Distribution, behavior, and condition of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs track algal resources

Tootell, Jesse S.; Steele, Mark A.

doi:10.1007/s00442-015-3418-z

Cited by 53 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…that herbivorous fishes (primarily parrotfishes) and not sea urchins were responsible for the control of macroalgae on the fore reef of Moorea. One reason why herbivory pressure on the fore reef remained so far above our estimated macroalgae tipping point was a rapid increase in biomass of herbivorous fishes that occurred following the perturbation, likely in response to increased food availability35404950. However, given that we found comparatively little herbivory was required to keep macroalgae suppressed, it could well be the case that even the lower, pre-disturbance herbivory pressure would have been sufficient to keep fleshy macroalgae suppressed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Coral Reef Resilience, Tipping Points and the Strength of Herbivory

Holbrook

Schmitt

Adam

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Coral reefs increasingly are undergoing transitions from coral to macroalgal dominance. Although the functional roles of reef herbivores in controlling algae are becoming better understood, identifying possible tipping points in the herbivory-macroalgae relationships has remained a challenge. Assessment of where any coral reef ecosystem lies in relation to the coral-to-macroalgae tipping point is fundamental to understanding resilience properties, forecasting state shifts, and developing effective management practices. We conducted a multi-year field experiment in Moorea, French Polynesia to estimate these properties. While we found a sharp herbivory threshold where macroalgae escape control, ambient levels of herbivory by reef fishes were well above that needed to prevent proliferation of macroalgae. These findings are consistent with previously observed high resilience of the fore reef in Moorea. Our approach can identify vulnerable coral reef systems in urgent need of management action to both forestall shifts to macroalgae and preserve properties essential for resilience.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Coral Reef Resilience, Tipping Points and the Strength of Herbivory

Holbrook

Schmitt

Adam

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…Decreases in herbivore abundance despite adequate food supply may be a result of differences in algal quality, not quantity. Studies in shallow systems have found that herbivore patchiness is strongly correlated with differences in algal productivity (Russ 2003;Tootell and Steele 2016). Although currently untested, it is plausible that productivity of turf and macroalgal resources decreases with depth given the low light availability at mesophotic depths, which could then account for observed declines in herbivorous fishes with depth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Trophic designation and live coral cover predict changes in reef-fish community structure along a shallow to mesophotic gradient in Hawaii

Kane

Tissot

2017

Coral Reefs

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Reef-fish community structure and habitat associations are well documented for shallow coral reefs (\20 m) but are largely unknown in deeper extensions of reefs (mesophotic reefs; [30 m). We documented the community structure of fishes and seafloor habitat composition through visual observations at depth intervals from 3 to 50 m in West Hawaii. Community structure changed gradually with depth, with more than 78% of fish species observed at mesophotic depths also found in shallow reef habitats. Depth explained 17% of the variation in reef-fish community structure; live coral cover explained 10% and prevalence of sand accounted for 7% of the fitted variation indicating that depth-related factors and coral habitat play a predominant role in structuring these communities. Differences in community structure also appear to be linked closely with feeding behavior. Trophic designation accounted for 31% of the fitted variation, with changes in herbivore abundance accounting for 10% of the variation. These findings suggest that changes in reef-fish community composition from shallow to mesophotic environments are largely influenced by trophic position, coral habitat and indirect effects of depth itself.

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“…Since nominally herbivorous fish track benthic characteristics and algal resources spatially (Russ et al. , Tootell and Steele ), they could respond to temporal changes in benthic community structure and algal cover. Benthic community structure was therefore quantified by recording the presence of 21 broad benthic categories (Appendix ) every 50 cm along 50 m point‐intercept transects ( n = 4 per site).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We focused on individuals larger than 10 cm in TL and thus capable of consuming the smallest of potential target prey species considered here (i.e., damselfish; Madin et al 2012). Since nominally herbivorous fish track benthic characteristics and algal resources spatially (Russ et al 2015, Tootell andSteele 2016), they could respond to temporal changes in benthic community structure and algal cover. Benthic community structure was therefore quantified by recording the presence of 21 broad benthic categories (Appendix S6: Table S6) every 50 cm along 50 m pointintercept transects (n = 4 per site).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivorous fish rise as a destructive fishing practice falls in an Indonesian marine national park

Bejarano

Pardede

Campbell

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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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.

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Distribution, behavior, and condition of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs track algal resources

Cited by 53 publications

References 79 publications

Coral Reef Resilience, Tipping Points and the Strength of Herbivory

Coral Reef Resilience, Tipping Points and the Strength of Herbivory

Trophic designation and live coral cover predict changes in reef-fish community structure along a shallow to mesophotic gradient in Hawaii

Herbivorous fish rise as a destructive fishing practice falls in an Indonesian marine national park

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