Diversity of the Tropics: Causes of High Diversity in Reef Fish Systems

1989 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Peter F. Sale
Keyword(s):  
Reef Fish ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
High Diversity

scholarly journals Chance or Necessity—The Fungi Co−Occurring with Formica polyctena Ants

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Igor Siedlecki ◽  
Michał Gorczak ◽  
Alicja Okrasińska ◽  
Marta Wrzosek
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Identification ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Its Rdna ◽  
The Other ◽  
Formica Polyctena ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Mutualistic Fungi ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
High Diversity ◽  
Better Than

Studies on carton nesting ants and domatia−dwelling ants have shown that ant–fungi interactions may be much more common and widespread than previously thought. Until now, studies focused predominantly on parasitic and mutualistic fungi–ant interactions occurring mostly in the tropics, neglecting less−obvious interactions involving the fungi common in ants’ surroundings in temperate climates. In our study, we characterized the mycobiota of the surroundings of Formica polyctena ants by identifying nearly 600 fungal colonies that were isolated externally from the bodies of F. polyctena workers. The ants were collected from mounds found in northern and central Poland. Isolated fungi were assigned to 20 genera via molecular identification (ITS rDNA barcoding). Among these, Penicillium strains were the most frequent, belonging to eight different taxonomic sections. Other common and widespread members of Eurotiales, such as Aspergillus spp., were isolated very rarely. In our study, we managed to characterize the genera of fungi commonly present on F. polyctena workers. Our results suggest that Penicillium, Trichoderma, Mucor, Schwanniomyces and Entomortierella are commonly present in F. polyctena surroundings. Additionally, the high diversity and high frequency of Penicillium colonies isolated from ants in this study suggest that representatives of this genus may be adapted to survive in ant nests environment better than the other fungal groups, or that they are preferentially sustained by the insects in nests.

scholarly journals Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans ter Steege ◽  
Terry W. Henkel ◽  
Nora Helal ◽  
Beatriz S. Marimon ◽  
Ben Hur Marimon-Junior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Single Tree ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Amazonian Forests ◽  
High Diversity

Abstract Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such “monodominant” forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors.

scholarly journals Subconscious Biases in Coral Reef Fish Studies

BioScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 621-627
Author(s):  
David R Bellwood ◽  
Christopher R Hemingson ◽  
Sterling B Tebbett
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Partial View ◽  
High Diversity ◽  
Study Species

Abstract In complex, diverse ecosystems, one is faced with an exceptionally challenging decision: which species to examine first and why? This raises the question: Is there evidence of subconscious biases in study species selection? Likewise, is there evidence of this bias in selecting methods, locations, and times? We addressed these questions by surveying the literature on the most diverse group of vertebrates (fishes) in an iconic high-diversity ecosystem (coral reefs). The evidence suggests that we select study species that are predominantly yellow. Reef fish studies also selectively examine fishes that are behaviorally bold and in warm, calm, attractive locations. Our findings call for a reevaluation of study species selection and methodological approaches, recognizing the potential for subconscious biases to drive selection for species that are attractive rather than important and for methods that give only a partial view of ecosystems. Given the challenges faced by high-diversity ecosystems, we may need to question our decision-making processes.

Marine ecological footprint indicates unsustainability of the Pohnpei (Micronesia) coral reef fishery

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEVIN L. RHODES ◽  
KIMBERLEY A. WARREN-RHODES ◽  
SCOTT SWEET ◽  
MIKE HELGENBERGER ◽  
EUGENE JOSEPH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Ecological Footprint ◽  
Biological Reality ◽  
Fish Spawning ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Mean Size ◽  
Fish Spawning Aggregation ◽  
The Tropics

