Cryptobenthic fish assemblages across the coral reef−seagrass continuum in SE Sulawesi, Indonesia

Ahmadia, Gabby N.; Sheard, Laura J.; Pezold, Frank; Smith, David J.

doi:10.3354/ab00440

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(52 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While these calculations may be affected by pulses in recruitment, e.g. [42,56] and density-dependent mortality effects [45,57], small fish communities are often remarkably stable [58][59][60][61] with the dominant species on coral reefs (e.g. gobies, acanthurids, chaetodontids [27,42]) often displaying continual recruitment [56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body size and mortality rates in coral reef fishes: a three-phase relationship

Goatley¹,

Bellwood²

2016

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Body size is closely linked to mortality rates in many animals, although the overarching patterns in this relationship have rarely been considered for multiple species. A meta-analysis of published size-specific mortality rates for coral reef fishes revealed an exponential decline in mortality rate with increasing body size, however, within this broad relationship there are three distinct phases. Phase one is characterized by naive fishes recruiting to reefs, which suffer extremely high mortality rates. In this well-studied phase, fishes must learn quickly to survive the many predation risks. After just a few days, the surviving fishes enter phase two, in which small increases in body size result in pronounced increases in lifespan (estimated 11 d mm -1 ).Remarkably, approximately 50% of reef fish individuals remain in phase two throughout their lives. Once fishes reach a size threshold of about 43 mm total length (TL) they enter phase three, where mortality rates are relatively low and the pressure to grow is presumably, significantly reduced. These phases provide a clearer understanding of the impact of body size on mortality rates in coral reef fishes and begin to reveal critical insights into the energetic and trophic dynamics of coral reefs.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body size and mortality rates in coral reef fishes: a three-phase relationship

Goatley¹,

Bellwood²

2016

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More recently, much smaller, but quantifiable, replicated areas of reef (between 0.4 and 10 m 2 ) have been sampled using rotenone, quinaldine, or clove oil. The use of nets and impermeable tarpaulins prevents the escape of targeted fishes, amplifies the efficacy of the chemicals used, and ensures precise delineation of the sampling area, therefore permitting accurate quantification of individuals (Ackerman & Bellwood, ; Depczynski et al , ; Ahmadia, Pezold & Smith, ; Ahmadia et al , ; Glavičić et al , ). In terms of the chemical agent used, there is evidence that clove oil (diluted with ethanol) and rotenone/quinaldine differ in their efficiency in sampling certain taxonomic groups (Ackerman & Bellwood, ), which ultimately leads to broadly comparable, but nevertheless complementary, samples.…”

Section: Diversity and Distribution Of Crfsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In terms of the chemical agent used, there is evidence that clove oil (diluted with ethanol) and rotenone/quinaldine differ in their efficiency in sampling certain taxonomic groups (Ackerman & Bellwood, ), which ultimately leads to broadly comparable, but nevertheless complementary, samples. Yet, due to legal limitations and the potential environmental and health impacts of rotenone or quinaldine versus clove oil (Robertson & Smith‐Vaniz, ), enclosed clove oil stations are now the most widely used collection tool (Ahmadia et al , ; Lefèvre et al , ; Goatley et al , ; Brandl et al , ), although both rotenone and quinaldine continue to be used (Glavičić et al , ; Coker et al , ).…”

Section: Diversity and Distribution Of Crfsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, although some data exist from the Eastern Pacific (González-Cabello & Bellwood, 2009;Alzate et al, 2014;Galland et al, 2017), Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA; e.g. Depczynski & Bellwood, 2005;Ahmadia et al, 2012b), Western Atlantic (e.g. Smith-Vaniz et al, 2006;Brandl et al, 2017), and most recently, the Red Sea (Coker et al, 2017) and South Pacific (Ahmadia et al, 2018), there is a notable absence of data from the entire remainder of the Indian Ocean, most of the Central and South Pacific, and Southwestern Atlantic.…”

