Linkage between fish functional groups and coral reef benthic habitat composition in the Western Indian Ocean

2016 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 387-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kennedy Osuka ◽  
Marc Kochzius ◽  
Ann Vanreusel ◽  
David Obura ◽  
Melita Samoilys
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Benthic Habitat ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Habitat Composition

Benthic habitat composition is a key factor that structures assemblages of coral reef fishes. However, natural and anthropogenic induced disturbances impact this relationship. This study investigates the link between benthic habitat composition and fish functional groups in four countries in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). Benthic composition of 32 sites was quantified visually from percentage cover of hard and soft corals, rubble, turf, fleshy and crustose coralline algae. At each site, abundance of 12 coral-associated fish functional groups in 50 × 5 m transects was determined. Cluster analysis characterized reefs based on benthic cover and revealed five habitat types (A, B, C, D and E) typified by decreasing cover of hard corals, increasing cover of turf and/or fleshy algae and differences in benthic diversity. Habitat type A was present in all four countries. Other habitats types showed geographic affiliations: notably Comoros sites clustered in either habitats B or E, northern Madagascar had B, C and D type habitats, whereas sites in central Tanzania and northern Mozambique had habitats D and E. Fish functional groups showed significant linkages with some habitat types. The abundances of corallivores, invertivores, detritivores and grazers were higher in habitat B, whereas planktivores and small excavators showed lower abundances in the same habitat. These linkages between benthic habitat types and fish functional groups are important in informing priority reefs that require conservation and management planning.

scholarly journals Disentangling drivers of the abundance of coral reef fishes in the Western Indian Ocean

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 4149-4167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melita A. Samoilys ◽  
Andrew Halford ◽  
Kennedy Osuka
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes

scholarly journals Post-bleaching mortality of a remote coral reef community in Seychelles, Western Indian Ocean

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Elena Gadoutsis ◽  
Clare A.K. Daly ◽  
Julie P. Hawkins ◽  
Ryan Daly
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Coral Reef Community ◽  
Reef Community

scholarly journals Environmental DNA diffusion of reef fishes along a distance gradient from four isolated islands of the Western Indian Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélissa Jaquier ◽  
Camille Albouy ◽  
Wilhelmine Bach ◽  
Conor Waldock ◽  
Viriginie Marques ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Sampling ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Species Distribution Modelling ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Reference Database ◽  
Developmental Phase ◽  
Marine Environments ◽  
Habitat Types

Islands have traditionally served as model systems to study ecological and evolutionary processes (Warren et al. 2015) and could also represent a relevant system to study environmental DNA (eDNA). Isolated island reefs that are affected by climatic threats would particularly benefit from cost- and time-efficient biodiversity surveys to set priorities for their conservation. Among time efficiency methods, eDNA has emerged as a novel molecular metabarcoding technique to detect biodiversity from simple environmental samples even in remote marine environments. However, eDNA monitoring techniques for marine environments are at a developmental phase, with a few remaining unknowns related to DNA residence time and movement. In particular, the redistribution of eDNA, via ocean currents, could blur the composition signal and its association with local environmental conditions (Goldberg et al. 2016). Here, we investigated the detection variation of eDNA along a distance gradient across four islands in the French Scattered Islands. We collected 30 L of surface water per filter at an increasing distance from the islands reefs (0m, 250m, 500m, 750m). Using a metabarcoding protocol, we used the teleo primers to target a fraction of 12S mitochondrial DNA to detect Actinopterygii and Elasmobranchii. We then applied a sequence clustering approach to generate Molecular Taxonomic Units (MOTUs), which were assigned to a taxonomic group using a reference database. By assigning eDNA sequences to species using a public reference database, we classified species according to their preferred habitat types between benthic/demersal and pelagic. Our results show no significant relationship between distance and MOTUs richness for both habitat types. By using a Joint Species Distribution Modelling approach (JSDM, Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities), we retained the multidimensional information captured by eDNA and detect species- and family-specific responses to distance (Fig. 1). We showed that benthic MOTUs were found in closer proximity to the reef, while typical pelagic MOTUs were found at greater distances from the reef. Hence, MOTU-level analyses coupled with JSDM were more informative that when aggregating it into coarser richness. Altogether, our eDNA distance sampling gradient detected an ecological signal of habitat selection by fish species, which suggest that eDNA could help understand the behavior of species and their distribution in marine environments at a fine spatial scale.

