Influence of landscape structure on reef fish assemblages

Grober‐Dunsmore, Rikki; Frazer, Thomas K.; Beets, Jim; Lindberg, William J.; Zwick, Paul D.; Funicelli, Nicholas A.

doi:10.1007/s10980-007-9147-x

Cited by 91 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is also possible that, although we evaluated a wide range of variables representing the fish assemblage, the species and assemblages considered may be habitat generalists or have considerable plasticity in suitable habitats (Ricklefs & Lovette 1999). Our results bolster growing evidence against using habitat diversity at the seascape scale, as depicted in benthic maps, as a proxy for predicting overall fish and biotic diversity (Donaldson 2002, Pittman et al 2007, Grober-Dunsmore et al 2008). Area of seagrass/SAV was correlated with several of the fish community variables, including at least one life stage of most species tested.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Patterns of scale-dependency and the influence of map resolution on the seascape ecology of reef fish

Kendall¹,

Miller²,

Pittman³

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Detection and perception of ecological relationships between biota and their surrounding habitats is sensitive to analysis scale and resolution of habitat data. We measured strength of univariate linear correlations between reef fish and seascape variables at multiple spatial scales (25 to 800 m). Correlation strength was used to identify the scale that best associates fish to their surrounding habitat. To evaluate the influence of map resolution, seascape variables were calculated based on 4 separate benthic maps produced using 2 levels of spatial and thematic resolution, respectively. Individual seascape variables explained only 25% of the variability in fish distributions. Length of reef edge was correlated with more aspects of the fish assemblage than other features. Area of seagrass and bare sand correlated with distribution of many fish, not just obligate users. No fish variables correlated with habitat diversity. Individual fish species achieved a wider range of correlations than mobility guilds or the entire fish assemblage. Scales of peak correlation were the same for juveniles and adults in a majority of comparisons. Highly mobile species exhibited broader scales of peak correlation than either resident or moderately mobile fish. Use of different input maps changed perception of the strength and even the scale of peak correlations for many comparisons involving hard bottom edge length and area of sand, whereas results were consistent regardless of map type for comparisons involving area of seagrass and habitat diversity. 427: 259-274, 2011 260 among feature types. Given the influence of spatial and thematic resolution on the quantification of seascapes, we hypothesized that map differences could influence the sensitivity of seascape ecological studies as well. KEY WORDS: Landscape ecology · Scale · Coral reef · Home range · Habitat Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Contribution to the Theme Section 'Seascape ecology' OPEN PEN ACCESS CCESSMar Ecol Prog SerMap resolution may affect the detection and measurement of seascape influences on fish distribution in several ways. The amount of mapped habitat deemed essential to a particular species can be altered. Small or rare patches of habitat can be subsumed into larger features as map resolution is coarsened. Many species use edges or ecotones between habitat patches (Shulman 1985, Sweatman & Robertson 1994, Dorenbosch et al. 2005, Pittman et al. 2007, Vanderklift et al. 2007, and such boundaries can be greatly simplified or even removed depending on map characteristics (Kendall & Miller 2008).Seascape composition can affect fish ecology at several levels of biological organization. At the broadest level, species diversity, richness, and total abundance of fish have been partly explained by seascape variables (Kendall 2005, Grober-Dunsmore et al. 2007, Pittman et al. 2007. At lower levels of organization defined according to trophic roles or mobility and therefore with similar habitat or space requir...

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Patterns of scale-dependency and the influence of map resolution on the seascape ecology of reef fish

Kendall¹,

Miller²,

Pittman³

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We demonstrated that the nested microhabitat and plot-scale variables both appear to significantly influence habitat quality for reef-associated fishes, but the effects varied among components of the fish community and plotscale coral density was only correlated with the abundance of adult fishes. The importance of assessing habitat quality at multiple scales has been recognised in a variety of ecosystems including woodland birds (Mueller et al 2009), fog desert lichens (Lalley et al 2006), and pond newts (Denoël & Grober-Dunsmore et al 2008). Similarly, in temperate blenny assemblages, communities vary at large geographical scales (up to 100 km) and also depending on finer scale biophysical habitat features such as depth and shelter availability (Syms 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotic and multi-scale abiotic controls of habitat quality: their effect on coral-reef fishes

