Fish Species Utilization of Contrasting sub-Habitats Distributed Along an Ocean-to-Land Environmental Gradient in a Tropical Mangrove and Seagrass Lagoon

Hylkema, Alwin; Vogelaar, W.; Meesters, H.W.G.; Nagelkerken, Ivan; Debrot, A.O.

doi:10.1007/s12237-014-9907-1

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies also indicated that seagrasses near coral reefs indeed have higher diversity and abundance of fish [18,26] and benthic invertebrates [27] than nearby, pure-seagrass habitats. Hylkema et al, (2015) [28] revealed different usage patterns of reef fishes among various seagrass/mangrove sub-habitats within a tropical lagoon and found some fish frequently sheltered in mixed sub-habitats. For carnivorous fish, mosaic habitats can also be potential habitats for different oncogenic stages of them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic Habitat Usage of Juvenile Carnivorous Fish Among Seagrass-Coral Mosaic Habitats

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seagrass beds and coral reefs are both considered critical habitats for reef fishes, and in tropical coastal regions, they often grow together to form “mosaic” habitats. Although reef fishes clearly inhabit such structurally complex environments, there is little known about their habitat usage in seagrass-coral mosaic habitats. The goal of this study was to examine potential factors that drive habitat usage pattern by juvenile reef fishes. We quantified (1) prey availability, (2) potential competitors, and 3) predators across a gradient of mosaic habitats (n = 4 habitat types) for four dominant carnivorous fishes (lethrinids and lutjanids) in the main recruitment season at Dongsha Island, South China Sea. We found that the coral-dominated habitats had not only a higher availability of large crustacean prey but also a higher abundance of competitors and predators of juvenile fishes. Food availability was the most important factor underlying the habitat usage pattern by lethrinids and lutjanids through ontogeny. The predation pressure exhibited a strong impact on small juvenile lethrinids but not on larger juveniles and lutjanids. The four juvenile fishes showed distinct habitat usage patterns through ontogeny. Collectively, mosaic habitats in the back reef system may be linked to key ontogenetic shifts in the early life histories of reef fishes between seagrass beds and coral reefs.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic Habitat Usage of Juvenile Carnivorous Fish Among Seagrass-Coral Mosaic Habitats

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The area is a Ramsar site (Wetlands International, 2017) due to its high natural value and important ecosystem services. The bay supports high levels of biodiversity by providing key habitats for water birds (Debrot, Bemmelen, & Ligon, 2014), fish, and invertebrates (Hylkema, Vogelaar, Meesters, Nagelkerken, & Debrot, 2014;Nagelkerken et al, 2002), including the endangered Caribbean queen conch (Lobatus gigas; Engel, 2008).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Megaherbivores may impact expansion of invasive seagrass in the Caribbean

