 countries of Asia: China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Patients aged >18 years admitted to ICUs. In total, 157,667 patients were followed during 957,517 patient days, and 8,157 HAIs occurred. In multiple logistic regression, the following variables were associated with an increased mortality risk: central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI aOR, 2.36 Some variables associated with an increased mortality risk are unlikely to change, such as age, sex, national economy, hospitalization type, and ICU type. Some other variables can be modified, such as LOS, central-line use, urinary catheter use, and mechanical ventilation as well as and acquisition of CLABSI, VAE, or CAUTI. To reduce mortality risk, we shall focus on strategies to reduce LOS strategies to reduce central-line, urinary catheter, and mechanical ventilation use and HAI prevention recommendations.
Trophic ecomorphology of cardinalfish
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 20-09-2006
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS322249
Macroalgal feedbacks and substrate properties maintain a coral reef regime shift
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1002/ECS2.2349
Ecosystem regime shifts disrupt trophic structure
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-12-2017
DOI: 10.1002/EAP.1639
Abstract: Regime shifts between alternative stable ecosystem states are becoming commonplace due to the combined effects of local stressors and global climate change. Alternative states are characterized as substantially different in form and function from pre-disturbance states, disrupting the delivery of ecosystem services and functions. On coral reefs, regime shifts are typically characterized by a change in the benthic composition from coral to macroalgal dominance. Such fundamental shifts in the benthos are anticipated to impact associated fish communities that are reliant on the reef for food and shelter, yet there is limited understanding of how regime shifts propagate through the fish community over time, relative to initial or recovery conditions. This study addresses this knowledge gap using long-term data of coral reef regime shifts and recovery on Seychelles reefs following the 1998 mass bleaching event. It shows how trophic structure of the reef fish community becomes increasingly dissimilar between alternative reef ecosystem states (regime-shifted vs. recovering) with time since disturbance. Regime-shifted reefs developed a concave trophic structure, with increased biomass in base trophic levels as herbivorous species benefitted from increased algal resources. Mid trophic level species, including specialists such as corallivores, declined with loss of coral habitat, while biomass was retained in upper trophic levels by large-bodied, generalist invertivores. Recovering reefs also experienced an initial decline in mid trophic level biomass, but moved toward a bottom-heavy pyramid shape, with a wide range of feeding groups (e.g., planktivores, corallivores, omnivores) represented at mid trophic levels. Given the importance of coral reef fishes in maintaining the ecological function of coral reef ecosystems and their associated fisheries, understanding the effects of regime shifts on these communities is essential to inform decisions that enhance ecological resilience and economic sustainability.
The contribution of macroalgae-associated fishes to small-scale tropical reef fisheries
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/FAF.12653
Abstract: Macroalgae‐dominated reefs are a prominent habitat in tropical seascapes that support a ersity of fishes, including fishery target species. To what extent, then, do macroalgal habitats contribute to small‐scale tropical reef fisheries? To address this question we: (1) Quantified the macroalgae‐associated fish component in catches from 133 small‐scale fisheries, (2) Compared life‐history traits relevant to fishing (e.g. growth, longevity) in macroalgal and coral‐associated fishes, (3) Examined how macroalgae‐associated species can influence catch ersity, trophic level and vulnerability and (4) Explored how tropical fisheries change with the expansion of macroalgal habitats using a case study of fishery‐independent data for Seychelles. Fish that utilised macroalgal habitats comprise 24% of the catch, but very few fished species relied entirely on macroalgal or coral habitats post‐settlement. Macroalgal and coral‐associated fishes had similar life‐history traits, although vulnerability to fishing declined with increasing contribution of macroalgae association to the catch, whilst mean trophic level and ersity peaked when macroalgal‐associated fish accounted for 20%–30% of catches. The Seychelles case study revealed similar total fish biomass on macroalgal and coral reefs, although the biomass of primary target species increased as macroalgae cover expanded. Our findings reinforce that multiple habitat types are needed to support tropical fishery stability and sustainability. Whilst coral habitats have been the focus of tropical fisheries management, we show the potential for macroalgae‐associated fish to support catch size and ersity in ways that reduce vulnerability to overfishing. This is pertinent to seascapes where repeated disturbances are facilitating the replacement of coral reef with macroalgal habitats.
Ocean warming has greater and more consistent negative effects than ocean acidification on the growth and health of subtropical macroalgae
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 14-05-2018
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS12552
Among-habitat algal selectivity by browsing herbivores on an inshore coral reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-02-2015
Contrasting size and fate of juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish linked to ontogenetic diet shifts
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-07-2020
Abstract: Population dynamics of organisms are shaped by the variation in phenotypic traits, often expressed even among in iduals from the same cohort. For ex le, in idual variation in the timing of ontogenetic shifts in diet and/or habitat greatly influences subsequent growth and survival of some organisms, with critical effects on population dynamics. Few studies of natural systems have, however, demonstrated that marked phenotypic variation in growth rates or body size among in iduals within a modelled cohort is linked to dietary shifts and food availability. Population irruptions of the crown-of-thorns starfish are one of the foremost contributors to the global degradation of coral reefs, but causes of irruptions have been debated for decades. Here we demonstrate, based on extensive field s ling of juvenile starfish ( n = 3532), that marked variation in body size among juvenile starfish is linked to an ontogenetic diet shift from coralline algae to coral. This transition in diet leads to exponential growth in juveniles and is essential for in iduals to reach maturity. Because smaller in iduals experience higher mortality and growth is stunted on an algal diet, the ontogenetic shift to corallivory enhances in idual fitness and replenishment success. Our findings suggest that the availability of coral prey facilitates early ontogenetic diet shifts and may be fundamental in initiating population irruptions.
Micro-topography mediates interactions between corals, algae, and herbivorous fishes on coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-12-2013
High Macroalgal Cover and Low Coral Recruitment Undermines the Potential Resilience of the World's Southernmost Coral Reef Assemblages
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 03-10-2011
Global warming impairs stock–recruitment dynamics of corals
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-019-1081-Y
Abstract: Changes in disturbance regimes due to climate change are increasingly challenging the capacity of ecosystems to absorb recurrent shocks and reassemble afterwards, escalating the risk of widespread ecological collapse of current ecosystems and the emergence of novel assemblages
Evolution of long-toothed fishes and the changing nature of fish–benthos interactions on coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-01-2014
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS4144
Abstract: Interactions between fishes and the benthos have shaped the development of marine ecosystems since at least the early Mesozoic. Here, using the morphology of fish teeth as an indicator of feeding abilities, we quantify changes over the last 240 million years of reef fish evolution. Fossil and extant coral reef fish assemblages reveal exceptional stasis in tooth design over time, with one notable exception, a distinct long-toothed form. Arising only in the last 40 million years, these long-toothed fishes have bypassed the invertebrate link in the food chain, feeding directly on benthic particulate material. With the appearance of elongated teeth, these specialized detritivores have moved from eating invertebrates to eating the food of invertebrates. Over evolutionary time, fishes have slid back down the food chain.
Small Marine Protected Areas in Fiji Provide Refuge for Reef Fish Assemblages, Feeding Groups, and Corals
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-01-2017
Global warming transforms coral reef assemblages
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-018-0041-2
Abstract: Global warming is rapidly emerging as a universal threat to ecological integrity and function, highlighting the urgent need for a better understanding of the impact of heat exposure on the resilience of ecosystems and the people who depend on them
Estimating ecosystem function: contrasting roles of closely related herbivorous rabbitfishes (Siganidae) on coral reefs
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 18-06-2009
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08059
Enhanced fast-start performance and anti-predator behaviour in a coral reef fish in response to suspended sediment exposure
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-11-2018
Impaired growth and survival of tropical macroalgae (Sargassum spp.) at elevated temperatures
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-03-2020
Diet and cross-shelf distribution of rabbitfishes (f. Siganidae) on the northern Great Barrier Reef: implications for ecosystem function
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-05-2013
Depth-dependent mortality of reef corals following a severe bleaching event: implications for thermal refuges and population recovery
Publisher: F1000 Research Ltd
Date: 19-02-2014
DOI: 10.12688/F1000RESEARCH.2-187.V3
Abstract: Coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperature is a primary cause of coral reef degradation. However, bleaching patterns often show significant spatial variability, therefore identifying locations where local conditions may provide thermal refuges is a high conservation priority. Coral bleaching mortality often diminishes with increasing depth, but clear depth zonation of coral communities and putative limited overlap in species composition between deep and shallow reef habitats has led to the conclusion that deeper reef habitats will provide limited refuge from bleaching for most species. Here, we show that coral mortality following a severe bleaching event diminished sharply with depth. Bleaching-induced mortality of Acropora was approximately 90% at 0-2m, 60% at 3-4 m, yet at 6-8m there was negligible mortality. Importantly, at least two-thirds of the shallow-water (2-3 m) Acropora assemblage had a depth range that straddled the transition from high to low mortality. Cold-water upwelling may have contributed to the lower mortality observed in all but the shallowest depths. Our results demonstrate that, in this instance, depth provided a refuge for in iduals from a high proportion of species in this Acropora -dominated assemblage. The persistence of deeper populations may provide a critical source of propagules to assist recovery of adjacent shallow-water reefs.