SUMMARYThroughout the tropics, developing countries and territories are highly dependent on nearshore marine resources for food and income, however information on the sustainability and proper management of these fisheries is lacking. In Pohnpei, Micronesia, the sustainability of a coral reef finfishery was assessed by comparing coral reef fish demand to coral reef biocapacity using a marine ecological footprint (MEF) analysis. Based on geo-referenced satellite and aerial imagery, Pohnpei and surrounding atolls have 184.2 km2 of coral reef habitat with a sustainable finfish yield of 573–1118 t yr−1, however total harvest was estimated at 4068 t yr−1, exceeding biocapacity by 360–710%. The MEF was supported by observed impacts to coral reef resources, including (1) long-term declines in fish spawning aggregation density, (2) reductions in mean size, age and fecundity of key commercial species, (3) reliance on undersized fish, and (4) decadal declines in mean size and abundance of fishes of iconic value and critical to ecosystem maintenance. The commercial fishery was responsible for 68% of finfish catch volume, while reef fish consumption, at 93 kg person−1 yr−1, was among the highest in the region. To sustainably meet current demand, up to 833 km2 of additional reef area would be required. The study illustrates the MEF, at least rudimentarily, reflects biological reality on local reefs and represents a valuable analytical tool in a marine policymaker's toolbox.

Niche Partitioning by Two Sympatric Goshawks in the Australian Wet Tropics: Breeding-season Diet

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Burton ◽  
Penny Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Dietary Overlap ◽  
Wet Tropics ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
High Diversity

In general, coexisting accipiters show low dietary overlap and clear morphological separation. However, most studies have been conducted in the Northern Hemisphere. In Australia, the two accipitrid goshawks, the grey goshawk, Accipiter novaehollandiae, and brown goshawk, A. fasciatus, are relatively similar in size. The diets of the two goshawks were studied in an area of sympatry, at Abergowrie State Forest, Queensland, in the wet tropics, during the breeding season. The diet of the brown goshawk contained more birds than did that of the grey goshawk, which preyed more on medium-sized mammals and reptiles. The proportion of insects in the diet was similar in the two species. Grey goshawks preferred terrestrial and arboreal prey to the brown goshawks' more aerial prey. The grey goshawk took heavier prey on average and had a slightly more diverse diet. Nevertheless, at 93%, dietary overlap between the goshawks was high. Such high overlap may be possible because of the high diversity and abundance of prey in the tropics, easing interspecific competition.

scholarly journals An assessment of small islands coral cover and coral-reef fish diversity at Oba Sub-district, Halmahera Island

2021 ◽  
Vol 890 (1) ◽  
pp. 012060
Author(s):  
F Ismail ◽  
N Akbar ◽  
I Tahir ◽  
R E Paembonan ◽  
I Marus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Growth ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Study Results ◽  
High Diversity

Abstract Study on the percentage of coral cover four small islands of Oba Sub-district, Halmahera Island of North Maluku Utara Province was carried out in April 2021.The four small islands of Oba Sub-district studied are Woda Island, Raja Island, Tamin Island, and Guratu Island. The study applied systematic sampling method that included collecting coral reef data using UPT (Underwater Photo Transect) method and coral fish data collection using visual census method. Study results showed that live coral coverage of reefs on the four small islands of Oba Sub-district had the highest value of 5.415% and the lowest value of 4.29%. There was positive relationship between coral growth form diversity and fish diversity. High diversity of coral growth forms was significantly related to high diversity of target reef fish.

The Archaeology of Social Transformation in the New Guinea Highlands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan Gaffney ◽  
Tim Denham
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Food Production ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Plant Food ◽  
Social Transformations ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
High Diversity

This article examines three key aspects of New Guinea Highlands prehistory, with important implications for regional and global archaeology, including evidence for (1) adaptive flexibility at high altitudes, particularly within montane rainforests and grasslands; (2) plant-food production and cultivation in the tropics; and (3) the emergence of incipient social stratification and how it was transformed by the production and redistribution of material culture, plants, and animals. After synthesizing the archaeological evidence, we propose that social transformations amongst highland groups were intraregionally variable and involved a sequential diversification of subsistence practices that overlapped and persisted through time. Because communities, and their sociotechnical practices, were differently interconnected across the mountains, and at times to the lowlands, coasts, and islands as well, each subregion transformed asymmetrically at different rates and scales through time. The high diversity of highland cultures observed in the early twentieth century by ethnographers is likely to have arisen from these asymmetric processes of growth.

