Journal ArticleDOI
Cross-shelf variation in the role of parrotfishes on the Great Barrier Reef
Andrew S. Hoey,David R. Bellwood +1 more
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
In this paper, the roles of parrotfish on coral reefs were examined on reefs in the northern Great Barrier Reef in each of three cross-shelf regions and the distribution of 24 species of Parrotfish was quantified on three reefs.Abstract:
Herbivorous fishes are a key functional group on coral reefs. These fishes are central to the capacity of reefs to resist phase shifts and regenerate after disturbance. Despite this importance few studies have quantified the direct impact of these fishes on coral reefs. In this study the roles of parrotfishes, a ubiquitous group of herbivorous fishes, were examined on reefs in the northern Great Barrier Reef. The distribution of 24 species of parrotfish was quantified on three reefs in each of three cross-shelf regions. Functional roles (grazing, erosion, coral predation and sediment reworking) were calculated as the product of fish density, bite area or volume, bite rate, and the proportion of bites taken from various substrata. Inner-shelf reefs supported high densities but low biomass of parrotfishes, with high rates of grazing and sediment reworking. In contrast, outer-shelf reefs were characterised by low densities and high biomass of parrotfish, with high rates of erosion and coral predation. Mid-shelf reefs displayed moderate levels of all roles examined. The majority of this variation in functional roles was attributable to just two species. Despite being rare, Bolbometopon muricatum, the largest parrotfish species, accounted for 87.5% of the erosion and 99.5% of the coral predation on outer-shelf reefs. B. muricatum displayed little evidence of selectivity of feeding, with most substrata being consumed in proportion to their availability. In contrast, the high density of Scarus rivulatus accounted for over 70% of the total grazing and sediment reworking on inner-shelf reefs. This marked variation in the roles of parrotfishes across the continental shelf suggests that each shelf system is shaped by fundamentally different processes.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Climate-driven regime shift of a temperate marine ecosystem
Thomas Wernberg,Scott Bennett,Scott Bennett,Russell C. Babcock,Russell C. Babcock,Thibaut de Bettignies,Katherine Cure,Katherine Cure,Martial Depczynski,Francois Dufois,Jane Fromont,Christopher J. Fulton,Renae Hovey,Euan S. Harvey,Thomas H. Holmes,Gary A. Kendrick,Ben Radford,Ben Radford,Julia Santana-Garcon,Julia Santana-Garcon,Benjamin J. Saunders,Dan A. Smale,Dan A. Smale,Mads S. Thomsen,Mads S. Thomsen,Chenae A. Tuckett,Fernando Tuya,Mathew A. Vanderklift,Shaun K. Wilson +28 more
TL;DR: It is shown that extreme warming of a temperate kelp forest off Australia resulted not only in its collapse, but also in a shift in community composition that brought about an increase in herbivorous tropical fishes that prevent the reestablishment of kelp.
Journal ArticleDOI
The importance of structural complexity in coral reef ecosystems
TL;DR: Quantitative analyses of existing data indicate a strong negative relationship between structural complexity and algal cover, which may reflect the important role complexity plays in enhancing herbivory by reef fishes, and structural complexity should be incorporated into monitoring programs and management objectives.
Journal ArticleDOI
Diversity and functional importance of coral‐feeding fishes on tropical coral reefs
TL;DR: Increased knowledge of the number of corallivores and their diets suggest that this feeding mode is more important to coral reef food webs than traditionally thought.
Journal ArticleDOI
Impact of coral predators on tropical reefs
Randi D. Rotjan,Sara M. Lewis +1 more
TL;DR: The role of corallivores in reef trophodynamics is more complex than appreciated previously, and there is a growing body of evidence to support that even limited removal of tissue or skeletal structures has growth and/or fit- ness consequences for a scleractinian coral colony.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs
TL;DR: The ecology of fishes on Coral Reefs was studied in this article, with a focus on coral reef fishes and their interactions with coral reef habitats, and the results showed that fishes on coral reefs are vulnerable to coral bleaching.
References
More filters
Book
Resource Selection by Animals : Statistical design and analysis for field studies
TL;DR: This paper presents a meta-modelling procedure for estimating a resource selection probability function from a census of resource units using logistic regression and discriminant function methods and its applications in resource selection and resource selectory studies.
Journal ArticleDOI
Confronting the coral reef crisis
TL;DR: The ecological roles of critical functional groups (for both corals and reef fishes) that are fundamental to understanding resilience and avoiding phase shifts from coral dominance to less desirable, degraded ecosystems are reviewed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Catastrophes, phase shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef.
TL;DR: A dramatic phase shift has occurred in Jamaica, producing a system dominated by fleshy macroalgae (more than 90 percent cover), and immediate implementation of management procedures is necessary to avoid further catastrophic damage.