New branched Porolithon species (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and Lord Howe Island
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-09-2023
DOI: 10.1111/JPY.13387
Indirect benefits of high coral cover for non-corallivorous butterflyfishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-12-2014
The implications of recurrent disturbances within the world's hottest coral reef
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2015.10.006
Abstract: Determining how coral ecosystems are structured within extreme environments may provide insights into how coral reefs are impacted by future climate change. Benthic community structure was examined within the Persian Gulf, and adjacent Musandam and northern Oman regions across a 3-year period (2008-2011) in which all regions were exposed to major disturbances. Although there was evidence of temporal switching in coral composition within regions, communities predominantly reflected local environmental conditions and the disturbance history of each region. Gulf reefs showed little change in coral composition, being dominated by stress-tolerant Faviidae and Poritidae across the 3 years. In comparison, Musandam and Oman coral communities were comprised of stress-sensitive Acroporidae and Pocilloporidae Oman communities showed substantial declines in such taxa and increased cover of stress-tolerant communities. Our results suggest that coral communities may persist within an increasingly disturbed future environment, albeit in a much more structurally simple configuration.
Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE21707
Abstract: During 2015-2016, record temperatures triggered a pan-tropical episode of coral bleaching, the third global-scale event since mass bleaching was first documented in the 1980s. Here we examine how and why the severity of recurrent major bleaching events has varied at multiple scales, using aerial and underwater surveys of Australian reefs combined with satellite-derived sea surface temperatures. The distinctive geographic footprints of recurrent bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002 and 2016 were determined by the spatial pattern of sea temperatures in each year. Water quality and fishing pressure had minimal effect on the unprecedented bleaching in 2016, suggesting that local protection of reefs affords little or no resistance to extreme heat. Similarly, past exposure to bleaching in 1998 and 2002 did not lessen the severity of bleaching in 2016. Consequently, immediate global action to curb future warming is essential to secure a future for coral reefs.
Growth impacts in a changing ocean: insights from two coral reef fishes in an extreme environment
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-02-2021
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-021-02061-6
Abstract: Determining the life-history consequences for fishes living in extreme and variable environments will be vital in predicting the likely impacts of ongoing climate change on reef fish demography. Here, we compare size-at-age and maximum body size of two common reef fish species ( Lutjanus ehrenbergii and Pomacanthus maculosus ) between the environmentally extreme Arabian/Persian Gulf (‘Arabian Gulf’) and adjacent comparably benign Oman Sea. Additionally, we use otolith increment width profiles to investigate the influence of temperature, salinity and productivity on the in idual growth rates. In iduals of both species showed smaller size-at-age and lower maximum size in the Arabian Gulf compared to conspecifics in the less extreme and less variable environment of the Oman Sea, suggesting a life-history trade-off between size and metabolic demands. Salinity was the best environmental predictor of interannual growth across species and regions, with low growth corresponding to more saline conditions. However, salinity had a weaker negative effect on interannual growth of fishes in the Arabian Gulf than in the Oman Sea, indicating Arabian Gulf populations may be better able to acclimate to changing environmental conditions. Temperature had a weak positive effect on the interannual growth of fishes in the Arabian Gulf, suggesting that these populations may still be living within their thermal windows. Our results highlight the potential importance of osmoregulatory cost in impacting growth, and the need to consider the effect of multiple stressors when investigating the consequences of future climate change on fish demography.
Incidence and severity of injuries among juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-08-2019
Feeding in Parrotfishes: The Influence of Species, Body Size, and Temperature
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 05-03-2018
Limited Functional Redundancy in a High Diversity System: Single Species Dominates Key Ecological Process on Coral Reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-10-2009
Habitat selectivity and reliance on live corals for Indo-Pacific hawkfishes (family: Cirrhitidae)
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 03-11-2015
Effects of climate change on coral grouper (Plectropomus spp.) and possible adaptation options
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-12-2017
Functional Variation Among Parrotfishes: are they Complementary or Redundant?
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 05-03-2018
A multilocus molecular phylogeny of combtooth blennies (Percomorpha: Blennioidei: Blenniidae): Multiple invasions of intertidal habitats
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2013.09.001
Abstract: The combtooth blennies (f. Blenniidae) is a erse family of primarily marine fishes with approximately 387 species that inhabit subtidal, intertidal, supralittoral habitats in tropical and warm temperate regions throughout the world. The Blenniidae has typically been ided into six groups based on morphological characters: Blenniini, Nemophini, Omobranchini, Phenablenniini, Parablenniini, and Salariini. There is, however, considerable debate over the validity of these groups and their relationships. Since little is known about the relationships in this group, other aspects of their evolutionary history, such as habitat evolution and remain unexplored. Herein, we use Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of four nuclear loci (ENC1, myh6, ptr, and tbr1) from 102 species, representing 41 genera, to resolve the phylogeny of the Blenniidae, determine the validity of the previously recognized groupings, and explore the evolution of habitat association using ancestral state reconstruction. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of the resulting 3100bp of DNA sequence produced nearly identical topologies, and identified many well-supported clades. Of these clades, Nemophini was the only traditionally recognized group strongly supported as monophyletic. This highly resolved and thoroughly s led blenniid phylogeny provides strong evidence that the traditional rank-based classification does not adequately delimit monophyletic groups with the Blenniidae. This phylogeny redefines the taxonomy of the group and supports the use of 13 unranked clades for the classification of blenniids. Ancestral state reconstructions identified four independent invasions of intertidal habitats within the Blenniidae, and subsequent invasions into supralittoral and freshwater habitats from these groups. The independent invasions of intertidal habitats are likely to have played an important role in the evolutionary history of blennies.
Global warming may disproportionately affect larger adults in a predatory coral reef fish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-12-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.13552
Abstract: Global warming is expected to reduce body sizes of ectothermic animals. Although the underlying mechanisms of size reductions remain poorly understood, effects appear stronger at latitudinal extremes (poles and tropics) and in aquatic rather than terrestrial systems. To shed light on this phenomenon, we examined the size dependence of critical thermal maxima (CTmax) and aerobic metabolism in a commercially important tropical reef fish, the leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) following acclimation to current-day (28.5 °C) vs. projected end-of-century (33 °C) summer temperatures for the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). CTmax declined from 38.3 to 37.5 °C with increasing body mass in adult fish (0.45-2.82 kg), indicating that larger in iduals are more thermally sensitive than smaller conspecifics. This may be explained by a restricted capacity for large fish to increase mass-specific maximum metabolic rate (MMR) at 33 °C compared with 28.5 °C. Indeed, temperature influenced the relationship between metabolism and body mass (0.02-2.38 kg), whereby the scaling exponent for MMR increased from 0.74 ± 0.02 at 28.5 °C to 0.79 ± 0.01 at 33 °C, and the corresponding exponents for standard metabolic rate (SMR) were 0.75 ± 0.04 and 0.80 ± 0.03. The increase in metabolic scaling exponents at higher temperatures suggests that energy budgets may be disproportionately impacted in larger fish and contribute to reduced maximum adult size. Such climate-induced reductions in body size would have important ramifications for fisheries productivity, but are also likely to have knock-on effects for trophodynamics and functioning of ecosystems.
