Regional heterogeneity in coral species richness and hue reveals novel global predictors of reef fish intra-family diversity

Cox, Kieran; Woods, Mackenzie B.; Reimchen, T. E.

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-97862-8

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…In this study we focus on the extremely species‐rich group of tropical coral reef fishes that display extraordinarily high diversity in ecology, behaviour and (colour) phenotype (Randall et al, 1997). Reef fishes, especially those inhabiting shallow water coral reefs in the tropics, live in a light‐flooded and spectrally diverse environment (Cox et al, 2021). Many are themselves, often conspicuously, colourful (Lorenz, 1962; Marshall, 2000a), and importantly, have evolved diverse visual sensitivities and tuning mechanisms (Carleton et al, 2020; Cortesi et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐wavelength‐sensitive (lws) opsin gene expression, foraging and visual communication in coral reef fishes

et al. 2023

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Coral reef fishes are diverse in ecology and behaviour and show remarkable colour variability. Investigating the visual pigment gene (opsin) expression in these fishes makes it possible to associate their visual genotype and phenotype (spectral sensitivities) to visual tasks, such as feeding strategy or conspecific detection. By studying all major damselfish clades (Pomacentridae) and representatives from five other coral reef fish families, we show that the long-wavelength-sensitive (lws) opsin is highly expressed in algivorous and less or not expressed in zooplanktivorous species. Lws is also upregulated in species with orange/red colours (reflectance >520 nm) and expression is highest in orange/red-coloured algivores. Visual models from the perspective of a typical damselfish indicate that sensitivity to longer wavelengths does enhance the ability to detect the red to far-red component of algae and orange/red-coloured conspecifics, possibly enabling social signalling. Character state reconstructions indicate that in the early evolutionary history of damselfishes, there was no lws expression and no orange/red coloration. Omnivory was most often the dominant state. Although herbivory was sometimes dominant, zooplanktivory was never dominant. Sensitivity to long wavelength (increased lws expression) only emerged in association with algivory but never with zooplanktivory. Higher lws expression is also exploited by social signalling in orange/red, which emerged after the transition to algivory. Although the relative timing of traits may deviate by different reconstructions and alternative explanations are possible, our results are consistent with sensory bias whereby social signals evolve as a correlated response to natural selection on sensory system properties in other contexts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐wavelength‐sensitive (lws) opsin gene expression, foraging and visual communication in coral reef fishes

et al. 2023

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“…Structurally complex habitats support diverse communities by increasing niche space, creating refugia from adverse conditions, and providing a range of resources for taxa ( Tews et al, 2004 ; Stein, Gerstner & Kreft, 2014 ). The importance of structural complexity for facilitating diverse communities is well documented within the study of coral reefs ( Gratwicke & Speight, 2005 ; Graham & Nash, 2013 ; Cox & Bright, 2017 ; Cox, Woods & Reimchen, 2021 ). However, these insights are predominately based on the relationship between living coral and associated fish and invertebrate communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dead but not forgotten: complexity of Acropora palmata colonies increases with greater composition of dead coral

Engleman,

Cox,

Brooke

2023

PeerJ

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Coral reefs are highly biodiverse ecosystems that have declined due to natural and anthropogenic stressors. Researchers often attribute reef ecological processes to corals’ complex structure, but effective conservation requires disentangling the contributions of coral versus reef structures. Many studies assessing the relationships between reef structure and ecological dynamics commonly use live coral as a proxy for reef complexity, disregarding the contribution of dead coral skeletons to reef habitat provision or other biogeochemical reef dynamics. This study aimed to assess the contribution of dead coral to reef complexity by examining structural variations in live and dead Acropora palmata colonies. We used photogrammetry to reconstruct digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthomosaics of the benthic region immediately surrounding 10 A. palmata colonies. These reconstructions were used to quantify structural metrics, including surface rugosity, fractal dimension, slope, planform curvature, and profile curvature, as a function of benthic composition (i.e., live A. palmata, dead A. palmata, or non-A. palmata substrate). The results revealed that dead coral maintained more varied profile curvatures and higher fractal dimensions than live or non-coral substrate. Conversely, A. palmata colonies with a higher proportion of live coral displayed more uniform structure, with lower fractal dimensions and less variability in profile curvature measures. Other metrics showed no significant difference among substrate types. These findings provide novel insights into the structural differences between live and dead coral, and an alternative perspective on the mechanisms driving the observed structural complexity on reefs. Overall, our results highlight the overlooked potential contributions of dead coral to reef habitat provision, ecological processes, and other biogeochemical reef dynamics, and could have important implications for coral reef conservation.

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Gastropod shell differentiation following colonization of an invasive intertidal macrophyte in Atlantic Canada

Reimchen,

Holden,

Cortese

2024

Can. J. Zool.

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In the 19th century, a lower intertidal macrophyte, Fucus serratus (Linnaeus), from western Europe, was introduced to Nova Scotia, Canada where it successfully established, co-existing with native macrophytes F. vesiculosus (Linnaeus) and Ascophyllum nodosum (Linnaeus). We first examined whether a common gastropod in Nova Scotia, Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758), which grazes on the native macrophytes, has exploited the invasive and on finding this, we secondly examined whether there has been any phenotypic differentiation on the invasive. Among 98 sites surveyed around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in May and June, 1994, eleven had the invasive macrophyte, all of which showed colonization by L. obtusata including egg masses, juveniles and adults. Among 2135 shells photographed for digital image analyses, those on the invasive differed from those on the native macrophytes with respect to (1) RGB (red/green/blue) channels, (2) HSV (hue, saturation, brightness) phenotypes, (3) protoconch pattern and (4) adult shell size. Nitrogen and carbon stable isotope signatures on muscle tissues from a subset of L. obtusata indicate foraging fidelity on the invasive rather than temporary occupation. We suggest that these cumulative phenotypic responses to the invasive macrophyte that vary in extent and direction within and among localities reflect localized adaptation and offer a unique opportunity for quantifying early stages of phenotypic and genomic differentiation in a novel ecological niche.

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Regional heterogeneity in coral species richness and hue reveals novel global predictors of reef fish intra-family diversity

Cited by 3 publications

References 71 publications

Long‐wavelength‐sensitive (lws) opsin gene expression, foraging and visual communication in coral reef fishes

Long‐wavelength‐sensitive (lws) opsin gene expression, foraging and visual communication in coral reef fishes

Dead but not forgotten: complexity of Acropora palmata colonies increases with greater composition of dead coral

Gastropod shell differentiation following colonization of an invasive intertidal macrophyte in Atlantic Canada

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