Morphological and ecological trait diversity reveal sensitivity of herbivorous fish assemblages to coral reef benthic conditions.
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Accepted manuscript
Type
ArticleKAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionEnvironmental Science and Engineering Program
Marine Science Program
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
Reef Ecology Lab
Date
2020-08-06Online Publication Date
2020-08-06Print Publication Date
2020-12Embargo End Date
2022-08-16Submitted Date
2020-03-02Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/664772
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Show full item recordAbstract
Herbivorous fishes play a critical role in the maintenance of coral reefs through grazing and cropping of various benthic algae types. Herbivorous fish assemblages are sensitive to changes in the reef environment and are often targeted by local fisheries. This can lead to a decline in ecosystem functions if key groups are reduced. The present study investigates the morphological and ecological trait diversity of herbivorous reef fish assemblages in habitats differing in relative benthic coverage: i) coral-dominated, ii) algae-dominated, and iii) an intermediate habitat. Trait diversity for conspicuous herbivorous fishes was measured using three trait diversity indices: trait richness, trait divergence, and trait evenness. These indices were derived from in situ community surveys and feeding observations, morphological assessment of feeding mechanics from locally collected specimens, and ecological information obtained from published data. Trait diversity, reflected in higher trait evenness and lower trait richness, was lower within algae-dominated habitats than coral-dominated habitats, suggesting that algae-dominated habitats may be compromised by the lack of essential functions provided by key species. These groups reduce algal biomass and may help facilitate the survival and growth of corals, which in turn can increase coral cover. Algae-habitats were dominated with species known to consume macroalgae (rabbitfish and surgeonfish), appearing to provide essential feeding and habitat resources. These species include browsers and croppers that are fundamental in reducing algal biomass and may help facilitate the survival and growth of corals, which in turn can promote reef health. However, this habitat lacked parrotfishes known to remove turf algae and sediments, an essential function for clearing benthic space for coral settlement and other key benthic invertebrates. This study identified several species with overlapping functional roles in the coral-dominated and intermediate habitats. Still, species that were not redundant showed high trait complementarity, suggesting that their removal may result in the loss of unique functions. Importantly, we show that algae-dominated habitats supported high numbers of juvenile fishes especially in species targeted by local artisanal fishers. We also showed that the loss of trait diversity is greater than the loss of species diversity through the comparison of taxonomic and trait β-diversity, further emphasizing the importance of trait diversity analysis in understanding ecosystem health and maintenance.Citation
Pombo-Ayora, L., Coker, D. J., Carvalho, S., Short, G., & Berumen, M. L. (2020). Morphological and ecological trait diversity reveal sensitivity of herbivorous fish assemblages to coral reef benthic conditions. Marine Environmental Research, 162, 105102. doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105102Sponsors
The authors want to thank the Coastal and Marine Research Core Lab at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) for facilitating fieldwork. This study was funded by KAUST baseline research funds to MLB. DJC and SC are partially supported by the Saudi Aramco/KAUST Center for Marine Environmental Observations (SAKMEO). Feedback from two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript.Publisher
Elsevier BVJournal
Marine environmental researchPubMed ID
32814268Additional Links
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0141113620302099ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105102
Scopus Count
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