Butterflyfishes as a model group for reef fish ecology: Important and emerging research topics
Type
Book ChapterAuthors
Pratchett, Morgan S.Chong-Seng, Karen M.
Feary, David A.
Hoey, Andrew S.
Fulton, Christopher J.
Nowicki, Jessica P.
Dewan, Adam K.
Walker, Stefan P.W.
Berumen, Michael L.

KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionMarine Science Program
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
Reef Ecology Lab
Date
2013-09-25Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/665283
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In his preface to a special issue (and dedicated workshop) on the biology of butterflyfishes, Motta (1989) suggested that butterflyfishes have received disproportionate scientific attention compared to other common and conspicuous families of coral reef fishes. In support of this assertion, the number of scientific publications that consider butterflyfishes (ISI Web of Knowledge; 382 publications since 1927) is far greater than for many other families of nominal reef fishes (e.g., angelfishes, surgeonfishes, and rabbitfishes); the only families that have been more intensively studied are the Pomacentridae (damselfishes), Serranidae (groupers) and Labridae (parrotfishes and wrasses), which probably reflects their high diversity, commercial and functional importance, respectively. In this respect, research on butterflyfishes has contributed greatly to general understanding of the biology and ecology of coral reef fishes (e.g., Almany et al., 2007; Lawton et al., 2011). The fields of research in which butterflyfishes have played essential roles also extends well beyond the notion that butterflyfishes are “indicators” of overall reef health, which is the usual justification for studying this relatively unique group of reef fishes (e.g., Öhman et al., 1998; Bozec et al., 2005; Shokri et al., 2005).Citation
Pratchett, M., Chong-Seng, K., Feary, D., Hoey, A., Fulton, C., Nowicki, J., … Berumen, M. (2013). Butterflyfishes as a Model Group for Reef Fish Ecology. Biology of Butterflyfishes, 310–334. doi:10.1201/b15458-14Publisher
Informa UK LimitedISBN
97814665829039781466582897
Additional Links
http://www.crcnetbase.com/doi/abs/10.1201/b15458-14ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1201/b15458-14