The influence of multiple factors upon reef fish abundance and species richness in a tropical coral complex

Pereira, Pedro Henrique Cipresso; Moraes, Rodrigo Lima Guerra de; Santos, M. V. F. dos; Lippi, Daniel Lino; Feitosa, João Lucas Leão; Pedrosa, Manoel

doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0409-8

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…(2014) [4]. This study found that in these Atlantic reefs, fi sh abundance and species richness are strongly infl uenced by algae abundance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

A ‘Field of Mouths’: Damselfishes in the Intertidal of Heron Island Cay, Great Barrier Reef

Lucas¹

2017

Ann Mar Sci

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The study was undertaken in the intertidal zone on the lee side of Heron Island cay (southern Great Barrier Reef) where there is a high density of branching corals. We investigated the infl uence of coral colony size on the diversity of damselfi sh species (Pomacentridae) associated with the branching corals. Forty coral colonies were marked and the associated pomacentrids photographed and identifi ed. Eleven or twelve species were identifi ed and there were up to eight species associated with a coral colony. The relationships between diversity of fi sh species and coral colony area, and coral colony perimeter were very signifi cant. Plankton samples in the vicinity of the fringing reef are sparse during the day when the fi sh are feeding compared to the rich samples at night when they aren't feeding, suggesting a substantial impact on the zooplankton content of the water fl owing over the fi shes' habitats. In contrast to the 'wall of mouths' on the windward crest of a patch reef, it is suggested that these pomacentrid inhabitants of the shallow waters fringing Heron Island cay constitute a 'fi eld of mouths'. During the day, they trap and retain the allochthinous organic material that fl ows across the shallow coral reef and act as a source of nutrients for this coral reef ecosystem.

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“…(2014) [4]. This study found that in these Atlantic reefs, fi sh abundance and species richness are strongly infl uenced by algae abundance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

A ‘Field of Mouths’: Damselfishes in the Intertidal of Heron Island Cay, Great Barrier Reef

Lucas¹

2017

Ann Mar Sci

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“…Marine fishes have been affected by many anthropogenic stressors such as overfishing and pollution (Pauly et al, 2002;Pereira et al, 2014) which can cause a decline on species richness and abundance (e.g., McKinley and Johnston, 2010). Overfishing is generally regarded as the major human activity impacting fish assemblages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spongivory by Fishes on Southwestern Atlantic Coral Reefs: No Evidence of Top-Down Control on Sponge Assemblages

et al. 2018

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Predator-prey dynamics can affect assemblage structure and ecosystem processes representing a central theory in ecology. In coral reef ecosystems, recent evidences have suggested that sponge assemblages in regions with high diversity, like the Caribbean, are controlled by reef fishes (i.e., top-down control); however, this has been poorly studied in low diversity coral reefs. This study investigated the influence of fish predators on sponge assemblage structure in South Atlantic coral reefs, systems with high endemism and relatively low hermatypic coral diversity. We investigates (i) whether sponge cover is negatively correlated to spongivorous fish density, (ii) potential spongivory effects on competitive interactions between sponges and hermatypic corals, and (iii) foraging preferences of spongivorous fishes. Benthic cover and spongivorous fish density were assessed by photo sampling and visual census, respectively. We did not observe a negative correlation of the total density of spongivorous fish with total sponge cover. However, a significant negative correlation between density of fish species Pomacanthus arcuatus and cover of sponge species Scopalina ruetzleri was found. Spongivorous fish consumed preferentially the sponges Desmapsamma anchorata, Niphates erecta, Aplysina cauliformis, and S. ruetzleri, the first two species considered palatable and the second two with chemically defense mechanism. An increase to angelfish density was not related with the number of coral-sponge encounters. Thus, the effects of spongivorous fishes on sponges cover and competitive interactions with hermatypic corals is weaker in Southwestern Atlantic than previously reported in Caribbean coral reefs. We discuss how local human impacts (e.g., fishing and nutrients input) can influence the observed patterns.

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“…The present study is based on two partial samplings of fish communities conducted on "Tamandaré" coral reefs, northeast coast of Brazil [27]. All details regarding the precise locations of the compared habitats and the sampling procedure are provided in the openaccess reference above and need not being repeated here.…”

Section: The Reported Field Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two studied fish communities differ in the level of recorded species richness [27], with the communities at 'Aver o mar' and at 'Caieiras' having respectively 57 and 47 recorded species (Table 1).…”

Section: Estimated Total Species Richness Of Each Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fish communities at 'Aver o mar' and 'Caieiras' have respectively 57 and 47recorded species, among which 42 are shared in common, 15 species appearing as exclusive to 'Aver o mar' and 5 species appearing as exclusive to 'Caieiras' [27]. Thus the recorded value of the Jaccard similarity index is J = 0.68 (= 42/(57+47-42)).…”

Section: Evaluation Of the Jaccard Similarity Indexmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of Fishing Activity on Total Species Richness and Abundance Unevenness in Reef Fish Communities: A Case Study in a Brazilian Tropical Coral Complex

Béguinot¹

2019

IJECC

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The internal organization of reef-fish communities, particularly the species richness and the hierarchical structuring of species abundances, depends on many environmental factors, including fishing intensity and proportion of macroalgal cover which are expected to have determinant influences. However, reported studies on this topic are generally based on incomplete samplings (almost unavoidable in practice when dealing with highly uneven and species-rich communities), so that the derived results can be appreciably skewed. To overcome this difficulty, the incomplete samplings involved in this study were completed numerically through a reliable extrapolation procedure. This precaution provided a safe confirmation that reduced fishing activity and increased macroalgae cover both contribute to enhance the total species richness and to reduce the abundance unevenness in these reef fish communities. Yet, it is shown that this reduction of abundance unevenness is almost entirely attributable to the increase in species richness.

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The influence of multiple factors upon reef fish abundance and species richness in a tropical coral complex

Cited by 23 publications

References 56 publications

A ‘Field of Mouths’: Damselfishes in the Intertidal of Heron Island Cay, Great Barrier Reef

A ‘Field of Mouths’: Damselfishes in the Intertidal of Heron Island Cay, Great Barrier Reef

Spongivory by Fishes on Southwestern Atlantic Coral Reefs: No Evidence of Top-Down Control on Sponge Assemblages

Influence of Fishing Activity on Total Species Richness and Abundance Unevenness in Reef Fish Communities: A Case Study in a Brazilian Tropical Coral Complex

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