Pair bond endurance promotes cooperative food defense and inhibits conflict in coral reef butterflyfish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-04-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-24412-0
Abstract: Pair bonding is generally linked to monogamous mating systems, where the reproductive benefits of extended mate guarding and/or of bi-parental care are considered key adaptive functions. However, in some species, including coral reef butterflyfishes (f. Chaetodonitidae), pair bonding occurs in sexually immature and homosexual partners, and in the absence of parental care, suggesting there must be non-reproductive adaptive benefits of pair bonding. Here, we examined whether pair bonding butterflyfishes cooperate in defense of food, conferring direct benefits to one or both partners. We found that pairs of Chaetodon lunulatus and C . baronessa use contrasting cooperative strategies. In C . lunulatus , both partners mutually defend their territory, while in C . baronessa , males prioritize territory defence conferring improvements in feeding and energy reserves in both sexes relative to solitary counterparts. We further demonstrate that partner fidelity contributes to this function by showing that re-pairing invokes intra-pair conflict and inhibits cooperatively-derived feeding benefits, and that partner endurance is required for these costs to abate. Overall, our results suggest that in butterflyfishes, pair bonding enhances cooperative defense of prey resources, ultimately benefiting both partners by improving food resource acquisition and energy reserves.
Social–environmental drivers inform strategic management of coral reefs in the Anthropocene
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-08-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-019-0953-8
Abstract: Without drastic efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate globalized stressors, tropical coral reefs are in jeopardy. Strategic conservation and management requires identification of the environmental and socioeconomic factors driving the persistence of scleractinian coral assemblages-the foundation species of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we compiled coral abundance data from 2,584 Indo-Pacific reefs to evaluate the influence of 21 climate, social and environmental drivers on the ecology of reef coral assemblages. Higher abundances of framework-building corals were typically associated with: weaker thermal disturbances and longer intervals for potential recovery slower human population growth reduced access by human settlements and markets and less nearby agriculture. We therefore propose a framework of three management strategies (protect, recover or transform) by considering: (1) if reefs were above or below a proposed threshold of >10% cover of the coral taxa important for structural complexity and carbonate production and (2) reef exposure to severe thermal stress during the 2014-2017 global coral bleaching event. Our findings can guide urgent management efforts for coral reefs, by identifying key threats across multiple scales and strategic policy priorities that might sustain a network of functioning reefs in the Indo-Pacific to avoid ecosystem collapse.
Fear effects and group size interact to shape herbivory on coral reefs
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2021
Abstract: Fear of predators (‘fear effects’) is an important determinant of foraging decisions by consumers across a range of ecosystems. Group size is one of the main behavioural mechanisms for mitigating fear effects while also providing foraging benefits to group members. Within coral reef ecosystems, fear effects have been shown to influence the feeding rates of herbivorous fishes, a key functional group that prevents macroalgal overgrowth. Yet, how fear effects and group size interact to shape macroalgal removal on coral reefs remains unclear. Here, we conducted field‐based experiments using models of a common piscivorous fish, the leopard coral grouper Plectropomus leopardus and a series of macroalgal Sargassum ilicifolium assays positioned at increasing distances from the models (1, 2, 3 and 4 m) on two coral reefs in Singapore to investigate how acute fear effects shape the intensity of herbivory, and whether these effects were influenced by variation in the group size of herbivorous fishes feeding on the assays. We found acute fear effects strongly influenced the foraging behaviour of herbivorous fishes over small spatial scales. Rates of Sargassum biomass removal, feeding rates and the total number of in idual feeding events were all lower near the predator model. These effects dissipated rapidly with increasing distance from the predator model and were undetectable at a distance of 4 m. We also found generally larger group sizes of herbivorous fishes further from the predator model, presumably reflecting decreased risk. Furthermore, the number of in idual bites/event increased significantly with increasing group size for two common browsing fishes, Siganus virgatus and Siganus javus . Our findings highlight that acute fear effects influence the distribution and intensity of herbivory over small spatial scales. Fear effects also interacted with herbivore group size resulting in changes in the number of in idual feeding events and bite rates that collectively shape the realized ecosystem function of macroalgal removal on coral reefs. Group size is an important context‐dependent factor that should be considered when examining fear effects on coral reefs. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Synchronous behavioural shifts in reef fishes linked to mass coral bleaching
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-10-2018
Cross-scale habitat structure driven by coral species composition on tropical reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-08-2017
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-017-08109-4
Abstract: The availability of habitat structure across spatial scales can determine ecological organization and resilience. However, anthropogenic disturbances are altering the abundance and composition of habitat-forming organisms. How such shifts in the composition of these organisms alter the physical structure of habitats across ecologically important scales remains unclear. At a time of unprecedented coral loss and homogenization of coral assemblages globally, we investigate the inherent structural complexity of taxonomically distinct reefs, across five ecologically relevant scales of measurement (4–64 cm). We show that structural complexity was influenced by coral species composition, and was not a simple function of coral cover on the studied reefs. However, inter-habitat variation in structural complexity changed with scale. Importantly, the scales at which habitat structure was available also varied among habitats. Complexity at the smallest, most vulnerable scale (4 cm) varied the most among habitats, which could have inferences for as much as half of all reef fishes which are small-bodied and refuge dependent for much of their lives. As disturbances continue and species shifts persist, the future of these ecosystems may rely on a greater concern for the composition of habitat-building species and prioritization of particular configurations for protection of maximal cross-scale habitat structural complexity.
Macroalgal browsing on a heavily degraded, urbanized equatorial reef system
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-08-2017
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-017-08873-3
Abstract: The removal of macroalgal biomass is critical to the health of coral reef ecosystems. Previous studies on relatively intact reefs with erse and abundant fish communities have quantified rapid removal of macroalgae by herbivorous fishes, yet how these findings relate to degraded reef systems where fish ersity and abundance are markedly lower and algal biomass substantially higher, is unclear. We surveyed roving herbivorous fish communities and quantified their capacity to remove the dominant macroalga Sargassum ilicifolium on seven reefs in Singapore a heavily degraded urbanized reef system. The ersity and abundance of herbivorous fishes was extremely low, with eight species and a mean abundance ~1.1 in iduals 60 m −2 recorded across reefs. Consumption of S . ilicifolium varied with distance from Singapore’s main port with consumption being 3- to 17-fold higher on reefs furthest from the port (Pulau Satumu: 4.18 g h −1 Kusu Island: 2.38 g h −1 ) than reefs closer to the port (0.35–0.78 g h −1 ). Video observations revealed a single species, Siganus virgatus , was almost solely responsible for removing S . ilicifolium biomass, accounting for 83% of the mass-standardized bites. Despite low herbivore ersity and intense urbanization, macroalgal removal by fishes on some Singaporean reefs was directly comparable to rates reported for other inshore Indo-Pacific reefs.
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
The 2014-17 Global Coral Bleaching Event: The Most Severe and Widespread Coral Reef Destruction
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 06-06-2022
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-1555992/V1
Abstract: Ocean warming is increasing the incidence, scale, and severity of global-scale coral bleaching and mortality, culminating in the third global coral bleaching event that occurred during record marine heatwaves of 2014-2017. While local effects of these events have been widely reported, the global implications remain unknown. Analysis of 15,066 reef surveys during 2014-2017 revealed that 80% of surveyed reefs experienced significant coral bleaching and 35% experienced significant coral mortality. The global extent of significant coral bleaching and mortality was assessed by extrapolating results from reef surveys using comprehensive remote-sensing data of regional heat stress. This model predicted that 51% of the world’s coral reefs suffered significant bleaching and 15% significant mortality, surpassing damage from any prior global bleaching event. These observations demonstrate that global warming’s widespread damage to coral reefs is accelerating and underscores the threat anthropogenic climate change poses for the irreversible transformation of these essential ecosystems.
