Effects of depth and bottom communities on the distribution of highly territorial reef fish in the northwestern region of Cuba

Abstract

The main goal of the study was to investigate changes in reef fish species abundance and its correlation with selected environmental variables. Three main questions guided the analyses: (i) Do the analytical methods have a significant influence on the results; (ii) What are the main assemblage variation axes; and (iii) What are the factors correlating best with assemblage composition. Highly territorial fish assemblages of several coral reefs along the northwestern region of Cuba were assessed using a stationary point visual census technique. A total of 39 701 individuals of 26 species from the families Chaetodontidae, Labridae and Pomacentridae were counted in 841 censuses; almost 80% of the fish belonged to just four species: bluehead (Thalassoma bifasciatum), bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus), slippery dick (Halichoeres bivittatus) and blue chromis (Chromis cyanea). Several multivariate techniques (cluster analysis, non-metric multidimensional scaling and canonical correspondence analysis) were used to explore main patterns in assemblage composition variation. It was found that the results did not differ significantly when analyzing the same data set. Furthermore, it was shown that the combined use of different multivariate techniques enhanced the interpretation of fish assemblage composition changes. Depth was the main variable explaining variation in the composition of fish assemblages in the studied reefs. The densities of corals and gorgonians were also strongly associated with depth. Sponge density made an additional significant contribution to the explanatory model. Results of this research could be used as a baseline reference for future analyses of the impact of human actions in the study area. (e.g. oil spills, change in fishing intensity, other pollution events, tourism development).

Distributions and habitat associations of the bridled monocle bream Scolopsis bilineatus (Nemipteridae): a demographic approach

“…Within reefs, abiotic factors such as light availability and wave action vary greatly according to depth, and can have strong impacts on substratum cover and benthic communities. As a result, many fish families have depth-related distribution patterns, including the Balistidae (Bean et al, 2002), Pomacentridae (Srinivasan, 2003), Blenniidae (Syms, 1995) and Labridae (Gonzalez-Sanson et al, 2009). Additionally, exposure may influence the distribution, morphology and swimming mode of fishes, with larger, more robust species often found in exposed habitats (Syms, 1995;Friedlander et al, 2003;Fulton & Bellwood, 2004).…”

Reef fish structure and distribution in a south-western Atlantic Ocean tropical island

“…The processes of colonization and maintenance of marine populations at isolated islands have been a major topic of debate in ecology and biogeography (Robertson, 2001; Vermeij, 2004). A variety of environmental factors determines local assemblages, primarily habitat complexity (Dominici‐Arosemena & Wolff, 2006; Tuya et al , 2009), depth (Brokovich et al , 2008; González‐Sansón et al , 2009), wave exposure (Fulton et al , 2005; Jordaan, 2010), fishing pressure (Pet‐Soede et al , 2001; Friedlander & DeMartini, 2002; Tittensor et al , 2009) and even pollution gradients (Guidetti et al , 2003).…”

Locomotory activity and depth distribution of adult great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) in Bahamian coastal habitats determined using acceleration and pressure biotelemetry transmitters

“…Another aspect of spatial ecology that is rarely considered in marine animals is the third dimension of spacedepth. Information on the depth distribution of marine fish is relevant to ecological processes such as foraging activity, refuge, and habitat preferences (Brill et al 1999;González-Sansón et al 2009;Wearmouth and Sims 2009), and has implications for various management strategies (e.g. regulations concerning deployment position of fishing gear: Cartamil and Lowe 2004;Hoolihan and Luo 2007).…”