The relative importance of regional, local, and evolutionary factors structuring cryptobenthic coral-reef assemblages

Ahmadia, Gabby N.; Tornabene, Luke; Smith, David J.; Pezold, Frank

doi:10.1007/s00338-018-1657-2

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…Depczynski & Bellwood, 2005;Ahmadia et al, 2012b), Western Atlantic (e.g. Smith-Vaniz et al, 2006;Brandl et al, 2017), and most recently, the Red Sea (Coker et al, 2017) and South Pacific (Ahmadia et al, 2018), there is a notable absence of data from the entire remainder of the Indian Ocean, most of the Central and South Pacific, and Southwestern Atlantic. In addition, coverage within the regions that have been sampled is poor, with in-depth sampling at just two locations on the GBR, and one location each in Indonesia and the Caribbean.…”

Section: (2) Distribution and Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, although CRFs appear to be present at high densities and diversity in all tropical reef habitats sampled to date, we lack even basic quantitative data on cryptobenthic fish communities from most locations within all biogeographic regions. Only two studies have, to date, compared CRF assemblages across bioregions (González-Cabello & Bellwood, 2009;Ahmadia et al, 2018), with one other study comparing cryptobenthic fish assemblages from artificial habitats across a latitudinal gradient . All three studies show that cryptobenthic fish assemblages follow established biogeographic patterns, which suggests that we have yet to comprehensively explore regions that harbour the ocean's highest levels of biodiversity (i.e.…”

Section: (2) Distribution and Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Niche partitioning has been linked to speciation in several groups of CRFs (Ahmadia et al , ). An extreme example of this phenomenon occurs within the genus Gobiodon (coral gobies), which have strict commensal relationships with branching corals in the Indo‐Pacific (Munday, ).…”

Section: Diversity and Distribution Of Crfsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

et al. 2018

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Teleost fishes are the most diverse group of vertebrates on Earth. On tropical coral reefs, their species richness exceeds 6000 species; one tenth of total vertebrate biodiversity. A large proportion of this diversity is composed of cryptobenthic reef fishes (CRFs): bottom-dwelling, morphologically or behaviourally cryptic species typically less than 50 mm in length. Yet, despite their diversity and abundance, these fishes are both poorly defined and understood. Herein we provide a new quantitative definition and synthesise current knowledge on the diversity, distribution and life history of CRFs. First, we use size distributions within families to define 17 core CRF families as characterised by the high prevalence (>10%) of small-bodied species (<50 mm). This stands in strong contrast to 42 families of large reef fishes, in which virtually no small-bodied species have evolved. We posit that small body size has allowed CRFs to diversify at extremely high rates, primarily by allowing for fine partitioning of microhabitats and facilitation of allopatric reproductive isolation; yet, we are far from understanding and documenting the biodiversity of CRFs. Using rates of description since 1758, we predict that approximately 30 new species of cryptobenthic species will be described per year until 2050 (approximately twice the annual rate compared to large fishes). Furthermore, we predict that by the year 2031, more than half of the described coral reef fish biodiversity will consist of CRFs. These fishes are the 'hidden half' of vertebrate biodiversity on coral reefs. Notably, global geographic coverage and spatial resolution of quantitative data on CRF communities is uniformly poor, which further emphasises the remarkable reservoir of biodiversity that is yet to be discovered. Although small body size may have enabled extensive diversification within CRF families, small size also comes with a suite of ecological challenges that affect fishes' capacities to feed, survive and reproduce; we identify a range of life-history adaptations that have enabled CRFs to overcome these limitations. In turn, these adaptations bestow a unique socio-ecological role on CRFs, which includes a key role in coral reef trophodynamics by cycling trophic energy provided by microscopic prey to larger consumers. Although small in body size, the ecology and evolutionary history of CRFs may make them a critical component of coral-reef food webs; yet our review also shows that these fishes are highly susceptible to a variety of anthropogenic disturbances. Understanding the consequences of these changes for CRFs and coral reef ecosystems will require us to shed more light on this frequently overlooked but highly diverse and abundant guild of coral reef fishes.