Coral species composition drives key ecosystem function on coral reefs
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 19-02-2020
Abstract: Rapid and unprecedented ecological change threatens the functioning and stability of ecosystems. On coral reefs, global climate change and local stressors are reducing and reorganizing habitat-forming corals and associated species, with largely unknown implications for critical ecosystem functions such as herbivory. Herbivory mediates coral–algal competition, thereby facilitating ecosystem recovery following disturbance such as coral bleaching events or large storms. However, relationships between coral species composition, the distribution of herbivorous fishes and the delivery of their functional impact are not well understood. Here, we investigate how herbivorous fish assemblages and delivery of two distinct herbivory processes, grazing and browsing, differ among three taxonomically distinct, replicated coral habitats. While grazing on algal turf assemblages was insensitive to different coral configurations, browsing on the macroalga Laurencia cf. obtusa varied considerably among habitats, suggesting that different mechanisms may shape these processes. Variation in browsing among habitats was best predicted by the composition and structural complexity of benthic assemblages (in particular the cover and composition of corals, but not macroalgal cover), and was poorly reflected by visual estimates of browser biomass. Surprisingly, the lowest browsing rates were recorded in the most structurally complex habitat, with the greatest cover of coral (branching Porites habitat). While the mechanism for the variation in browsing is not clear, it may be related to scale-dependent effects of habitat structure on visual occlusion inhibiting foraging activity by browsing fishes, or the relative availability of alternate dietary resources. Our results suggest that maintained functionality may vary among distinct and emerging coral reef configurations due to ecological interactions between reef fishes and their environment determining habitat selection.
Trophic plasticity in an obligate corallivorous butterflyfish
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 26-10-2018
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS12771
Cross-shelf variation in the role of parrotfishes on the Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-08-2007
Spatial and temporal limits of coral-macroalgal competition: the negative impacts of macroalgal density, proximity, and history of contact
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 11-01-2018
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS12410
Cross-shelf variation in browsing intensity on the Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-03-2010
Spatial and Temporal Variation in Fecundity of Acropora spp. in the Northern Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 16-04-2019
DOI: 10.3390/D11040060
Abstract: The amount of energy invested in sexual reproduction by scleractinian corals depends on their life history strategies (i.e., allocation of energy between growth, reproduction, and maintenance). However, energy allocated to reproduction will also be affected by the amount of energy acquired and prevailing environmental conditions. Coral fecundity is therefore likely to vary spatially, especially along marked gradients in environmental conditions. One of the foremost gradients in reef structure and environmental conditions occurs with distance from the coast, whereby inner-shelf or near shore reefs are generally subject to higher levels of nutrients, sediments and pollutants, which often adversely affect reef-building corals. This study quantified fecundity (oocytes per polyp) for three species, Acropora nasuta, A. spathulata, and A. hyacinthus, at six locations in the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR), encompassing inner-, mid- and outer-shelf reefs. Replicate colonies were s led at each location prior to the predicted date of spawning in 2013 and 2014. Both shelf position and year were important factors explaining variation in fecundity for each of the three coral species. Most notably, there were clear and consistent declines in the number of oocytes between 2013 and 2014, coinciding with the incidence of category 4 Cylone Ita in early 2014. Contrary to expectations, polyp-level fecundity was no lower (and in some cases substantially higher) on inner-shelf reefs, compared to conspecifics growing on mid-shelf or outer-shelf reefs. The observed patterns are much more complicated than anticipated, necessitating further research to understand differential population dynamics of corals on inner-shelf versus mid- and outer-shelf reefs.
Prickly business: abundance of sea urchins on breakwaters and coral reefs in Dubai
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2015.11.026
Abstract: Echinometra mathaei is a common echinoid on tropical reefs and where abundant plays an important role in the control of algal communities. Despite high prevalence of E. mathaei on southern Persian/Arabian Gulf reefs, their abundance and distribution is poorly known. Spatial and temporal patterns in population abundance were examined at 12 sites between breakwater and natural reef habitats in Dubai (UAE) every 3 months from 2008 to 2010. Within the breakwater habitat, densities were greatest at shallow wave-exposed sites, and reduced with both decreasing wave-exposure and increasing depth. Interestingly, E. mathaei were significantly more abundant on exposed breakwaters than natural reef sites, presumably due to differences in habitat structure and benthic cover. Population abundances differed seasonally, with peak abundances during summer (July-September) and lower abundances in winter (December-February). Seasonal fluctuations are likely the result of peak annual recruitment pulses coupled with increased fish predation from summer to winter.
Maximizing regional biodiversity requires a mosaic of protection levels
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 19-05-2021
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PBIO.3001195
Abstract: Protected areas are the flagship management tools to secure bio ersity from anthropogenic impacts. However, the extent to which adjacent areas with distinct protection levels host different species numbers and compositions remains uncertain. Here, using reef fishes, European alpine plants, and North American birds, we show that the composition of species in adjacent Strictly Protected, Restricted, and Non-Protected areas is highly dissimilar, whereas the number of species is similar, after controlling for environmental conditions, s le size, and rarity. We find that between 12% and 15% of species are only recorded in Non-Protected areas, suggesting that a non-negligible part of regional bio ersity occurs where human activities are less regulated. For imperiled species, the proportion only recorded in Strictly Protected areas reaches 58% for fishes, 11% for birds, and 7% for plants, highlighting the fundamental and unique role of protected areas and their environmental conditions in bio ersity conservation.
Density and height of Sargassum influence rabbitfish (f. Siganidae) settlement on inshore reef flats of the Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-03-2020
Avoiding conflicts and protecting coral reefs: customary management benefits marine habitats and fish biomass
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 10-2012
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605312000348
Abstract: One of the major goals of coral reef conservation is to determine the most effective means of managing marine resources in regions where economic conditions often limit the options available. For ex le, no-take fishing areas can be impractical in regions where people rely heavily on reef fish for food. In this study we test whether coral reef health differed among areas with varying management practices and socio-economic conditions on Pulau Weh in the Indonesian province of Aceh. Our results show that gear restrictions, in particular prohibiting the use of nets, were successful in minimizing habitat degradation and maintaining fish biomass despite ongoing access to the fishery. Reef fish biomass and hard-coral cover were two- to eight-fold higher at sites where fishing nets were prohibited. The guiding principle of the local customary management system, Panglima Laot , is to reduce conflict among community members over access to marine resources. Consequently, conservation benefits in Aceh have arisen from a customary system that lacks a specific environmental ethic or the means for strong resource-based management. Panglima Laot includes many of the features of successful institutions, such as clearly defined membership rights and the opportunity for resource users to be involved in making, enforcing and changing the rules. Such mechanisms to reduce conflict are the key to the success of marine resource management, particularly in settings that lack resources for enforcement.
Key herbivores reveal limited functional redundancy on inshore coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-05-2013
Herbivorous fish rise as a destructive fishing practice falls in an Indonesian marine national park
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-09-2019
DOI: 10.1002/EAP.1981
Abstract: Securing ecosystem functions is challenging, yet common priority in conservation efforts. While marine parks aim to meet this challenge by regulating fishing through zoning plans, their effectiveness hinges on compliance levels and may respond to changes in fishing practices. Here we use a speciose assemblage of nominally herbivorous reef fish in Karimunjawa National Park (zoned since 1989) to investigate whether areas subject to a restrictive management regime sustained higher biomass over seven years compared to areas where moderate and permissive regulations apply. Using a trait-based approach we characterize the functional space of the entire species pool and ask whether changes in biomass translate into changes in functional structure. We track changes in predator biomass, benthic community structure, and fishing practices that could influence herbivore trajectories. Overall herbivore biomass doubled in 2012 compared to 2006-2009 and remained high in 2013 across all management regimes. We found no evidence that this biomass build-up resulted from predator depletion or increased food availability but suggest it emerged in response to a park-wide cessation of fishing with large drive nets known as muroami. The biomass increase was accompanied by a modest increase in taxonomic richness and a slight decrease in community-scale rarity that did not alter functional redundancy levels. Subtle changes in both functional specialization and identity of assemblages emerged as generalist species with low intrinsic vulnerability to fishing recovered sooner than more vulnerable specialists. While this implies a recovery of mechanisms responsible for the grazing of algal turfs and detritus, restoring other facets of herbivory (e.g., macroalgal consumption) may require more time. An increase in the cost-benefit ratio per journey of muroami fishing facilitated a ban on muroami nets that met minimal resistance. Similar windows of opportunity may emerge elsewhere in which gear-based regulations can supplement zoning plans, especially when compliance is low. This does not advocate for implementing such regulations once a fishery has become unprofitable. Rather, it underlines their importance for breaking the cycle of resource depletion and low compliance to zoning, thus alleviating the resulting threats to food security and ecosystem integrity.
