Niche partitioning in the Fiordland wrasse guild

Davis, Jean P.; Wing, Stephen R.

doi:10.3354/meps09452

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…General linear model for the fraction of organic matter originating from chemoautotrophic production versus concentration of chl a, density of Ecklonia radiata and presence of mussels (r 2 = 0.87, ically shifted toward higher use of organic matter originating from chemoautotrophy. A similar pattern has been observed in diet of the generalist wrasse Notolabrus celidotus (McLeod et al 2010a, Davis & Wing 2012. Together, the observed patterns highlight the importance of both high biomass of primary producers and intact food web structure in the provision of organic matter to food webs supporting high trophic level species.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Resource base of blue cod Parapercis colias subpopulations in marginal fjordic habitats is linked to chemoautotrophic production

Wing¹,

Beer²,

Jack³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Metapopulations are often distributed across habitat patches with distinct differences in nutritional resources. We investigate individual variability in diet among subpopulations of blue cod Parapercis colias across productivity gradients within Fiordland, New Zealand. δ 13 C and δ 15 N of basal organic matter, including phytoplankton, macroalgae, terrestrial detritus and the chemosymbiont-harbouring clam Solemya parkinsonii, were collected. P. colias from inner and outer fjord sites within 5 fjords were analysed for proportion of diet comprising S. parkinsonii, and δ 13 C and δ 15 N of muscle tissue. Relative abundance of photoautotrophic organic matter was quantified from surveys of chl a and abundance of common kelp Ecklonia radiata. Information on mussel beds was collected to characterise potential for benthic-pelagic coupling. A mass balance model using δ 13 C and δ 15N was used to estimate trophic level and proportion of organic matter from chemosynthesis for individual blue cod. Blue cod from the inner fjords had more variable use of organic matter originating from photoautotrophic versus chemoautotrophic sources than those from outer fjord regions. This was consistent with greater occurrence of S. parkinsonii in stomachs of blue cod from the inner fjords. Abundance of phytoplankton and occurrence of mussels statistically explained 87% of the variability in proportion of organic matter originating from chemosynthesis. These data provide an important example of variation in basal organic matter sources among subpopulations within a marine metapopulation. Our results demonstrate the importance of organic matter produced from chemosynthesis in coastal food webs providing a mechanism for maintenance of high trophic level consumers in marginal habitats. KEY WORDS: Chemoautotrophy · Food web · Fjord · Reef fish · Stable isotopes · Trophic level · MetapopulationResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Mar Ecol Prog Ser 466: 205-214, 2012 subpopulations, as indicated by diversity of basal organic matter sources, changes across environmental gradients.Metapopulation dynamics of many coastal invertebrates and fishes may be strongly influenced by habitat quality and the effects of the nutritional environment on local growth and reproductive output (e.g. Sanford & Menge 2007, Jack & Wing 2010. Though subpopulations can be linked by larval dispersal over relatively large distances, site fidelity by adult reef fish may result in large differences in diet, growth and egg production among habitats (Gust et al. 2002, Lawton et al. 2010. Accordingly, at this local population level, the food webs supporting generalist reef fish may reflect the relative availability of basal organic matter sources (Vander Zanden & Vadeboncoeur 2002, McLeod et al. 2010a. As resources become rare, or habitat quality changes, variability in diet among individuals may increase (Fry et al. 1999, Vander Zanden et al. 2010. In this case, specialisation or diversification in resource use at the ind...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Resource base of blue cod Parapercis colias subpopulations in marginal fjordic habitats is linked to chemoautotrophic production

Wing¹,

Beer²,

Jack³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Some are known to have very small home ranges on reefs [ 50 ], whilst the largest, endemic species Nelusetta ayraudi forms the basis of a significant fishery in sub-tropical and temperate shelf waters [ 51 ]. The labrids of temperate reefs are much better known for their hermaphroditism and social organisation [ 49 ], territoriality or small home ranges on reefs [ 52 ], niche partitioning [ 53 ] and plasticity in diet [ 54 ]. They are known to be important for their “top-down” influence on habitat structure through predation on algal grazers (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal Fish Assemblages Reflect Geological and Oceanographic Gradients Within An Australian Zootone