Benthic Habitats and the Effects of Fishing

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Type ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Benthic Habitat ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Placopecten Magellanicus ◽  
Benthic Species ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Closed Area ◽  
Sea Scallops ◽  
Moderate Complexity

<strong><em>Abstract. </em></strong>In late 1994, substantial portions of Georges Bank were closed to commercial fishing to assist with stock rebuilding. These areas were Closed Area I (CAI), located on the western portion of the bank, and Closed Area II (CAII), on the eastern portion. After about 5 years of closure, the southern portion of CAII and the central portion of CAI, having exhibited substantial increases in biomass and density of sea scallops <em>Placopecten magellanicus</em>, were reopened to scallop fishing. Before the industry was allowed entry, we conducted surveys to monitor the recovery of benthic habitat and fauna inside both areas. Sampling sites were selected in a paired station design for an inside–outside comparison representative of major habitat types in each closed area; other stations were chosen to survey the remainder of the closed areas. At each station, we examined a suite of biotic and abiotic variables ranging from substrate type to benthos to nekton. Our results suggest few differences between the inside–outside paired stations in both closed areas for nekton and benthic species composition and species richness. Fish abundance and biomass were similar inside and outside the closed areas. However, individuals of species such as skates (<em>Raja </em>spp.), haddock <em>Melanogrammus aeglefinus</em>, and flounders (Pleuronectiformes) were generally larger inside than outside the closed areas. Additionally, habitat type was important in determining the distribution, abundance, biomass, size, and feeding ecology for some of the more benthic-oriented species studied. In CAI, the differences we observed in the suite of biotic metrics are likely a result of the high diversity of habitat types, with many of the habitat types composed of higher-relief material (e.g., cobble, gravel, etc.) in the region. The seabed in the southern portion of CAII is a relatively high-energy sand habitat of low to moderate complexity and has a relatively low vulnerability to trawling and dredging, which may explain why there were less pronounced differences in abundance or biomass across habitat types in that closed area as compared to CAI. Other parts of closed areas on the northeastern shelf may exhibit more obvious changes in the same biological metrics due to the presence of more complex habitats and increased vulnerability to bottom tending fishing gear. Those differences we observed for CAI and CAII may have implications for the population dynamics of commercially valuable benthic species, yet that question remains a major challenge.

scholarly journals DIVERSITY OF REEF FISH FUNGSIONAL GROUPS IN TERMS OF CORAL REEF RESILIENCES

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Isa Nagib Edrus ◽  
Muhammad Abrar Abrar
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Resilience Indicators

Infrastructure development in the particular sites of  Seribu Islands as well as those in main land of Jakarta City increased with coastal population this phenomenon is likely to increase the effects to the adjacent coral waters of Seribu Islands.  Chemical pollutants, sedimentation, and domestic wastes are the common impact and threatening, the survival of coral reef ecosystem. Coral reef resiliences naturaly remained on their processes under many influences of supporting factors. One of the major factor is the role of reef fish functional groups on controling algae growth to recolonize coral juveniles. The  aim of this study to obtain data of a herbivory and other fish functional groups of reef fishes in the Pari Islands that are resilience indicators, or that may indicate the effectiveness of management actions. A conventional scientific approach on fish diversity and abundance data gathering was conducted by the underwater visual cencus. Diversity values of the reef fish functional groups, such as the abundance of individual fish including species, were collected and tabulated by classes and weighted as a baseline to understand the resilience of coral reed based on Obura and Grimsditch (2009) techniques. The results succesfully identified several fish functional groups such as harbivores (21 species), carnivores (13 species) and fish indicator (5 species) occurred in the area. Regarding the aspects of fish density and its diversity, especially herbivorous fish functional group, were presumably in the state of rarely available to support the coral reef resiliences. Resilience indices ranged from 1 (low level) to 3 (moderate level) and averages of the quality levels ranged from 227 to 674. These levels were inadequate to support coral reef recolonization.

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