The Role of Turtles as Coral Reef Macroherbivores
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-06-2012
A functional morphospace for the skull of labrid fishes: patterns of diversity in a complex biomechanical system
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 22-04-2004
Sustainable reference points for multispecies coral reef fisheries
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-09-2023
Influence of fish grazing and sedimentation on the early post-settlement survival of the tabular coral Acropora cytherea
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-07-2013
Feeding characteristics reveal functional distinctions among browsing herbivorous fishes on coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-07-2015
Microtopographic refuges enhance recruitment and survival but inhibit growth of propagules of the tropical macroalga Sargassum swartzii
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 26-09-2019
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS13057
Acanthaster planci is a major cause of coral mortality in Indonesia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-03-2013
Habitat associations of settlement-stage crown-of-thorns starfish on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-05-2020
Broadening our horizons: seascape use by coral reef-associated fishes in Kavieng, Papua New Guinea, is common and diverse
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-05-2020
Associations among coral reef macroalgae influence feeding by herbivorous fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-10-2014
Biology of Damselfishes
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 19-08-2016
Size matters: macroalgal height influences the feeding response of coral reef herbivores
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 29-07-2010
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08660
Limits to understanding and managing outbreaks of crown-of- thorns starfish (ACANTHASTER Spp.)
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 02-09-2014
DOI: 10.1201/B17143
Swim for it: Effects of simulated fisheries capture on the post-release behaviour of four Great Barrier Reef fishes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Functional versatility supports coral reef biodiversity
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 12-10-2005
Abstract: We explore the role of specialization in supporting species coexistence in high- ersity ecosystems. Using a novel ordination-based method to quantify specialist and generalist feeding structures and diets we examined the relationship between morphology and diet in 120 wrasses and parrotfishes from the Great Barrier Reef. We find that wrasses, despite their morphological ersity, exhibit weak links between morphology and diet and that specialist morphologies do not necessarily equate to specialized diets. The dominant pattern shows extensive overlap in morphology (functional morphospace occupation) among trophic groups fish with a given morphology may have a number of feeding modes. Such trophic versatility may lay the foundation for both the origins and maintenance of high bio ersity on coral reefs.
Selecting coral species for reef restoration
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-07-2023
Abstract: Humans have long sought to restore species but little attention has been directed at how to best select a subset of foundation species for maintaining rich assemblages that support ecosystems, like coral reefs and rainforests, which are increasingly threatened by environmental change. We propose a two‐part hedging approach that selects optimized sets of species for restoration. The first part acknowledges that bio ersity supports ecosystem functions and services, and so it ensures precaution against loss by allocating an even spread of phenotypic traits. The second part maximizes species and ecosystem persistence by weighting species based on characteristics that are known to improve ecological persistence—for ex le abundance, species range and tolerance to environmental change. Using existing phenotypic‐trait and ecological data for reef building corals, we identified sets of ecologically persistent species by examining marginal returns in occupancy of phenotypic trait space. We compared optimal sets of species with those from the world's southern‐most coral reef, which naturally harbours low coral ersity, to show these occupy much of the trait space. Comparison with an existing coral restoration program indicated that current corals used for restoration only cover part of the desired trait space and programs may be improved by including species with different traits. Synthesis and applications . While there are many possible criteria for selecting species for restoration, the approach proposed here addresses the need to insure against unpredictable losses of ecosystem services by focusing on a wide range of phenotypic traits and ecological characteristics. Furthermore, the flexibility of the approach enables the functional goals of restoration to vary depending on environmental context, stakeholder values, and the spatial and temporal scales at which meaningful impacts can be achieved.
Species differences drive spatial scaling of foraging patterns in herbivorous reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/OIK.08713
Abstract: Herbivory is a core ecosystem function that is delivered heterogeneously across space. Disentangling the drivers of foraging patterns is key to understanding the functional impact of herbivores. Because intrinsic drivers of foraging like metabolism, nutritional requirements and movement costs scale allometrically, foraging movement patterns in terrestrial herbivores have been shown to also scale positively with body size. However, spatial patterns of herbivory can also be explained by orthogonal factors such as trophic position, competition and functional groupings. Here, we investigate body size and species traits as drivers of the spatial scaling of foraging patterns in herbivorous coral reef fishes. We quantified foraging patterns of 119 in iduals from nine common herbivorous species using focal in idual surveys. Body size, species identity, feeding substrata, social grouping and functional group were tested as predictors of three foraging metrics: foraging area, inter‐foray distance and tortuosity. Our resulting model revealed that species identity overshadowed body size as a predictor in models for all foraging metrics. While foraging area was explained best by species only, the resulting tortuosity and mean inter‐foray distance models included a small effect of body size that explained within‐species variation. We do not find strong support for size‐scaling of foraging patterns in our study species. These findings indicate that foraging allometry based on Optimal foraging theory cannot be generally applied to reef fish assemblages due to a ersity of foraging strategies, such as spatial partitioning and territoriality. Our work reveals the importance of behavioural ecology and taxonomic ersity in understanding herbivory, especially given the functional differences across species. With coral reefs under threat across the world, this is an important step to disentangling the spatial delivery of a core ecosystem function.
Selective predation for low body condition at the larval-juvenile transition of a coral reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2004
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-004-1489-3
Abstract: Mortality is known to be high during the transition from larval to juvenile life stages in organisms that have complex life histories. We are only just beginning to understand the processes that influence which in iduals survive this period of high mortality, and which traits may be beneficial. Here we document a field experiment that examines the selectivity of predation immediately following settlement to the juvenile population in a common tropical fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis (Pomacentridae). Newly metamorphosed fish were tagged and randomly placed onto replicated patches of natural habitat cleared of resident fishes. After exposure to transient predators for 3 days, fish were recollected and the attributes of survivors from patch reefs that sustained high mortality were compared to in iduals from patch reefs that experienced low mortality. Seven characteristics of in iduals, which were indicative of previous and present body condition, were compared between groups. Predation was found to be selective for fish that grew slowly in the latter third of their larval phase, were low in total lipids, and had a high standardized weight (Fulton's K). Traits developed in the larval phase can strongly influence the survival of in iduals over this critical transition period for organisms with complex life cycles.
Large predatory coral trout species unlikely to meet increasing energetic demands in a warming ocean
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-09-2015
DOI: 10.1038/SREP13830
Abstract: Increased ocean temperature due to climate change is raising metabolic demands and energy requirements of marine ectotherms. If productivity of marine systems and fisheries are to persist, in idual species must compensate for this demand through increasing energy acquisition or decreasing energy expenditure. Here we reveal that the most important coral reef fishery species in the Indo-west Pacific, the large predatory coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae), can behaviourally adjust food intake to maintain body-condition under elevated temperatures and acclimate over time to consume larger meals. However, these increased energetic demands are unlikely to be met by adequate production at lower trophic levels, as smaller prey species are often the first to decline in response to climate-induced loss of live coral and structural complexity. Consequently, ubiquitous increases in energy consumption due to climate change will increase top-down competition for a dwindling biomass of prey, potentially distorting entire food webs and associated fisheries.
Regional variation in the structure and function of parrotfishes on Arabian reefs
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2015.11.035
Abstract: Parrotfishes (f. Labridae) are a unique and ubiquitous group of herbivorous reef fishes. We compared the distribution and ecosystem function (grazing and erosion) of parrotfishes across 75 reefs in Arabia. Our results revealed marked regional differences in the abundance, and taxonomic and functional composition of parrotfishes between the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Arabian Gulf. High densities and ersity of parrotfishes, and high rates of grazing (210% year(-1)) and erosion (1.57 kgm(-2)year(-1)) characterised Red Sea reefs. Despite Arabian Sea and Red Sea reefs having broadly comparable abundances of parrotfishes, estimates of grazing (150% year(-1)) and erosion (0.43 kgm(-2)year(-1)) were markedly lower in the Arabian Sea. Parrotfishes were extremely rare within the southern Arabian Gulf, and as such rates of grazing and erosion were negligible. This regional variation in abundance and functional composition of parrotfishes appears to be related to local environmental conditions.
