Habitat connectivity and spatial complexity differentially affect mangrove and salt marsh fish assemblages

Green, Benjamin C.; Smith, David J.; Underwood, Graham J. C.

doi:10.3354/meps09791

Cited by 35 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 76 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, we suggest, as others have (Thom et al 2005;Swann 2008;Peterson and Lowe 2009;Bulleri and Chapman 2010;Browne and Chapman 2011;Chapman and Underwood 2011), that identifying and maintaining the functional properties of natural landscapes (i.e., habitat quality and connectivity) are critical to the future health of coastal ecosystems and the continued delivery of ecosystem services. Based on our results, coastal landscapes consisting of several smaller, connected salt-marsh patches have faunal components similar to those in natural salt-marsh landscapes (sensu Partyka and Peterson 2008;Green et al 2012). Thus, management and restoration efforts aimed at maintaining faunal assemblages and secondary production could benefit from a focus on promoting functional connectivity among several smaller patches (i.e., "single large or several small" [SLOSS] concept; Moy and Levin 1991;Fonseca et al 1997;Eggleston et al 1998;Green et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of Coastal Urbanization on Salt‐Marsh Faunal Assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Lowe¹,

Peterson²

2014

Mar Coast Fish

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coastal landscapes in the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically the Mississippi coast, have undergone rapid urbanization that may impact the suitability of salt‐marsh ecosystems for maintaining and regulating estuarine faunal communities. We used a landscape ecology approach to quantify the composition and configuration of salt‐marsh habitats and developed surfaces at multiple spatial scales surrounding three small, first‐order salt‐marsh tidal creeks arrayed along a gradient of urbanization in two river‐dominated estuaries. From May 3 to June 4, 2010, nekton and macroinfauna were collected weekly at all six sites. Due to the greater abundance of grass shrimp Palaemonetes spp., brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus, blue crab Callinectes sapidus, Gulf Menhaden Brevoortia patronus, and Spot Leiostomus xanthurus, tidal creeks in intact natural (IN) salt‐marsh landscapes supported a nekton assemblage that was significantly different from those in partially urbanized (PU) or completely urbanized (CU) salt‐marsh landscapes. However, PU landscapes still supported an abundant nekton assemblage. In addition, the results illustrated a linkage between life history traits and landscape characteristics. Resident and transient nekton species that have specific habitat requirements are more likely to be impacted in urbanized landscapes than more mobile species that are able to exploit multiple habitats. Patterns were less clear for macroinfaunal assemblages, although they were comparatively less abundant in CU salt‐marsh landscapes than in either IN or PU landscapes. The low abundance or absence of several macroinfaunal taxa in CU landscapes may be viewed as an additional indicator of poor habitat quality for nekton. The observed patterns also suggested that benthic sediments in the CU salt‐marsh landscapes were altered in comparison with IN or PU landscapes. The amount of developed shoreline and various metrics related to salt marsh fragmentation were important drivers of observed patterns in nekton and macroinfaunal assemblages. Received September 14, 2013; accepted January 27, 2014

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients for nekton CPUEs in relation to physical-chemical variables identified in the multivariate correlation analysis (i.e., BEST model; *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, ***P ≤ 0.001). Landscape metrics are defined in Table 1 Meynecke et al 2008;Roth et al 2008;Meyer and Posey 2009;Green et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Coastal Urbanization on Salt‐Marsh Faunal Assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Lowe¹,

Peterson²

2014

Mar Coast Fish

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…only can't totally represent mangrove structural complexity (Green et al 2012); fractal dimension has limited sensitivity in detecting differences in spatial pattern (Kamal et al 2014). However, the existing methods used to measure the structural complexity of mangrove still have their limitations.…”

Section: Structural Complexity Of Mangroves and The Spatial Patterns mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, measuring the height and density of root, or the density of tree, etc. only can't totally represent mangrove structural complexity (Green et al 2012); fractal dimension has limited sensitivity in detecting differences in spatial pattern (Kamal et al 2014). Thus, it is suggested that different ways of measuring structural complexity should be studied and compared in future studies to choose a more reliable method.…”