et al. 2013

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Distributions of mobile animals have been shown to be heavily influenced by habitat and climate. We address the historical and contemporary context of fish habitats within a major zootone: the Recherche Archipelago, southern western Australia. Baited remote underwater video systems were set in nine habitat types within three regions to determine the species diversity and relative abundance of bony fishes, sharks and rays. Constrained ordinations and multivariate prediction and regression trees were used to examine the effects of gradients in longitude, depth, distance from islands and coast, and epibenthic habitat on fish assemblage composition. A total of 90 species from 43 families were recorded from a wide range of functional groups. Ordination accounted for 19% of the variation in the assemblage composition when constrained by spatial and epibenthic covariates, and identified redundancy in the use of distance from the nearest emergent island as a predictor. A spatial hierarchy of fourteen fish assemblages was identified using multivariate prediction and regression trees, with the primary split between assemblages on macroalgal reefs, and those on bare or sandy habitats supporting seagrass beds. The characterisation of indicator species for assemblages within the hierarchy revealed important faunal break in fish assemblages at 122.30 East at Cape Le Grand and subtle niche partitioning amongst species within the labrids and monacanthids. For example, some species of monacanthids were habitat specialists and predominantly found on seagrass (Acanthaluteres vittiger, Scobinichthys granulatus), reef (Meuschenia galii, Meuschenia hippocrepis) or sand habitats (Nelusetta ayraudi). Predatory fish that consume molluscs, crustaceans and cephalopods were dominant with evidence of habitat generalisation in reef species to cope with local disturbances by wave action. Niche separation within major genera, and a sub-regional faunal break, indicate future zootone mapping should recognise both cross-shelf and longshore environmental gradients.

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“…In southern New Zealand, the primary predators of sea urchins, large blue cod ( Parapercis colias ) and the red rock lobster ( Jasus edwardsii ), are targeted by intensive commercial and recreational fisheries (Dix , Schiel ). However, there are other non‐exploited predators, such as the banded wrasse ( Notolabrus fucicola ), which can also strongly influence sea urchin densities (Denny and Schiel , Davis and Wing ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional differences in kelp forest interaction chains are influenced by both diffuse and localized stressors

et al. 2019

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On temperate rocky reefs, overexploitation of high‐trophic‐level omnivores can result in the decimation of kelp forest habitats by releasing sea urchin population networks from top‐down control. However, the local dynamics of the resulting trophic cascades are context‐dependent. Here, we investigate the community‐wide patterns associated with both diffuse stressors and localized protection of high‐trophic‐level omnivores in kelp forest ecosystems by comparing communities among marine reserves and fished areas in two contrasting regions in terms of fishing intensity and land‐based stressors, Fiordland and the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. We find higher densities of the potential sea urchin predators, red rock lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) and banded wrasse (Notolabrus fucicola), in the Fiordland region, and larger effect sizes of fishing on the exploited fish communities in the Marlborough Sounds. Patterns in sea urchin density were consistent with the idea that high‐trophic‐level species, such as large fish and rock lobsters, regulate sea urchin population density, with lower densities of Evechinus chloroticus observed inside marine reserves, in both regions. Nevertheless, densities of E. chloroticus were generally high (>3 m2) in the Marlborough Sounds, likely above a grazing threshold in both fished and reserve sites. The proportion of habitat where sea urchins were absent was 29% in Marlborough Sounds and 90% in Fiordland. Consequently, we observe 49% barren habitat in Fiordland vs. 70%, and a larger effect of fishing on kelp community structure, in the Marlborough Sounds, where fishing effect sizes and land‐based stressors were more severe. We propose that a combination of diffuse stressors including regional overexploitation of important sea urchin predators, sedimentation, and warming of coastal waters likely contributed to regional differences in the responses of trophic interaction chains to localized reductions in fishing within marine reserves. The present study highlights how physiologically stressed and modified kelp forest ecosystems are more susceptible to detrimental phase shifts at a regional spatial scale.

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Niche partitioning in the Fiordland wrasse guild

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Resource base of blue cod Parapercis colias subpopulations in marginal fjordic habitats is linked to chemoautotrophic production

Resource base of blue cod Parapercis colias subpopulations in marginal fjordic habitats is linked to chemoautotrophic production

Coastal Fish Assemblages Reflect Geological and Oceanographic Gradients Within An Australian Zootone

Regional differences in kelp forest interaction chains are influenced by both diffuse and localized stressors

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