Harborne¹,

Mumby²,

Kennedy³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The influence of habitat quality on a species' demographics is critical for understanding its ecology and effective conservation. However, quantifying habitat quality is problematic because it may comprise of abiotic components at different spatial scales and also be influenced by biotic processes. This study investigated the relationship between reef-associated Caribbean fishes and habitat quality at 2 spatial scales: (1) multiple characteristics of Montastraea annularis coral colonies (<1 m 2 ) and (2) coral density in a 5 × 5 m plot around each microhabitat. Furthermore, the influence on habitat quality of 2 biotic factors (predation pressure and interactions between competitively superior territorial damselfishes and other species) was considered. A total of 102 M. annularis colonies within thirty 25 m 2 plots were surveyed on a Belizean forereef. Generalised linear mixed-effect models demonstrated that both damselfishes and other reefassociated species were correlated with colony-scale habitat quality (more abundant on taller, refuge-rich colonies). Adult reef-associated species were also correlated with larger-scale habitat quality, being more abundant on colonies with high densities of other Montastraea colonies within 25 m 2 (probably higher quality home ranges). However, the presence of damselfishes was associated with reduced abundances of other reef-associated species on M. annularis colonies, reflecting the importance of both biotic and abiotic controls of habitat quality. On reefs, coral mortality will reduce the density of optimal colonies and potentially increase the proportion occupied by damselfishes. This may lead to smaller populations of inferior competitors as they are increasingly displaced onto sub-optimal microhabitats. KEY WORDS:Anthropogenic stress · Community ecology · Ecosystem degradation · Fish behaviour · Fish recruitment 437: 201-214, 2011 202 est threat to the survival of species worldwide (Barbault & Sastrapradja 1995). Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog SerCoral-reef fishes represent an excellent model system for investigating the controls of habitat quality. Reef fishes are diverse, relatively easy to census, and many species are closely associated with benthic communities that provide them with spatially variable resources at a range of scales. For example, coral growth and bioerosion creates small-scale crevices that are critical for most reef-associated fishes (Hixon & Beets 1993), and corals providing such refuges support higher abundances of fishes (Holbrook et al. 2002). These refuges provide foraging, spawning, and nesting sites (Robertson & Sheldon 1979), can help fishes maintain themselves in high-flow environments (Johansen et al. 2008), and sheltering in refuges reduces the high risk of predation on reefs (Hixon 1991). Loss of this scale of complexity, from stressors such as bleaching and hurricanes, has been demonstrated to have dramatic effects on reef-associated species (Jones & Syms 1998, Wil...

show abstract

“…Local abundance of reef fishes is affected by multiple factors, such as topography (Pittman et al 2009), coral cover (Bell & Galzin 1984), and depth and exposure (Beger & Possingham 2008). Garcia-Charton et al (2004) showed that fish assemblages on Mediterranean reefs were patchy on scales of 10s of meters to 100s of kilometers, and patch reef configuration has been shown to influence fish assemblages in the Caribbean (Acosta & Robertson 2002, Grober-Dunsmore et al 2008. Other studies have found that spatial variability in reef systems is high enough to obscure management effects (Harborne et al 2008, Huntington et al 2010.…”

Section: Abstract: Commercial Fish Abundance · Coral Reefs · Fisherimentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparisons between abundance estimates from underwater visual census and catch-per-unit-effort in a patch reef system

Karnauskas

Babcock

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Influence of landscape structure on reef fish assemblages

Cited by 91 publications

References 63 publications

Patterns of scale-dependency and the influence of map resolution on the seascape ecology of reef fish

Patterns of scale-dependency and the influence of map resolution on the seascape ecology of reef fish

Biotic and multi-scale abiotic controls of habitat quality: their effect on coral-reef fishes

Comparisons between abundance estimates from underwater visual census and catch-per-unit-effort in a patch reef system

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About