Detachment of Porites cylindrica nubbins by herbivorous fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1111/REC.13091
The emergence emergency: A mudskipper's response to temperatures
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JTHERBIO.2018.09.005
Abstract: Temperature has a profound effect on all life and a particularly influential effect on ectotherms, such as fishes. Amphibious fishes have a variety of strategies, both physiological and/or behavioural, to cope with a broad range of thermal conditions. This study examined the relationship between prolonged (5 weeks) exposure to a range of temperatures (22, 25, 28, or 32 °C) on oxygen uptake rate and movement behaviours (i.e., thermoregulation and emergence) in a common hibious fish, the barred mudskipper (Periophthalmus argentilneatuis). At the highest temperature examined (32 °C, approximately 5 °C above their summer average temperatures), barred mudskippers exhibited 33.7-97.7% greater oxygen uptake rates at rest (ṀO
Abundance, diversity, and feeding behavior of coral reef butterflyfishes at Lord Howe Island
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.1208
Coral bleaching, reef fish community phase shifts and the resilience of coral reefs
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-07-2006
Changes in sociality of butterflyfishes linked to population declines and coral loss
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-04-2019
Structural complexity mediates functional structure of reef fish assemblages among coral habitats
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-01-2017
Cascading predator effects in a Fijian coral reef ecosystem
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-11-2017
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-017-15679-W
Abstract: Coral reefs are among Earth’s best-studied ecosystems, yet the degree to which large predators influence the ecology of coral reefs remains an open and contentious question. Recent studies indicate the consumptive effects of large reef predators are too diffuse to elicit trophic cascades. Here, we provide evidence that such predators can produce non-consumptive (fear) effects that flow through herbivores to shape the distribution of seaweed on a coral reef. This trophic cascade emerged because reef topography, tidal oscillations, and shark hunting behaviour interact to create predictable “hot spots” of fear on the reef where herbivores withhold feeding and seaweeds gain a spatial refuge. Thus, in risky habitats, sharks can exert strong ecological impacts even though they are trophic generalists that rarely feed. These findings contextualize the debate over whether predators influence coral reef structure and function and move us to ask not if, but under what specific conditions, they generate trophic cascades.
Insights from extreme coral reefs in a changing world
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2020
Coral recovery may not herald the return of fishes on damaged coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-03-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-012-2306-Z
Abstract: The dynamic nature of coral reefs offers a rare opportunity to examine the response of ecosystems to disruption due to climate change. In 1998, the Great Barrier Reef experienced widespread coral bleaching and mortality. As a result, cryptobenthic fish assemblages underwent a dramatic phase-shift. Thirteen years, and up to 96 fish generations later, the cryptobenthic fish assemblage has not returned to its pre-bleach configuration. This is despite coral abundances returning to, or exceeding, pre-bleach values. The post-bleach fish assemblage exhibits no evidence of recovery. If these short-lived fish species are a model for their longer-lived counterparts, they suggest that (1) the full effects of the 1998 bleaching event on long-lived fish populations have yet to be seen, (2) it may take decades, or more, before recovery or regeneration of these long-lived species will begin, and (3) fish assemblages may not recover to their previous composition despite the return of corals.
Beyond the reef: The widespread use of non‐reef habitats by coral reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-06-2019
DOI: 10.1111/FAF.12383
Ecological memory modifies the cumulative impact of recurrent climate extremes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-12-2018
Effects of Coral Bleaching and Coral Loss on the Structure and Function of Reef Fish Assemblages
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Social-ecological alignment and ecological conditions in coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-05-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-019-09994-1
Abstract: Complex social-ecological interactions underpin many environmental problems. To help capture this complexity, we advance an interdisciplinary network modeling framework to identify important relationships between people and nature that can influence environmental conditions. Drawing on comprehensive social and ecological data from five coral reef fishing communities in Kenya including interviews with 648 fishers, underwater visual census data of reef ecosystem condition, and time-series landings data we show that positive ecological conditions are associated with ‘social-ecological network closure’ – i.e., fully linked and thus closed network structures between social actors and ecological resources. Our results suggest that when fishers facing common dilemmas form cooperative communication ties with direct resource competitors, they may achieve positive gains in reef fish biomass and functional richness. Our work provides key empirical insight to a growing body of research on social-ecological alignment, and helps to advance an integrative framework that can be applied empirically in different social-ecological contexts.
Macroalgal meadow habitats support fish and fisheries in diverse tropical seascapes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-03-2020
DOI: 10.1111/FAF.12455
Hidden giants: the story of Bolbometopon muricatum at Ningaloo Reef
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-12-2021
Abstract: Bolbometopon muricatum (bumphead parrotfish, Valenciennes, 1839) is a conspicuous, iconic and ecologically important coral reef fish species. B. muricatum plays an important role in the bioerosion of the reef framework and as a result has been described as both an ecosystem engineer and keystone species. Despite the complete absence of B. muricatum from 32 years of scientific surveys across the Ningaloo Reef World Heritage Area, we recorded a total of 155 in iduals of B. muricatum across 63.2 ha of reef crest surveys, equating to mean density of 2.38 ind/ha. Our observations represent the first record of this iconic species in scientific surveys at Ningaloo and in combination with qualitative observations of B. muricatum by expert witnesses, indicate B. muricatum is likely to have been present in ecologically relevant densities since 2006. The densities of B. muricatum observed at northern Ningaloo in 2021 suggest this species is removing an estimated 13.42 tonnes/ha or 1.34 kg/m2 of calcium carbonate per year, which is broadly comparable with estimates of total parrotfish bioerosion across many reefs in the central Indian and Pacific Oceans. Although not currently afforded elevated conservation status within management plans, B. muricatum possess many life-history characteristics that make them vulnerable to overfishing and may justify consideration for increased protection within the world heritage listed Ningaloo Reef Marine Park.
Reef degradation and the loss of critical ecosystem goods and services provided by coral reef fishes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
The effects of marine heatwaves on acute heat tolerance in corals
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-10-2023
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16473
Abstract: Scleractinian coral populations are increasingly exposed to conditions above their upper thermal limits due to marine heatwaves, contributing to global declines of coral reef ecosystem health. However, historic mass bleaching events indicate there is considerable inter‐ and intra‐specific variation in thermal tolerance whereby species, in idual coral colonies and populations show differential susceptibility to exposure to elevated temperatures. Despite this, we lack a clear understanding of how heat tolerance varies across large contemporary and historical environmental gradients, or the selective pressures that underpin this variation. Here we conducted standardised acute heat stress experiments to identify variation in heat tolerance among species and isolated reefs spanning a large environmental gradient across the Coral Sea Marine Park. We quantified the photochemical yield ( F v /F m ) of coral s les in three coral species, Acropora cf humilis , Pocillopora meandrina , and Pocillopora verrucosa , following exposure to four temperature treatments (local ambient temperatures, and + 3°C, +6°C and + 9°C above local maximum monthly mean). We quantified the temperature at which F v /F m decreased by 50% (termed ED50) and used derived values to directly compare acute heat tolerance across reefs and species. The ED50 for Acropora was 0.4–0.7°C lower than either Pocillopora species, with a 0.3°C difference between the two Pocillopora species. We also recorded 0.9°C to 1.9°C phenotypic variation in heat tolerance among reefs within species, indicating spatial heterogeneity in heat tolerance across broad environmental gradients. Acute heat tolerance had a strong positive relationship to mild heatwave exposure over the past 35 years (since 1986) but was negatively related to recent severe heatwaves (2016–2020). Phenotypic variation associated with mild thermal history in local environments provides supportive evidence that marine heatwaves are selecting for tolerant in iduals and populations however, this adaptive potential may be compromised by the exposure to recent severe heatwaves.
Directing the use of DDR kinase inhibitors in cancer treatment
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 14-10-2017
Larval growth history determines juvenile growth and survival in a tropical marine fish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-07-2004
Research priorities for the sustainability of coral-rich western Pacific seascapes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-04-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S10113-023-02051-0
Abstract: Nearly a billion people depend on tropical seascapes. The need to ensure sustainable use of these vital areas is recognised, as one of 17 policy commitments made by world leaders, in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 (‘Life below Water’) of the United Nations. SDG 14 seeks to secure marine sustainability by 2030. In a time of increasing social-ecological unpredictability and risk, scientists and policymakers working towards SDG 14 in the Asia–Pacific region need to know: (1) How are seascapes changing? (2) What can global society do about these changes? and (3) How can science and society together achieve sustainable seascape futures? Through a horizon scan, we identified nine emerging research priorities that clarify potential research contributions to marine sustainability in locations with high coral reef abundance. They include research on seascape geological and biological evolution and adaptation elucidating drivers and mechanisms of change understanding how seascape functions and services are produced, and how people depend on them costs, benefits, and trade-offs to people in changing seascapes improving seascape technologies and practices learning to govern and manage seascapes for all sustainable use, justice, and human well-being bridging communities and epistemologies for innovative, equitable, and scale-crossing solutions and informing resilient seascape futures through modelling and synthesis. Researchers can contribute to the sustainability of tropical seascapes by co-developing transdisciplinary understandings of people and ecosystems, emphasising the importance of equity and justice, and improving knowledge of key cross-scale and cross-level processes, feedbacks, and thresholds.
