Herbivory by the Dusky Damselfish Stegastes fuscus (Cuvier, 1830) in a tropical rocky shore: effects on the benthic community

Ferreira, Carlos E. L.; Gonçalves, J. E. A.; Coutinho, Ricardo; Peret, Alberto Carvalho

doi:10.1016/s0022-0981(98)00056-2

Cited by 130 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This same benthic structure pattern had been found by former studies on Brazilian coral reefs FRANCINI-FILHO et al, 2013) and rocky shores (FERREIRA et al, 2001;FLOETER et al, 2007). Turf algae is recognized as a conspicuous organism in shallow areas due to its dependence upon sunlight (FERREIRA et al, 1998). However, many studies have shown that they can be detrimental to the vitality of coral reefs (VERMEIJ et al, 2010;BAROTT et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…It is well known that territorial fish, especially S. fuscus, are common inhabitants on tropical and shallow reefs where their main food resource (turf) grows better (FERREIRA et al, 1998;CECCARELLI et al, 2001;FLOETER et al, 2007). Turf algae were the most abundant benthic organisms in all the areas studied, which could explain the dominance of territorial fishes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…In addition, some of the sites have an elevated water flow which favors fish species with good swimming skills, such as the members of the Labridae family, which was the second in their contribution to the observed patterns of MIF (FULTON et al, 2001;NUNES et al, 2013). Furthermore, the density of macroinvertebrates inside the S. fuscus territory is higher than that outside it, suggesting that the density of MIFs and S. fuscus might be directly associated (FERREIRA et al, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community structure of shallow rocky shore fish in a tropical bay of the southwestern Atlantic

et al. 2015

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Southwestern Atlantic Ocean rocky shores sustain important reef fish communities. However, those communities in tropical regions are not well understood, especially in Brazil. In this present article we assess community parameters of reef fishes such as composition, trophic organization and their relationships with physical and biological factors on four tropical rocky shores in Todos os Santos Bay, southwestern Atlantic. During six months, a total of 80 visual censuses were performed, in which 3,582 fish belonging to 76 species were recorded. Territorial herbivorous fish and turf algae were dominant at all the sites. The spatial variability of fish community structure was related to the benthic cover composition and depth. The high abundance of territorial herbivores and mobile invertebrate feeders could be associated with high levels of turf cover, low wave exposure and shallow waters. Moreover, this fact could be a consequence of the low density of roving herbivores and large carnivores probably due to the pressure of intense fishing activity. Thus complementary studies are needed to evaluate the actual conservation status of these rocky shore reefs, singularly located habitats connecting inner and outer reefs in Todos os Santos Bay.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community structure of shallow rocky shore fish in a tropical bay of the southwestern Atlantic

et al. 2015

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“…First, the algal and coral composition of territories must be assessed and compared to adjacent, undefended areas (Montgomery 1980a,b, Sammarco 1983, Klumpp et al 1987, Hixon & Brostoff 1996, Ferreira et al 1998, Hata et al 2003, Ceccarelli et al 2005. Second, the preferred algal or coral resources being consumed must be identified (Ceccarelli et al 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource use and impact of three herbivorous damselfishes on coral reef communities

Jones¹,

Santana²,

McCook³

et al. 2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Territorial damselfish are considered to be functionally important herbivores on coral reefs, promoting the abundance of preferred algae and depleting corals through a variety of 'farming' activities. However, the composition of algal and coral communities inside territories and patterns of feeding selectivity are known for only a few species. Here we compare substrata inside and next to territories of Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus, P. dickii and Stegastes nigricans, 3 common damselfish in Papua New Guinea, and interpret patterns in relation to diets and patterns of feeding selectivity. The coral assemblages inside territories differed among fish species and also between defended and non-defended areas. Live corals dominated P. dickii territories, while those of P. lacrymatus and S. nigricans were primarily associated with algal substrata. Territories of P. lacrymatus were similar in coral composition to adjacent areas, while those of P. dickii and S. nigricans were associated with particular coral taxa. Territories of the 3 damselfish were similar in algal composition, with mixed turf algae (primarily blue-green algae Polysiphonia spp. and other filamentous red algae) more prominent inside territories and crustose coralline algae more prominent outside. Diets for the 3 species were also similar, as each species was primarily herbivorous and diets consisted of diatoms, blue-green algae, Polysiphonia spp. and other filamentous red algae. An experimental removal of P. lacrymatus showed that they promoted epiphyte loads without influencing macro-algal or coral cover. Our results suggest that while these 3 species of damselfish vary in their interactions with coral reef habitat, they selectively cultivate a similar range of epiphytic food algae on different substrata.

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“…Primary production can also be increased by the presence of coastal sandstone reefs, which are structurally complex due to the presence of orifices and rock fragments of different sizes (García-Charton et al, 2004;Gorbatkin & Isbey, 2007), allowing them to serve as substrates for macroalgae and support a great diversity of fishes (Ferreira et al, 1998).…”

Section: Trophic Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and trophic organization of the fish assemblage from the Mamanguape River Estuary, Brazil

Medeiros¹,

Xavier²,

Rosa³

2017

lajar

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ABSTRACT. The present work aims to characterize a fish assemblage from a northeastern Brazilian estuary according to its diet and trophic organization along the estuarine-reef gradient. Sampling was performed at the Mamanguape Estuary, and fishes were collected using three types of nets at seventeen sites, grouped into four regions according to salinity range: reefs and the lower, middle, and upper estuary. The most abundant species were Atherinella brasiliensis, Mugil curema, and Sphoeroides testudineus. The highest species abundance and richness was observed for the lower estuary. Zooplankton was the most consumed category, recorded for fortytwo species. Among the guilds, piscivores were the most abundant, followed by crab eaters. Herbivores, mostly represented by Abudefduf saxatilis, had a higher abundance in reefs, being correlated according to ANOSIM analysis to this region, while piscivores and crab eaters showed a high contribution to inner regions of the Mamanguape Estuary.

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Herbivory by the Dusky Damselfish Stegastes fuscus (Cuvier, 1830) in a tropical rocky shore: effects on the benthic community

Cited by 130 publications

References 46 publications

Community structure of shallow rocky shore fish in a tropical bay of the southwestern Atlantic

Community structure of shallow rocky shore fish in a tropical bay of the southwestern Atlantic

Resource use and impact of three herbivorous damselfishes on coral reef communities

Diet and trophic organization of the fish assemblage from the Mamanguape River Estuary, Brazil

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