Section: (2) Distribution and Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Teleost fishes are the most diverse group of vertebrates on Earth. On tropical coral reefs, their species richness exceeds 6000 species; one tenth of total vertebrate biodiversity. A large proportion of this diversity is composed of cryptobenthic reef fishes (CRFs): bottom-dwelling, morphologically or behaviourally cryptic species typically less than 50 mm in length. Yet, despite their diversity and abundance, these fishes are both poorly defined and understood. Herein we provide a new quantitative definition and synthesise current knowledge on the diversity, distribution and life history of CRFs. First, we use size distributions within families to define 17 core CRF families as characterised by the high prevalence (>10%) of small-bodied species (<50 mm). This stands in strong contrast to 42 families of large reef fishes, in which virtually no small-bodied species have evolved. We posit that small body size has allowed CRFs to diversify at extremely high rates, primarily by allowing for fine partitioning of microhabitats and facilitation of allopatric reproductive isolation; yet, we are far from understanding and documenting the biodiversity of CRFs. Using rates of description since 1758, we predict that approximately 30 new species of cryptobenthic species will be described per year until 2050 (approximately twice the annual rate compared to large fishes). Furthermore, we predict that by the year 2031, more than half of the described coral reef fish biodiversity will consist of CRFs. These fishes are the 'hidden half' of vertebrate biodiversity on coral reefs. Notably, global geographic coverage and spatial resolution of quantitative data on CRF communities is uniformly poor, which further emphasises the remarkable reservoir of biodiversity that is yet to be discovered. Although small body size may have enabled extensive diversification within CRF families, small size also comes with a suite of ecological challenges that affect fishes' capacities to feed, survive and reproduce; we identify a range of life-history adaptations that have enabled CRFs to overcome these limitations. In turn, these adaptations bestow a unique socio-ecological role on CRFs, which includes a key role in coral reef trophodynamics by cycling trophic energy provided by microscopic prey to larger consumers. Although small in body size, the ecology and evolutionary history of CRFs may make them a critical component of coral-reef food webs; yet our review also shows that these fishes are highly susceptible to a variety of anthropogenic disturbances. Understanding the consequences of these changes for CRFs and coral reef ecosystems will require us to shed more light on this frequently overlooked but highly diverse and abundant guild of coral reef fishes.

show abstract

“…Cryptobenthic fishes are usually the most diverse and abundant component of reef fish fauna, but they are easily overlooked because of their small sizes and hidden lifestyles (Munday and Jones 1998;Ahmadia et al 2012a). Their high abundance suggests that they play an important role in the food webs on coral reefs (Wilson 2001;Depczunski and Bellwood 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat selection of the coral-dwelling spinyhead blenny, Acanthemblemaria spinosa, at Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean

Böhm

Hoeksema

2016

Mar Biodiv

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The distribution, abundance, and habitat preferences of the spinyhead blenny, Acanthemblemaria spinosa (Perciformes, Blennioidei, Chaenopsidae), were studied on coral reefs along the leeward side of Curaçao, southern Caribbean. The blennies inhabited small holes inside coral, which predominantly consisted of calcareous tubes constructed by coralassociated serpulid worms of the species Spirobranchus giganteus. About 50 % of the fish inhabited holes in dead coral, and the rest had their holes in live corals of eight species. The fishes showed a clustered distribution pattern and their abundance was higher at shallow depths (5 and 10 m) than at 15 m. Although males generally had a larger body size than females and needed larger holes for shelter and guarding eggs, no sexual dominance in hole selection was found. The position of the holes varied in elevation height above the reef floor, which showed a positive correlation with fish size.

show abstract

Cryptobenthic fish assemblages across the coral reef−seagrass continuum in SE Sulawesi, Indonesia

Cited by 12 publications

References 33 publications

Body size and mortality rates in coral reef fishes: a three-phase relationship

Body size and mortality rates in coral reef fishes: a three-phase relationship

The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

Habitat selection of the coral-dwelling spinyhead blenny, Acanthemblemaria spinosa, at Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About