Relative influence of environmental factors and fishing on coral reef fish assemblages
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-01-2021
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13636
Abstract: Understanding whether assemblages of species respond more strongly to bottom‐up (availability of trophic resources or habitats) or top‐down (predation pressure) processes is important for effective management of resources and ecosystems. We determined the relative influence of environmental factors and predation by humans in shaping the density, biomass, and species richness of 4 medium‐bodied (10–40 cm total length [TL]) coral reef fish groups targeted by fishers (mesopredators, planktivores, grazer and detritivores, and scrapers) and the density of 2 groups not targeted by fishers (invertivores, small fish ≤10 cm TL) in the central Philippines. Boosted regression trees were used to model the response of each fish group to 21 predictor variables: 13 habitat variables, 5 island variables, and 3 fishing variables (no‐take marine reserve [NTMR] presence or absence, NTMR size, and NTMR age). Targeted and nontargeted fish groups responded most strongly to habitat variables, then island variables. Fishing (NTMR) variables generally had less influence on fish groups. Of the habitat variables, live hard coral cover, structural complexity or habitat complexity index, and depth had the greatest effects on density, biomass, and species richness of targeted fish groups and on the density of nontargeted fishes. Of the island variables, proximity to the nearest river and island elevation had the most influence on fish groups. The NTMRs affected only fishes targeted by fishers NTMR size positively correlated with density, biomass, and species richness of targeted fishes, particularly mesopredatory, and grazing and detritivorous fishes. Importantly, NTMRs as small as 15 ha positively affected medium‐bodied fishes. This finding provides reassurance for regions that have invested in small‐scale community‐managed NTMRs. However, management strategies that integrate sound coastal land‐use practices to conserve adjacent reef fish habitat, strategic NTMR placement, and establishment of larger NTMRs will be crucial for maintaining bio ersity and fisheries.
Demographic plasticity facilitates ecological and economic resilience in a commercially important reef fish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-09-2019
Abstract: Variation in life-history characteristics is evident within and across animal populations. Such variation is mediated by environmental gradients and reflects metabolic constraints or trade-offs that enhance reproductive outputs. While generalizations of life-history relationships across species provide a framework for predicting vulnerability to overexploitation, deciphering patterns of intraspecific variation may also enable recognition of peculiar features of populations that facilitate ecological resilience. This study combines age-based biological data from geographically disparate populations of bluespine unicornfish (Naso unicornis)-the most commercially valuable reef-associated species in the insular Indo-Pacific-to explore the magnitude and drivers of variation in life span and examine the mechanisms enabling peculiar mortality schedules. Longevity and mortality schedules were investigated across eleven locations encompassing a range of latitudes and exploitation levels. The presence of different growth types was examined using back-calculated growth histories from otoliths. Growth-type-dependent mortality (mortality rates associated with particular growth trajectories) was corroborated using population models that incorporated size-dependent competition. We found a threefold geographic variation in life span that was strongly linked to temperature, but not to anthropogenic pressure or ocean productivity. All populations consistently displayed a two-phase mortality schedule, with higher than expected natural mortality rates in earlier stages of post-settlement life. Reconstructed growth histories and population models demonstrated that variable growth types within populations can yield this peculiar biphasic mortality schedule, where fast growers enjoy early reproductive outputs at the expense of greater mortality, and benefits for slow growers derive from extended reproductive outputs over a greater number of annual cycles. This promotes population resilience because in iduals can take advantage of cycles of environmental change operating at both short- and long-term scales. Our results highlight a prevailing, fundamental misperception when comparing the life histories of long-lived tropical ectotherms: the seemingly incongruent combination of extended life spans with high mortality rates was enabled by coexistence of variable growth types in a population. Thus, a demographic profile incorporating contrasting growth and mortality strategies obscures the demographic effects of harvest across space or time in N. unicornis and possibly other ectotherms with the combination of longevity and asymptotic growth.
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.
Key aspects of the biology, fisheries and management of Coral grouper
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-03-2016
Global ecological success of Thalassoma fishes in extreme coral reef habitats
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-12-2016
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.2624
Abstract: Phenotypic adaptations can allow organisms to relax abiotic selection and facilitate their ecological success in challenging habitats, yet we have relatively little data for the prevalence of this phenomenon at macroecological scales. Using data on the relative abundance of coral reef wrasses and parrotfishes (f. Labridae) spread across three ocean basins and the Red Sea, we reveal the consistent global dominance of extreme wave‐swept habitats by fishes in the genus Thalassoma , with abundances up to 15 times higher than any other labrid. A key locomotor modification—a winged pectoral fin that facilitates efficient underwater flight in high‐flow environments—is likely to have underpinned this global success, as numerical dominance by Thalassoma was contingent upon the presence of high‐intensity wave energy. The ecological success of the most abundant species also varied with species richness and the presence of congeneric competitors. While several fish taxa have independently evolved winged pectoral fins, Thalassoma appears to have combined efficient high‐speed swimming (to relax abiotic selection) with trophic versatility (to maximize exploitation of rich resources) to exploit and dominate extreme coral reef habitats around the world.
Plasticity in Three-Dimensional Geometry of Branching Corals Along a Cross-Shelf Gradient
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 21-03-2019
DOI: 10.3390/D11030044
Abstract: Scleractinian corals often exhibit high levels of morphological plasticity, which is potentially important in enabling in idual species to occupy benthic spaces across a wide range of environmental gradients. This study tested for differences in the three-dimensional (3D) geometry of three branching corals, Acropora nasuta, Pocillopora spp. and Stylophora pistillata among inner-, mid- and outer-shelf reefs in the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Important attributes of coral morphology (e.g., surface area to volume ratio) were expected to vary linearly across the shelf in accordance with marked gradients in environmental conditions, but instead, we detected non-linear trends in the colony structure of A. nasuta and Pocillopora spp. The surface area to volume ratio of both A. nasuta and Pocillopora spp. was highest at mid-shelf locations, (reflecting higher colony complexity) and was significantly lower at both inner-shelf and outer-shelf reefs. The branching structure of these corals was also far more tightly packed at inner-shelf and outer-shelf reefs, compared to mid-shelf reefs. Apparent declines in complexity and inter-branch spacing at inner and outer-shelf reefs (compared to conspecifics from mid-shelf reefs) may reflect changes driven by gradients of sedimentation and hydrodynamics. The generality and explanations of observed patterns warrant further investigation, which is very feasible using the 3D-photogrammetry techniques used in this study.
Among-habitat variation in herbivory on Sargassum spp. on a mid-shelf reef in the northern Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-10-2009
Fear effects associated with predator presence and habitat structure interact to alter herbivory on coral reefs
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-2019
Abstract: Non-consumptive fear effects are an important determinant of foraging decisions by consumers across a range of ecosystems. However, how fear effects associated with the presence of predators interact with those associated with habitat structure remain unclear. Here, we used predator fish models ( Plectropomus leopardus ) and experimental patches of the macroalga Sargassum ilicifolium of varying densities to investigate how predator- and habitat-associated fear effects influence herbivory on coral reefs. We found the removal of macroalgal biomass (i.e. herbivory) was shaped by the interaction between predator- and habitat-associated fear effects. Rates of macroalgal removal declined with increasing macroalgal density, likely due to increased visual occlusion by denser macroalgae patches and reduced ability of herbivorous fishes to detect the predators. The presence of the predator model reduced herbivory within low macroalgal density plots, but not within medium- and high-density macroalgal plots. Our results suggest that fear effects due to predator presence were greatest at low macroalgal density, yet these effects were lost at higher densities possibly due to greater predation risk associated with habitat structure and/or the inability of herbivorous fishes to detect the predator model.