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Section: (2) Distribution and Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (2) Distribution and Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

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The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

et al. 2018

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“…As local habitat features can influence communities to the degree that they affect regional arrangements, it is imperative understand the underlying processes that determine these patterns (Ricklefs, 1987;Rivadeneira et al, 2002;Arakaki et al, 2014;Navarrete et al, 2014). The processes include biological interactions, such as herbivory, predation, and competition, as well as the effects of the physical environment (Horn and Ojeda, 1999;Arakaki and Tokeshi, 2011;Arakaki et al, 2014;Ahmadia et al, 2018). Given this, we will also attempt to understand how these regulatory mechanisms influence the organization of communities, in particular in tropical regions, where there is a scarcity of primary data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intertidal Biogeographic Subprovinces: Local and Regional Factors Shaping Fish Assemblages

et al. 2018

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Intertidal zones shelter a wealth of species and natural resources, provide important ecological services, and sustain several economic activities in coastal communities. However, the tidepool fish species that inhabit the intertidal zone are subject to a wide array of impacts due to the human presence and their accessibility, creating a challenge for the mitigation of habitat loss, in particular in tropical regions where the ecology and distribution of species are poorly known. In this study, we investigated tidepool fish species distribution patterns systematically across ca. 4,900 km of tropical Brazilian coastline (00-21 • latitude) in order to verify the latitudinal trends and environmental variables influencing tidepool communities. A total of 5,113 fish specimens belonging to 67 taxa were collected at the 19 sites, revealing four distinct biogeographic subprovinces: Amazon Estuary (AE), Northern Mangrove (NM), Northeastern Semiarid (NS), and Tropical Warm (TW). Distance-based linear modeling evidenced in sequence water salinity, tidal range, shape of rocky shore formation, algae cover, distance to subtidal zone, latitude and rainfall as the most important environmental variables to shape biogeographic subprovinces. Fish species such as Bathygobius soporator, Bathygobius geminatus, Labrisomus nuchipinnis, and Scartella cristata presented wide distribution, occupying more than one subprovince. The trophic structure of the tidepool fishes also varied among subprovinces, with carnivores being associated with the AE subprovince, omnivores with the NM, and herbivores dominating the NS and TW. These findings reinforce the determining role of local and regional factors in the geographic distribution of fish and, in particular, highlight a new arrangement for the intertidal subprovinces of the tropical Brazilian shoreline, which may provide a valuable tool for the more effective management and conservation of this vulnerable ecosystem at the land-ocean interface.

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“…Cryptobenthic fishes are the smallest of all reef fishes, rarely exceeding 50 mm in maximum body size 49 . They account for almost half of all reef fish species and are numerically abundant and ubiquitous on reefs worldwide [49][50][51][52] . Due to their small body size, these fishes have evolved a unique life-history strategy of rapid growth, high mortality, and continuous larval replenishment, and play an important role in coral reef trophodynamics 53 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Extreme environmental conditions reduce coral reef fish biodiversity and productivity

et al. 2020

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Tropical ectotherms are hypothesized to be vulnerable to environmental changes, but cascading effects of organismal tolerances on the assembly and functioning of reef fish communities are largely unknown. Here, we examine differences in organismal traits, assemblage structure, and productivity of cryptobenthic reef fishes between the world's hottest, most extreme coral reefs in the southern Arabian Gulf and the nearby, but more environmentally benign, Gulf of Oman. We show that assemblages in the Arabian Gulf are half as diverse and less than 25% as abundant as in the Gulf of Oman, despite comparable benthic composition and live coral cover. This pattern appears to be driven by energetic deficiencies caused by responses to environmental extremes and distinct prey resource availability rather than absolute thermal tolerances. As a consequence, production, transfer, and replenishment of biomass through cryptobenthic fish assemblages is greatly reduced on Earth's hottest coral reefs. Extreme environmental conditions, as predicted for the end of the 21st century, could thus disrupt the community structure and productivity of a critical functional group, independent of live coral loss.

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The relative importance of regional, local, and evolutionary factors structuring cryptobenthic coral-reef assemblages

Cited by 20 publications

References 86 publications

The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

The hidden half: ecology and evolution of cryptobenthic fishes on coral reefs

Intertidal Biogeographic Subprovinces: Local and Regional Factors Shaping Fish Assemblages

Extreme environmental conditions reduce coral reef fish biodiversity and productivity

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