The influence of thermal extremes on coral reef fish behaviour in the Arabian/Persian Gulf

D’Agostino, Daniele; Burt, John A.; Reader, Tom; Vaughan, Grace O.; Chapman, Ben B.; Santinelli, Veronica; Cavalcante, Geórgenes H.

doi:10.1007/s00338-019-01847-z

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Once identified, Mediterranean lionfish were allowed to acclimate for 3 min to the diver, and were then filmed for 5 min, with a minimum distance of 3 m between diver and lionfish (D’Agostino et al 2019). During the 3 min acclimation period the diver estimated Mediterranean lionfish body size (small [≤ 10 cm TL], medium [11 – 20], large [≥ 21]), group size (number of lionfish within 1 m radius from focal lionfish), water depth (m) and temperature (nearest 0.1 °C), measured using the dive computer RATIO ix3M, visibility (low < 10 m, medium 10 – 20 m, high > 20 m) and current strength (low: diver barely kicking to maintain position, medium: periodic kicking required by diver to maintain position, high: constant kicking by diver required to maintain position); cloud cover was recorded at the beginning of each dive as either clear: 0 – 25%, partly cloudy: 25 – 75% or overcast: > 75% (Côté and Maljkovic 2010; Cure et al 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural traits and feeding ecology of Mediterranean lionfish and native species naiveté to lionfish predation

D’Agostino

Jiménez²,

Reader

et al. 2020

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The detrimental effects of invasion by Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on western Atlantic fishes have spurred concerns for Mediterranean fish biodiversity, where a Lessepsian invasion of lionfish has recently begun. In order to assess the potential impact on biodiversity, we examine key behavioural and ecological traits of lionfish, and the resident fish community in the Mediterranean, that may contribute to lionfish invasion success. We focus on Cyprus, where lionfish populations were first sighted in 2012 and have now established abundant and stable populations. Using field observations, we examine lionfish predatory behaviour and feeding ecology, and resident fish species naiveté to hunting lionfish. Our findings suggest that lionfish in the Mediterranean are crepuscular generalist predators, with prey targeted dominated by small-bodied benthic or bentho-pelagic associated species. Such prey are more likely to be native than introduced (Lessepsian) fishes, with native prey fishes showing greater naiveté towards lionfish than Lessepsian prey species. Notably, one of the Mediterranean’s key ecological fish species (the native damselfish Chromis chromis), showed the highest level of naiveté and was the most heavily targeted prey. Overall, lionfish in the Mediterranean show similar predatory behaviour and ecology to their western Atlantic counterparts. Although the Mediterranean invasion is still relatively recent, it may result in a similar disruption to reef fish biomass to that recorded in the Atlantic, with impact to the structure and biodiversity of reef fish communities and the services they provide.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural traits and feeding ecology of Mediterranean lionfish and native species naiveté to lionfish predation

D’Agostino

Jiménez²,

Reader

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…In addition to direct impacts on species richness and abundance, environmental conditions in the I-RSA are known to cause shifts in diet and behavior, impair growth rates leading to smaller size at maturity and inhibit the diversity and productivity of fishes [101,[111][112][113], suggesting that future climate change may result in related changes to fish communities in the M-RSA and O-RSA where conditions are currently more benign.…”

Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Regional Review of Marine and Coastal Impacts of Climate Change on the ROPME Sea Area

et al. 2021

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The Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) Sea Area (RSA) in the northern Indian Ocean, which comprises the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the northern Arabian Sea, already experiences naturally extreme environmental conditions and incorporates one of the world’s warmest seas. There is growing evidence that climate change is already affecting the environmental conditions of the RSA, in areas including sea temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and sea level, which are set to continue changing over time. The cumulative impacts of these changes on coastal and marine ecosystems and dependent societies are less well documented, but are likely to be significant, especially in the context of other human stressors. This review represents the first regional synthesis of observed and predicted climate change impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems across the ROPME Sea Area and their implications for dependent societies. Climate-driven ecological changes include loss of coral reefs due to bleaching and the decline of fish populations, while socio-economic impacts include physical impacts from sea-level rise and cyclones, risk to commercial wild capture fisheries, disruption to desalination systems and loss of tourism. The compilation of this review is aimed to support the development of targeted adaptation actions and to direct future research within the RSA.

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“…Although coral diversity in the Gulf is lower than elsewhere as a result of the environmental stress, the Gulf harbors a number of coral species that have adapted to an environment where corals from other regions of the world would not survive (Coles, 2003). Similarly, the fishes of the Gulf have developed the ability to persist in environmental conditions that would be lethal to fishes in other parts of the world (Feary et al, 2010;D'Agostino et al, 2020), with winter temperatures well below the optimal range for coral reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific, and summer temperatures reaching values that would cause respiratory failure in fishes from other regions (Nilsson et al, 2009;Gardiner et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of reef fishes and corals in the thermally extreme waters of Qatar

et al. 2022

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The Persian Gulf is a thermally extreme environment in which reef corals have adapted to survive through temperature ranges that would be lethal to corals from other regions. Despite offering a unique opportunity to better understand how corals from other regions may adapt in the future, through a changing climate, much of the Gulf coral and fish communities remain to be described. In the southwestern Gulf nation of Qatar few reef sites have been described to date. We here characterize reef communities from 16 sites around the Qatar Peninsula, encompassing depths from 3 to 25m. We found the healthiest coral reef communities to be in deeper offshore reefs, with high coral and fish species richness and high coral abundance, likely a result of their occurrence below summer thermocline depths and distance from urban pressures. In contrast, we found shallow reefs, both nearshore and offshore, to have low species richness and abundance relative to deeper reefs, presumably due to impacts from recurrent bleaching events and development pressures over recent decades. The results of this work underscore the Qatar Peninsula as being at the biogeographic epicenter of the wider Gulf. However, further temperature increases may push both fishes and corals over their physiological limits. Management efforts at both the regional and global level are needed to reduce thermal stressors and preserve the rich reef ecosystems found in the waters surrounding Qatar.

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The influence of thermal extremes on coral reef fish behaviour in the Arabian/Persian Gulf

Cited by 21 publications

References 75 publications

Behavioural traits and feeding ecology of Mediterranean lionfish and native species naiveté to lionfish predation

Behavioural traits and feeding ecology of Mediterranean lionfish and native species naiveté to lionfish predation

A Regional Review of Marine and Coastal Impacts of Climate Change on the ROPME Sea Area

Spatial patterns of reef fishes and corals in the thermally extreme waters of Qatar

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