scholarly journals SUMBER DAYA IKAN KARANG PERAIRAN KABUPATEN BANGGAI, SULAWESI TENGAH

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Gurindo Bintar Saputro ◽  
Isa Nagib Edrus
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Visual Census ◽  
Fish Resources ◽  
Reef Fish Species ◽  
Central Sulawesi ◽  
Line Intercept ◽  
High Diversity

Penelitian ini dilakukan pada bulan Juli 2006 di perairan Kabupaten Banggai, Sulawesi Tengah. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengidentifikasi indeks keanekaragaman sumber daya ikan karang yang terdiri atas kekayaan jenis, keanekaragaman jenis, dominasi jenis, keanekaragaman jumlah, dan keseragaman dalam komunitas. Metode yang digunakan adalah rapid reef assessment, line intercept transect, dan sensus visual. Penelitian ini, baik melalui proses rapid reef assessment maupun line intercept transect, berhasil mengidentifikasi 319 jenis ikan karang dan 121 marga dari 40 suku, dengan variasi antara lokasi berkisar antara 14 sampai dengan 140 jenis ikan karang. Jumlah wilayah transek 32 lokasi dan 6 lokasi antara lain memiliki indeks keanekaragaman ikan karang dengan kategori tinggi, 3 lokasi memiliki indeks keanekaragaman rendah, dan sisa 23 lokasi memiliki keanekaragaman ikan karang dengan kategori sedang.  This study was carried out in July 2006 at the waters of Banggai District, Central Sulawesi with aim to identify the diversity indeces of reef fish resources including species richness, species diversity, species domination, diversity numbers, and evenness in fish community. Methods used were rapid reef assessment, line intercept transect, and visual census. The study of using both rapid reef assessment and line intercept transect identified successfully 319 species, 121 genus, and 40 families with reef fish species locally varied from 14 to 140. Total of transect areas were 32 sites and 6 of those were classified in the high diversity, 3 sites were classified the lower diversity and the others were grouped in the fair diversity.

scholarly journals Quantifying Mesophotic Fish Assemblages of Hawai‘i’s Au‘au Channel: Associations With Benthic Habitats and Depth

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond C. Boland ◽  
K. David Hyrenbach ◽  
Edward E. DeMartini ◽  
Frank A. Parrish ◽  
John J. Rooney
Keyword(s):  
Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Mixed Gas ◽  
Parupeneus Multifasciatus ◽  
Reef Fish Species ◽  
Bottom Cover ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Mesophotic Reef

Mesophotic reefs (30–150 m) occur in the tropics and subtropics at depths beyond most scientific diving, thereby making conventional surveys challenging. Towed cameras, submersibles, and mixed-gas divers were used to survey the mesophotic reef fish assemblages and benthic substrates of the Au‘au Channel, between the Hawaiian Islands of Maui and Lāna‘i. Non-parametric multivariate analysis: Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Multi-Response Permutation Procedure (MRPP), and Indicator Species Analysis (ISA) were used to determine the association of mesophotic reef fish species with benthic substrates and depth. Between 53 and 115-m depths, 82 species and 10 genera of fish were observed together with 10 types of benthic substrate. Eight species of fish (Apolemichthys arcuatus, Centropyge potteri, Chaetodon kleinii, Chromis leucura, Chromis verater, Forcipiger sp., Naso hexacanthus, and Parupeneus multifasciatus) were positively associated with increasing depth, Leptoseris sp. coral cover, and hard-bottom cover, and one species (Oxycheilinus bimaculatus) of fish was positively associated with increasing Halimeda sp. algae cover. Fish assemblages associated with rubble were not significantly different from those associated with sand, Montipora coral beds and Leptoseris coral beds, but were distinct from fish assemblages associated with hard bottom. The patterns in the data suggested two depth assemblages, one “upper mesophotic” between 53 and 95 m and the other deeper, possibly part of a “lower mesophotic” assemblage between 96 and 115 m at the edge of the rariphotic and bottomfish complex.

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