Composition, species richness and similarity of ichthyofaunas in eelgrass<i>Zostera capensis</i>beds of southern Africa

Whitfield, Alan K.; Beckley, L.E.; Bennett, Bruce; Branch, George M.; Kok, H.M.; Potter, I.C.; Elst, R. P. Van Der

doi:10.2989/02577618909504565

Cited by 50 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…An increase in estuarine fish diversity was also reported from the west coast around the south and south-east coast to the north-east coast (Day 1974;Wallace and van der Elst 1975;Whitfield et al 1989;Whitfield 1994aWhitfield , 1994bWhitfield , 1998Maree et al 2000). This is a result of the addition of tropical marine species (which comprise the bulk of the estuaryassociated ichthyofauna) and is linked to the Agulhas Current through its influence on sea temperatures and the dispersal of these fishes in a southerly direction (Wallace and van der Elst 1975;Blaber 1981;Day et al 1981;Whitfield et al 1989;Whitfield 1998Whitfield , 1999. Along the west coast, the cold upwelled waters associated with the Benguela Current system probably act as a barrier to the distribution of tropical and subtropical taxa from both the west and east African coasts and thus accounts for the low species richness in the region (Whitfield 1983(Whitfield , 1996(Whitfield , 1999.…”

Section: Species Richness and Distributionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Preliminary assessment of the biogeography of fishes in South African estuaries

Harrison¹

2002

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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The biogeography of the fishes of 42 South African estuaries was investigated using an extensive synoptic dataset collected over the period 1993-99. Fish species richness was low on the west (Atlantic Ocean) coast and high in estuaries on the east (Indian Ocean) coast. Endemic species dominated the systems on the west and south coasts, whereas species of tropical origin dominated estuaries on the east coast. Multivariate analyses indicated that those estuaries on the west and southwest coast were distinct from the remaining systems, which showed a gradation from estuaries on the south coast to those on the northeast coast. An analysis of similarities showed that three biogeographic regions could be delineated. A cool-temperate region extended from the Orange River, down the west coast and along the southwest coast to Cape Agulhas; a warm-temperate zone stretched from Cape Agulhas to just south of Port St Johns; and a subtropical region extended up the east coast from approximately

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Section: Species Richness and Distributionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Preliminary assessment of the biogeography of fishes in South African estuaries

Harrison¹

2002

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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“…As one moves from the east (KwaZuluNatal) coast around to the west (Cape) coast, estuarine fish diversity declines (Wallace & van der Elst 1975;Day et al 1981;Whitfield et al 1989). This decline is linked to the attenuation in the distribution of tropical species where the faunas of estuaries in KwaZulu-Natal and part of the Eastern Cape are dominated by subtropical and tropical Indo-Pacific species .…”

Section: Biogeographymentioning

confidence: 97%

Estuarine Typology and the Structuring of Fish Communities in South Africa

Harrison¹,

Whitfield

2006

Environ Biol Fish

111

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Some 190 South African estuaries, covering all biogeographic provinces within the region, were classified into three types based on a combination of mouth condition and estuary size (surface area). The fish communities of the estuary types within each zoogeographic region were described and compared. Multivariate analyses revealed that each estuary type contained somewhat distinct fish communities. In addition, the study identified common patterns in species richness and ichthyofaunal composition. Open estuaries have relatively high species richness; this is a reflection of a permanent or near-permanent connection with the sea which allows access into these estuaries by all marine migrant species within the region. Intermittent connection with the sea limits the recruitment and utilisation of closed estuaries by marine migrant species; this results in reduced species richness in moderate to large closed estuaries. Small closed estuaries exhibit the lowest species richness and this is probably a result of their limited habitat and increased isolation from the sea. The key fishes that utilise estuaries could also be categorised into a number of groups based on their relative importance within each estuary type. Some species are largely restricted to predominantly open systems. Other taxa, while important in predominantly open estuaries, also occur in moderate to large closed systems. Some estuarine-associated species are well represented in all estuary types but exhibit a greater importance in closed estuaries. This study has shown that South African fish communities not only reflect estuarine typology but also respond to these differences in a consistent manner that spans all zoogeographic regions. The prevalence of similar patterns in other parts of the world suggests that estuarine typology is a major driver in the structuring of global estuarine fish communities.

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“…These sampling weaknesses seem to have occurred because contrasts between seagrass and bare substrata were often not the main reason for the study (e.g. Kikuchi 1966, Orth & Heck 1980, Beckley 1983, Stoner 1983, Bell et al 1987, Whitfield et al 1989.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences among assemblages of fish associated with Zostera capricorni and bare sand over a large spatial scale

Ferrell¹,

Bell²

1991

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

144

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This study addressed the question 'Does seagrass support a greater diversity and abundance of fish than bare sand over a large spatial scale?' The answer varied with both the measure used to describe the assemblages of fish, and the distance sand was from seagrass. Significantly more species were collected from Zostera capricomi than from sand at least 100 m from this seagrass in 89 % of locations. At 58 O/ O of locations, Zostera also contained more species than sand within 10 m of the seagrass. When 2 species with very patchy distributions were excluded from analyses, Zostera held sigllificantly more fish individuals than sand > 100 m away at 66 % of locations. However, Zostera did not consistently contain more fish individuals than sand within 10 m of seagrass: Zostera had significantly more fish In 25 % of locations, adjacent sand had more fish in 25 % of locations and there were no differences in the remaining comparisons. Most of the common species were found predominantly in Zostera or the adjacent sand. There were prominent dissimilarities in relative abundance of species in samples from the 3 habitats, although samples from Zostera were more similar to those from adjacent sand than to those from sand > 100 m away. We conclude that (1) Zostera supported more species and individuals, and different species, than sand > 100 m from seagrass at a majonty of locations, and (2) the fish assemblage associated with sand within 10 m of Zostera had fewer, and ddferent, species than the seagrass at a majority of locations but supported as many individual fish as Zostera.

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Composition, species richness and similarity of ichthyofaunas in eelgrassZostera capensisbeds of southern Africa

Cited by 50 publications

References 5 publications

Preliminary assessment of the biogeography of fishes in South African estuaries

Preliminary assessment of the biogeography of fishes in South African estuaries

Estuarine Typology and the Structuring of Fish Communities in South Africa

Differences among assemblages of fish associated with Zostera capricorni and bare sand over a large spatial scale

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