Biodiversity, population regulation, and the stability of coral-reef fish communities

Carr, Mark H.; Anderson, Todd W.; Hixon, Mark A.

doi:10.1073/pnas.162653499

Cited by 113 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…A major goal of MPAs should be the protection of species having disproportionate ecological importance, such as apex predators that function as keystones in structuring coral reef ecosystems (Carr et al 2002). The conservation of keystones should have high management priority.…”

Section: Implications For Marine Protected Area Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of endemism in shallow-water reef fish populations of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

DeMartini¹,

Friedlander²

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The spatial distribution and magnitude of endemism in shallow-water (<18 m) reef fishes of the 10 Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) are described in terms of occurrence, and numerical and biomass densities, using a series of diver-observation surveys conducted during September/October 2000, 2001. Based on species-presence in our surveys, we found endemism to be equal (20.6% using all available data) for fishes in the NWHI and the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI; 20.9%). On average, percentage endemism was much higher based on the biomass (37%) and numerical densities (52%) of endemics, increased with latitude, and was especially pronounced at the 4 northernmost reefs that are the most ancient emergent geological features of the archipelago. Endemic reef fishes were appreciably smaller bodied than non-endemics within the NWHI. Median body size did not vary with latitude and longitude for either endemics or nonendemics, negating environmental effects. Reef fish populations at higher latitude reefs included larger proportions of young-of-year (YOY) recruits. YOY length frequencies did not differ for most species between northern and southern reefs, suggesting that a seasonal lag in spawning and recruitment at higher latitudes cannot explain the greater YOY densities observed there. Disproportionate recruitment at higher-latitude reefs may be related to better growth and survivorship after settlement onto reefs, higher levels of within-reef and regional reseeding at higher latitudes, or other factors. Resolution of these issues will be difficult, but it is profoundly important to the future siting of no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and to the rational conservation and management of reef fish resources throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago.

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Section: Implications For Marine Protected Area Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of endemism in shallow-water reef fish populations of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

DeMartini¹,

Friedlander²

2004

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…(1) longshore current flow from the southeast may deliver larval fish to South Bock about 1 wk later than to SE LSI, and (2) tidally driven current velocities at South Bock, which are 3 times higher than at SE LSI (Anderson et al 2002), may inhibit settlement of fish near the new moon when current velocities should be highest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multiple observational studies have been conducted on continuous reefs that did detect density-dependent mortality: the honeycomb grouper Epinephelus merra at Réunion Island (Letourneur et al 1998) and both the bicolor damselfish Stegastes partitus and the bluehead wrasse at Barbados (Hunte von Herbing & Hunte 1991, Tupper & Hunte 1994. Considering experimental approaches, Carr et al (2002) demonstrated that mortality of the bicolor damselfish was density-dependent on both patch reefs and continuous reefs in the Bahamas. Also, on continuous reefs in the Bahamas, Webster (2003) demonstrated density dependence in the fairy basslet Gramma loreto.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We conducted studies from 1 July through 16 August 1997 and from 29 May to 14 June 1999 at Lee Stocking Island (LSI), the Bahamas (for a general description of the study area, see Carr & Hixon 1995). Two reefs, 'South Bock' and 'SE LSI', were selected for monitoring settlement and recruitment of Chromis cyanea (see Anderson et al 2002 for map of locations). South Bock was located near a cay northwest of LSI, where Agaricia tenuifolia was the predominant coral and tidal currents were moderate to strong.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patterns and mechanisms of variable settlement and recruitment of a coral reef damselfish, Chromis cyanea

Anderson¹,

Carr²,

Hixon³

2007

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Distinguishing the relative contributions of various processes to variation in recruitment success is central to our understanding of patterns and rates of population replenishment in marine organisms. We monitored settlement and recruitment of a common Caribbean damselfish, the blue chromis Chromis cyanea, to ascertain the extent to which variation in recruitment reflected settlement dynamics. Daily settlement and weekly recruitment were censused on coral heads for 1.5 mo at each of 2 reefs separated by 7 km. We also conducted manipulations of resident conspecifics to test for intraspecific effects on patterns of settlement and recruitment. Temporal variation in settlement between the 2 reefs coincided with the new moon, but peak settlement at one reef lagged the other by 7 to 10 d over 2 settlement periods. Such variation may have been caused by longshore current flow delivering patches of larvae to the reefs in sequence or by high current velocities at one reef coinciding with the new moon that may inhibit and delay settlement. Weekly recruitment was marginally higher than but unrelated to cumulative daily settlement, indicating possible recruitment facilition. In subsequent experimental manipulations settlement occurred only where conspecifics were present and was inversely density-dependent. Observed early post-settlement mortality of C. cyanea on continuous fore-reef was density-dependent, which is consistent with patterns of mortality for this species previously reported on patch reefs. Combining rates of input (resident-facilitated settlement) with rates of output (density-dependent mortality) of C. cyanea suggests that both resident conspecifics and predators play a role in the abundance and regulation of local populations. KEY WORDS: Settlement · Recruitment facilitation · Reef fish · Chromis cyaneaResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

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“…It is also likely that direct and indirect behavioral interactions could exclude taxa from co-occurring within the same patch of habitat. Carr et al (2002) showed that negative interactions of both predators and competitors regulate local patterns of community composition. Positive interactions, on the other hand, such as those Sphyraena barracuda Great Barracuda F Trophic levels are defined as: H, herbivore; P, planktivore; B, browser; Mi, microinvertivore; Ma, macroinvertivore; F, piscivore.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pattern in the Co-occurrence of Fishes Inhabiting the Coral Reefs of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

2005

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SynopsisWe conducted an analysis of species associations using fish diversity and abundance surveys conducted in Bonaire Marine Park by recreational divers. We used data from the REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) Fish Survey Project to compute Bray-Curtis similarity coefficients for all species pairs for the 100 most abundant species. We quantified relationships between species using hierarchical agglomerative clustering and non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) of the matrix of Bray-Curtis similarity coefficients. We identified three clusters of species from the analysis. MDS results showed species clusters occupied distinct regions across a continuous gradient of species in two-dimensional space, rather than form distinct clusters. While differences in habitat requirements can explain some of the pattern in pairwise species interactions, these results suggest that there are significant direct and indirect behavioral interactions mediating the distribution and abundance of species. Studies conducted to elucidate patterns of species-habitat relationships have been central to conservation planning for marine protected areas (MPAs). However, the role of behavioral interactions between species driving the dynamics of species composition within MPA networks, designed for representation of biological diversity, should be considered when selecting sites in order to be effective.

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Biodiversity, population regulation, and the stability of coral-reef fish communities

Cited by 113 publications

References 32 publications

Spatial patterns of endemism in shallow-water reef fish populations of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Spatial patterns of endemism in shallow-water reef fish populations of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Patterns and mechanisms of variable settlement and recruitment of a coral reef damselfish, Chromis cyanea

Pattern in the Co-occurrence of Fishes Inhabiting the Coral Reefs of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

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