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract1. Our knowledge of the functional role of large herbivores is rapidly expanding, and the impact of grazing on species coexistence and nonnative species expansion has been studied across ecosystems. However, experimental data on large grazer impacts on plant invasion in aquatic ecosystems are lacking.2. Since its introduction in 2002, the seagrass species Halophila stipulacea has rapidly expanded across the Eastern Caribbean, forming dense meadows in green turtle (Chelonia mydas)-foraging areas. We investigate the changes in seagrass species coexistence and the impacts of leaf grazing by green turtles on nonnative seagrass expansion in Lac Bay (Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands).3. Green turtle grazing behaviour changed after the introduction of nonnative seagrass to Lac Bay in 2010. Field observations, together with time-lapse satellite images over the last four decades, showed initiation of new grazing patches (65 ha, an increase of 72%). The sharp border between grazed and ungrazed seagrass patches moved in the direction of shallower areas with native seagrass species that had previously been ungrazed. Green turtles deployed withFastloc-GPS transmitters confirmed high site fidelity to these newly cropped patches. In addition, cafeteria experiments indicated selective grazing by green turtles on native species. These native seagrass species had significantly higher nutritional values compared to the nonnative species. In parallel, exclosure experiments showed that nonnative seagrass expanded more rapidly in grazed canopies | INTRODUC TI ONLarge herbivores, whether aquatic or terrestrial, can have strong impacts on associated species and can be critical ecosystem engineers as they alter plant productivity, modify geomorphology, and influence nutrient cycling, habitat structure and plant coexistence (Bakker et al., 2016;Poore et al., 2012;Wood, Armstron, & Richards, 1967). Megaherbivores can impact plant species coexistence and species composition via multiple mechanisms. Preferential grazing on dominant plant species can promote species diversity by releasing competitors (Olff & Ritchie, 1998), or reduce diversity by selectively removing nondominant species (Hidding, Bakker, et al., 2010).Grazing can also precipitate species shift from long-lived, slow growing species, to faster growing pioneer species that are better adapted to grazing (Kelkar, Arthur, Marba, & Alcoverro, 2013;Knapp et al., 1999). Additionally, grazing on below-ground plant parts can enhance species diversity by creating regeneration niches through sediment disturbance (Hidding, Nolet, Boer, Vries, & Klaassen, 2010).The impact of herbivory on plant coexistence has been shown across diverse ecosystems, including examples from terrestrial and aquatic systems (Augustine & McNaughton, 1998;Bakker, Pagès, Arthur, & Alcoverro, 2015). This being the case, there is a potential for grazers to increase the success of invasive plants. Evidence of interactions between grazing and invasive plants go both ways.Nonnative species may come to dominate ...

show abstract

“…Rhizophora mangle is the dominant species, and other species include Laguncularia racemosa, Avicennia germinans, and Conocarpus erecta (Pors & Nagelkerken 1998). Like seagrass, mangroves provide structure and habitat that serve as an essential nursery and juvenile feeding habitat for many commercially important reef species, among which snappers, grunts, barracuda and the West-Indian spiny lobster , Hylkema et al 2014, Sustainable Fisheries Group 2015. Along its open coasts, Curacao is surrounded by a narrow fringing reef that occurs between 20 and 250 m from the coast and at depths from 0 to 80 meters and covers an estimated area of 7.85 km 2 (Vermeij 2012).…”

Section: Ecosystems and Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other mangrove species that are present in the bay are Conocarpus erectus and Laguncularia racemosa. The mangroves, seagrass beds and shallow coral reef of Lac provide shelter and nursery habitat for fish and invertebrates and contribute to the fish populations on the reef Hylkema et al, 2014) as many fish species show ontogenetic shifts in habitat use during different life stages and migrate from their nursery grounds to the coral reef (Ogden andEhrlich, 1977 in Nagelkerken et al, 2000). Lac is particularly important for a number of globally endangered species.…”

Section: Key Biodiversity Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While many studies have documented the vulnerability of the reefs and marine systems of the nomination areas of both Curaçao and Bonaire (e.g. Bak & Nieuwland 1995, Bak et al 2005, Debrot & Criens 2005, Debrot & Bugter 2010, Debrot et al 2011, Slijkerman et al 2011, Hylkema et al 2014) a few studies document actual (partial) resilience for the reefs of the proposed nomination , Debrot and Nagelkerken, 2006, Steneck et al 2015. With this is meant the ability to actually recover after a documented poor condition.…”

Section: Demonstrated Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Description of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Proposed Marine Nomination Properties of the Bonaire and Curaçao Marine Parks (BCMP)

Debrot¹,

Langley²,

Vermeij³

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Fish Species Utilization of Contrasting sub-Habitats Distributed Along an Ocean-to-Land Environmental Gradient in a Tropical Mangrove and Seagrass Lagoon

Cited by 19 publications

References 67 publications

Ontogenetic Habitat Usage of Juvenile Carnivorous Fish Among Seagrass-Coral Mosaic Habitats

Ontogenetic Habitat Usage of Juvenile Carnivorous Fish Among Seagrass-Coral Mosaic Habitats

Megaherbivores may impact expansion of invasive seagrass in the Caribbean

Description of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Proposed Marine Nomination Properties of the Bonaire and Curaçao Marine Parks (BCMP)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About