Section: Structural Complexity Of Mangroves and The Spatial Patterns mentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of fish among Avicennia and Sonneratia microhabitats in a tropical mangrove ecosystem in South China

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mangrove structural complexity plays an important role in the way fish using their habitat.However, the effects of structural attributes on fish spatial distribution remain uncertain. In this study, we sampled fish at three easily identifiable microhabitats (i.e., vegetated area with both mangrove trees and pneumatophores, pneumatophore area without trees, and adjacent mudflat without trees and pneumatophores) within two sites dominated by Avicennia marina and Sonneratia apetala in a large estuarine system in South China from 2014 to 2015, and explored the fish community differences in these microhabitats. Our results showed that fish assemblages varied significantly among the three microhabitats, with distinct community assembly patterns between sites. At the Avicennia site, highest fish diversity was recorded at the mudflat, followed by the pneumatophore area and the vegetated area. In contrast, the opposite pattern was observed at the Sonneratia site. Fish size also differed significantly among microhabitats, with smaller fish presented in the vegetated areas. Within the same mangrove types, the height and biomass of pneumatophores as well as density of trees showed significant effects on the among-microhabitat variations of fish assemblages. Fish abundance was positively associated with pneumatophore height and negatively correlated with pneumatophore biomass at the Avicennia site. While at the Sonneratia site, it was positively correlated with pneumatophore biomass. We conclude that the spatial variations of fish community are highly correlated with the structural complexity of mangroves. However, the specific effects might be mangrove species-dependent.

show abstract

“…Studies examining the importance of shallow marine areas have highlighted the importance of the proximity of several different kinds of environment for enhancing estuarine biodiversity and providing a critical habitat to a variety of juvenile fish (Rueda 2001;Laegdsgaard & Johnson 2001;Elliott & McLusky 2002;Green et al 2012). The high abundance of mojarras (E. argenteus and E. brasilianus) throughout the middle part of the estuary in our study indicates that the mangrove fringe and submerged vegetation are important habitats for juveniles, providing protection from predators, enhancing growth rates and reducing fish mortality (Winemiller & Leslie 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and feeding ecology of three juvenile mojarras in a hypersaline tropical estuary in Northeastern Brazil

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although mojarra species usually demonstrate a wide distribution in tropical and subtropical estuaries, relatively little is known about the process influencing the spatial resource partitioning to nearshore habitats. Therefore, the aim of this study was check the existence of habitat and food partitioning among confamiliar species in a hypersaline estuary. The dietary compositions of three co‐occurring species of mojarras were determined, using samples collected with a beach seine from an inverse tropical estuary in Northeastern Brazil, during the rainy and the dry seasons of 2012. Eucinostomus argenteus and Ulaema lefroyi were abundant throughout the year, while Eugerres brasilianus was most abundant during the rainy season. Although these mojarras were found together in all areas of the estuary, there was evidence of habitat partitioning: E. argenteus and E. brasilianus were dominant in areas with submerged vegetation, while U. lefroyi was most abundant in areas with little habitat complexity and minimal shelter. All mojarras consumed, to different degrees, zooplankton, Bivalvia and Polychaeta. However, E. brasilanus also consumed a considerable amount of algae. Although the niches of the mojarra species appeared to significantly overlap, some resource partitioning patterns were apparent. While E. brasilanus was clearly different along the trophic niche, segregation of the other species was more important with respect to the spatial dimension. The different feeding strategies appear to minimize inter‐specific overlap and allow the co‐occurrence of these species in this hypersaline tropical estuary.

show abstract

Habitat connectivity and spatial complexity differentially affect mangrove and salt marsh fish assemblages

Cited by 35 publications

References 76 publications

Effects of Coastal Urbanization on Salt‐Marsh Faunal Assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Effects of Coastal Urbanization on Salt‐Marsh Faunal Assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Distribution of fish among Avicennia and Sonneratia microhabitats in a tropical mangrove ecosystem in South China

Distribution and feeding ecology of three juvenile mojarras in a hypersaline tropical estuary in Northeastern Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About