Defecation behaviour of the Lined Bristletooth Surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus (Acanthuridae)

Krone, Roland; Bshary, Redouan; Paster, Markus; Eisinger, Michael; Treeck, Peter van; Schuhmacher, H.

doi:10.1007/s00338-008-0365-8

Cited by 31 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Although a tendency to defecate away from feeding areas has been documented for C. striatus (Krone et al 2008), its role in biologically mediated sediment flux on coral reefs has not previously been quantified.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While even small Scarus spp. leave clearly visible grazing scars where the reef matrix is exposed (Bonaldo & Bellwood 2008, 2009, C. striatus feeds in an essentially non-destructive manner, using its bristle-like teeth to sweep detritus from the EAM, simultaneously ingesting sediments (Purcell & Bellwood 1993, Krone et al 2008. This method of feeding is very unusual in reef fishes.…”

Section: Sediment Transport and Its Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They have relatively high feeding and gut throughput rates (Polunin et al 1995, Choat et al 2004 and a diet that is comprised of fine particulates including sediment (Choat & Bellwood 1985, Choat 1991, which is removed using highly modified brush-like teeth (Purcell & Bellwood 1993). Furthermore, C. striatus defecate away from their primary feeding surface and often repeatedly defecate in the same location, transporting sediment away from their feeding surfaces in the process (Bellwood 1995b, Krone et al 2008. To assess the potential importance of this species in biologically mediated sediment flux on IndoPacific coral reefs, the present study has quantified the amount and direction of sediment transported by C. striatus on a mid-shelf reef on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biologically mediated sediment fluxes on coral reefs: sediment removal and off-reef transportation by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus

Goatley¹,

Bellwood²

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Off-reef sediment transport by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus (Acanthuridae) was quantified on the reef crest at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Three independent methods were implemented to estimate sediment ingestion rates. These considered (1) the bite rate and bite volume, (2) the defecation rate and faecal pellet size, and (3) the average gut contents and throughput rate. The 3 methods provided a broad range of estimates of sediment ingestion from 8.8 ± 2.4, to 66.1 ± 14.4 g fish -1 d -1 (mean ± SE). Nevertheless, these estimates were comparable to rates of sediment ingestion by parrotfishes (Labridae), the other major sediment-moving group on reefs. Overall, 36.5% of all sediment ingested was transported from the upper reef crest into deeper water, equating to a removal rate of 28.6 ± 6.2 kg 100 m -2 yr -1 at the study site. By brushing the reef, C. striatus reduces the sediment loading in the epilithic algal matrix (EAM) while causing little damage to the algal turf. Reducing sediments in EAMs provides favourable settlement surfaces for benthic organisms and increases the palatability of the EAM to herbivorous reef fishes, thus supporting reef resilience. The ecological importance of C. striatus, which is abundant on reefs throughout the IndoPacific, appears to have been underestimated, particularly when considering reef sediment dynamics. KEY WORDS: Ctenochaetus striatus · Sediment transport · Coral reef · Reef fishResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sediment Transport and Its Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biologically mediated sediment fluxes on coral reefs: sediment removal and off-reef transportation by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus

Goatley¹,

Bellwood²

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…The feeding and defecation behavior of C. striatus is described in detail by Krone et al (2008). Defecation sites can be identiWed as accumulations of approx.…”

Section: Fish Feces Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Water depth = numbers in italics). ModiWed from Krone et al 2008 Fish census and calculations In order to determine the abundance of adult C. striatus on the fringing reef in the Marsa Bareika, six 50-m belt transects (on six diVerent days) with a width of 5 m (English et al 1997) were laid out and observed between 11:00 and 16:00, during the same time of day the feces were sampled. At this time, the Wsh are very active.…”

Section: Statistical Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus (Acanthuridae) on the processes of sediment transport and deposition on a coral reef in the Red Sea

Krone

Paster

Schuhmacher

2010

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Excessive sedimentation is a major threat to coral reefs. It can damage or kill reef-building corals and can prevent the successful settlement of their planktonic larvae. The surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus feeds on rocky surfaces by sweeping loose material into its mouth with its flexible, broom-like teeth. In addition, it grasps and removes hard substrates with the aid of its special palate structure. It then transports sediment matter of the reef by defecating the ingested material outside the rocky zone of the reef. We analyzed 150 feces samples of six individuals, diferentiating between (1) ingested by sweeping and (2) ingested by scraping, and compared their content with inorganic land-derived and marine sediments trapped at the feeding area. Projections based on fish densities, defecation rates, and quantities as well as composition of sediments collected by traps on the same reef site suggest that C. striatus removes at least 18% of the inorganic sediment sinking onto the reef crest. The eroded share in the exported matter is about 13%. This finding points to a hitherto not verified role of C. striatus as a reef sweeper and reef scraper, whereby the first function is by far dominating.

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Geo‐ecological functions provided by coral reef fishes vary among regions and impact reef carbonate cycling regimes

et al. 2022

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Coral reef fishes perform essential and well-documented ecological functions on reefs, but also contribute important geo-ecological functions, which influence reef carbonate cycling regimes. These functions include reef framework modification (through bioerosion and breakage), and the production, reworking, and transport of reefal sediments. To explore how these functions vary across reefs and regions, we compiled a dataset of available taxa-specific function rates and applied these to fish census data from sites in the Pacific Ocean (PO), Indian Ocean (IO), and Greater Caribbean (GC), each region displaying a gradient in fish biomass. The highest overall function rates occur at the highest fish biomass sites in the PO (Kingman Reef) and IO (Chagos Archipelago), where bioerosion dominates framework modification and sediment generation (up to 7 kg m À2 year À1 ). At the lowest biomass PO and IO sites, framework modification and sediment generation are driven mainly by breakage and occur at lower rates (~2 kg m À2 year À1 ). Sediment reworking rates are high across all PO and IO sites (~1-5 kg m À2 year À1 ) and higher than other function rates at low biomass sites. Geo-ecological function rates are generally low across the GC sites, despite total fish biomass being comparable to, or even exceeding, some PO and IO sites, with sediment reworking (up to ~1 kg m À2 year À1 ) being the dominant function.These site-level differences partly reflect total fish biomass, but fish assemblage size structure and species identity are critical, with a few fish families (and species) underpinning the highest function rates and regulating the "health" of the fish-driven carbonate cycling regime. Reefs with high fish-driven framework modification, sediment production and reworking rates define one end of this spectrum, while at lower biomass sites little new sediment is produced and sediment reworking dominates. While additional species-level rate data are urgently needed to better constrain function rates, these transitions align with ideas about the progressive shutdown of carbonate production regimes on ecologically perturbed reefs, with important

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Defecation behaviour of the Lined Bristletooth Surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus (Acanthuridae)

Cited by 31 publications

References 9 publications

Biologically mediated sediment fluxes on coral reefs: sediment removal and off-reef transportation by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus

Biologically mediated sediment fluxes on coral reefs: sediment removal and off-reef transportation by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus

Effect of the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus (Acanthuridae) on the processes of sediment transport and deposition on a coral reef in the Red Sea

Geo‐ecological functions provided by coral reef fishes vary among regions and impact reef carbonate cycling regimes

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