Coral larval recruitment in north-western Australia predicted by regional and local conditions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Limited functional redundancy in high diversity systems: resilience and ecosystem function on coral reefs
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-03-2003
Rising temperatures may drive fishing-induced selection of low-performance phenotypes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-01-2017
DOI: 10.1038/SREP40571
Abstract: Climate warming is likely to interact with other stressors to challenge the physiological capacities and survival of phenotypes within populations. This may be especially true for the billions of fishes per year that undergo vigorous exercise prior to escaping or being intentionally released from fishing gear. Using adult coral grouper ( Plectropomus leopardus ), an important fisheries species throughout the Indo-Pacific, we show that population-level survival following vigorous exercise is increasingly compromised as temperatures increase from current-day levels (100–67% survival at 24–30 °C) to those projected for the end of the century (42% survival at 33 °C). Intriguingly, we demonstrate that high-performance in iduals take longer to recover to a resting metabolic state and subsequently have lower survival in warm water compared with conspecifics that exercise less vigorously. Moreover, we show that post-exercise mortality of high-performance phenotypes manifests after 3–13 d at the current summer maximum (30 °C), while mortality at 33 °C occurs within 1.8–14.9 h. We propose that wild populations in a warming climate may become skewed towards low-performance phenotypes with ramifications for predator-prey interactions and community dynamics. Our findings highlight the susceptibility of phenotypic ersity to fishing activities and demonstrate a mechanism that may contribute to fishing-induced evolution in the face of ongoing climate change.
Macroalgae removal on coral reefs: realised ecosystem functions transcend biogeographic locations
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-11-2019
Spatial Variation in Abundance, Size and Orientation of Juvenile Corals Related to the Biomass of Parrotfishes on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 28-02-2013
Assembly rules and functional groups at global biogeographical scales
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-09-2002
Natural bounds on herbivorous coral reef fishes
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 30-11-2016
Abstract: Humans are an increasingly dominant driver of Earth's biological communities, but differentiating human impacts from natural drivers of ecosystem state is crucial. Herbivorous fish play a key role in maintaining coral dominance on coral reefs, and are widely affected by human activities, principally fishing. We assess the relative importance of human and biophysical (habitat and oceanographic) drivers on the biomass of five herbivorous functional groups among 33 islands in the central and western Pacific Ocean. Human impacts were clear for some, but not all, herbivore groups. Biomass of browsers, large excavators, and of all herbivores combined declined rapidly with increasing human population density, whereas grazers, scrapers, and detritivores displayed no relationship. Sea-surface temperature had significant but opposing effects on the biomass of detritivores (positive) and browsers (negative). Similarly, the biomass of scrapers, grazers, and detritivores correlated with habitat structural complexity however, relationships were group specific. Finally, the biomass of browsers and large excavators was related to island geomorphology, both peaking on low-lying islands and atolls. The substantial variability in herbivore populations explained by natural biophysical drivers highlights the need for locally appropriate management targets on coral reefs.
Higher fish biomass inside than outside marine protected areas despite typhoon impacts in a complex reefscape
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
Tropical seamounts as stepping-stones for coral reef fishes: range extensions and new regional distributions from mesophotic ecosystems in the Coral Sea, Australia
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 15-09-2023
Weak Compliance Undermines the Success of No-Take Zones in a Large Government-Controlled Marine Protected Area
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 30-11-2012
Cross-shelf benthic community structure on the Great Barrier Reef: relationships between macroalgal cover and herbivore biomass
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 11-02-2009
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS07790
Sleeping Functional Group Drives Coral-Reef Recovery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2006
DOI: 10.1016/J.CUB.2006.10.030
Abstract: The world's coral reefs are in decline, with many exhibiting a phase shift from coral to macroalgal dominance . This change is often associated with habitat loss and overharvesting of herbivorous fishes, particularly parrotfishes and surgeonfishes . The challenge is to reverse this decline and enhance the resilience of coral-reef ecosystems . We demonstrate, by using a large-scale experimentally induced phase shift, that the rapid reversal from a macroalgal-dominated to a coral- and epilithic algal-dominated state was not a result of herbivory by parrotfishes or surgeonfishes. Surprisingly, phase-shift reversal was primarily driven by a single batfish species (Platax pinnatus), a fish previously regarded as an invertebrate feeder. The 43 herbivorous fishes in the local fauna played only a minor role, suggesting that bio ersity may not offer the protection we hoped for in complex ecosystems. Our findings highlight the dangers faced by coral reefs and other threatened complex ecosystems: Species or functional groups that prevent phase shifts may not be able to reverse phase shifts once they occur. Nevertheless, reversal is possible. The critical issue is to identify and protect those groups that underpin the resilience and regeneration of complex ecosystems.
Damselfish territories as a refuge for macroalgae on coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-11-2009
The Ecology of Parrotfishes in Marginal Reef Systems
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 05-03-2018
Limited Cross-Shelf Variation in the Growth of Three Branching Corals on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-11-2018
DOI: 10.3390/D10040122
Abstract: Pronounced differences exist in the bio ersity and structure of coral reef assemblages with increasing distance from shore, which may be expected given marked cross-shelf gradients in environmental conditions. Cross-shelf variation in the abundance of coral reef organisms is likely to be caused, at least in part, by differences in demography (e.g., growth and survival), though this has rarely been tested. This study quantified growth of three distinct branching coral taxa (Acropora nasuta, Pocillopora spp. and Stylophora pistillata) at six locations on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR), encompassing inshore, mid-shelf and outer-shelf reefs. Replicate colonies (0–15 colonies per species, per reef) were stained using Alizarin Red in December 2015 and retrieved one year later to quantify linear extension on replicate branches for each colony. Annual linear extension varied within and among coral taxa, with pronounced differences among reefs. For A. nasuta. and S. pistillata, growth rates were highest at one of the inshore reefs, Orpheus Island. However, inter-reef differences in linear extension were not explained by shelf position. Based on differences in skeletal density, which did vary according to shelf position, branching corals at the inshore sites may actually have higher rates of calcification compared to conspecifics on mid-and outer-shelf reefs. This study shows that growth of branching corals is not lower at inshore sites (and perhaps even higher) compared to sites at mid-shelf and outer reefs, despite generally higher levels of sedimentation and turbidity.
Parrotfishes, are We Still Scraping the Surface? Emerging Topics and Future Research Directions
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 05-03-2018
Biology of Parrotfishes
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 05-03-2018
Differential consumption of scleractinian and non-scleractinian coral larvae by planktivorous damselfishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-09-2019
Mesopredator trophodynamics on thermally stressed coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-12-2017
The Coral Triangle Initiative: what are we missing? A case study from Aceh
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 10-2012
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605312000178
Abstract: The Coral Triangle Initiative is an ambitious attempt to conserve the marine bio ersity hotspot known as the Coral Triangle. However, the reef fauna in many nearby regions remains poorly explored and, consequently, the focus on the Coral Triangle risks overlooking other areas of high conservation significance. One region of potential significance, Aceh, Indonesia, has not been visited by coral taxonomists since the Dutch colonial period. Here we document the species richness of scleractinian corals of Pulau Weh, Aceh. We also compare the species richness of the genus Acropora at 3–5 sites in each of nine regions in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Although dominated by widespread Indo-Pacific species, the coral fauna of Pulau Weh is also the eastern and western boundary for many Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean species, respectively. We identified a total of 133 scleractinian species, of which three have been previously recorded only in the western Indian Ocean and five are presently undescribed. The mean species richness of the Acropora at Pulau Weh is similar to regions within the Coral Triangle. This high species richness plus the high proportion of endemics suggests that the Andaman Sea is of similarly high conservation value to the Coral Triangle. We suggest that an international initiative similar to the Coral Triangle Initiative is required to conserve this region, which includes the territorial waters of six countries.
Seabirds enhance coral reef productivity and functioning in the absence of invasive rats
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41586-018-0202-3
Abstract: Biotic connectivity between ecosystems can provide major transport of organic matter and nutrients, influencing ecosystem structure and productivity
Related Organisations
Leonard M. Miller School Of Medicine, University Of Miami
Location: United States of America
Leonard M. Miller School Of Medicine, University Of Miami
Location: No location found
Related Funding Activities
Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP170104668
Start Date: 04-2017
End Date: 12-2022
Amount: $513,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100688
Start Date: 01-2013
End Date: 2016
Amount: $375,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity