scholarly journals Adaptive capacity of reef-associated fishes to Climate Change

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Abas ◽  
Hector Reyes-Bonilla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Tropical Region

Climate change is affecting the structure and function of marine communities in the eastern Pacific, and to anticipate possible consequences of these modifications, a better understanding of the natural adaptation potential of the species is needed. This study aimed to build a metric of adaptive capacity of reef fishes, and evaluate it using data from fish assemblages from 12 rocky and coral reefs of western Mexico. The index was developed using six life history traits from 719 fish-species distributed along the tropical Eastern Pacific. Our results indicated low adaptive capacity for big sized carnivore fish such as the tunas, totoaba and most groupers (Mycteroperca spp.); conversely, high values were attributed to species with fast life strategies such as anchovies, gobies, and blennies. The application of the index to census data showed that the adaptive potential of fish assemblages had an inverse latitudinal trend (higher in the southern reefs), resulting from the abundance of large-sized carnivores in the central and northern Gulf of California, and of small herbivores in the tropical region. As the index allows to estimate reef-fish species and communities' adaptive capacity in a straightforward and simple way, it may be a useful tool for marine conservation.

scholarly journals Adaptive capacity of reef-associated fishes to Climate Change

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Abas ◽  
Hector Reyes-Bonilla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Tropical Region

Climate change is affecting the structure and function of marine communities in the eastern Pacific, and to anticipate possible consequences of these modifications, a better understanding of the natural adaptation potential of the species is needed. This study aimed to build a metric of adaptive capacity of reef fishes, and evaluate it using data from fish assemblages from 12 rocky and coral reefs of western Mexico. The index was developed using six life history traits from 719 fish-species distributed along the tropical Eastern Pacific. Our results indicated low adaptive capacity for big sized carnivore fish such as the tunas, totoaba and most groupers (Mycteroperca spp.); conversely, high values were attributed to species with fast life strategies such as anchovies, gobies, and blennies. The application of the index to census data showed that the adaptive potential of fish assemblages had an inverse latitudinal trend (higher in the southern reefs), resulting from the abundance of large-sized carnivores in the central and northern Gulf of California, and of small herbivores in the tropical region. As the index allows to estimate reef-fish species and communities' adaptive capacity in a straightforward and simple way, it may be a useful tool for marine conservation.

scholarly journals Adaptive capacity of reef-associated fishes to Climate Change

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Abas ◽  
Hector Reyes-Bonilla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Tropical Region

Climate change is affecting the structure and function of marine communities in the eastern Pacific, and to anticipate possible consequences of these modifications, a better understanding of the natural adaptation potential of the species is needed. This study aimed to build a metric of adaptive capacity of reef fishes, and evaluate it using data from fish assemblages from 12 rocky and coral reefs of the western Mexico. The index was developed using six life history traits from 719 fish-species distributed along the tropical Eastern Pacific. Our results indicated low adaptive capacity for big sized carnivore fish such as the tunas, totoaba and most groupers (Mycteroperca spp.); conversely, high values were attributed to species with fast life strategies such as anchovies, gobies, and blennies. The application of the index to census data showed that the adaptive potential of fish assemblages had an inverse latitudinal trend (higher in the southern reefs), resulting from the abundance of large-sized carnivores in the central and northern Gulf of California, and of small herbivores in the tropical region. As the index allows to estimate reef-fish species and communities' adaptive capacity in a straightforward and simple way, it may be a useful tool for marine conservation. conservation.

scholarly journals Deepwater fish assemblages at Isla del Coco National Park and Las Gemelas Seamount, Costa Rica

2017 ◽  
pp. 347-362
Author(s):  
Richard M. Starr ◽  
Kristen Green ◽  
Enric Sala
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Tropical Eastern Pacific ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Rocky Habitats

The deepwater faunas of oceanic islands and seamounts of the Eastern Tropical Pacific are poorly known. From 11-22 September 2009 we conducted an exploration of the deepwater areas of the Isla del Coco Marine Conservation Area, Costa Rica and a nearby seamount using a manned submersible. The goal of the exploration was to characterize the habitats and biota, and conduct quantitative surveys of the deepwater portions of Isla del Coco National Park and Las Gemelas Seamount, located about 50km southwest of Isla del Coco. We completed a total of 22 submersible dives, spanning more than 80hr underwater, and collected a total of 36hr of video. We surveyed habitats from 50-402m and observed more than 45 species of fishes, some of which have not yet been described and are likely new to science. The diversity of fish species in deep water at Isla del Coco National Park was lower than the diversity of fishes in shallow water, and eight species groups accounted for more than 95% of the total fish biomass. The combined density of all fish species was higher at Las Gemelas Seamount (253 fishes/100m2) than at Isla del Coco National Park (138 fishes/100m2). The combined density of fishes in habitats comprised primarily of bedrock or large boulders outcrops was more than three times as high at Las Gemelas Seamount as it was at Isla del Coco National Park. This discrepancy was caused by the extremely high concentration of Anthiinae fishes in rocky habitats at Las Gemelas Seamount. Densities of fishes in the other habitats were similar between the two sites. Similarly, when estimates of fish density were plotted by slope categories the density was much greater on steep slopes, which were usually comprised of rock habitats. Also, the density of fishes was greatest on high rugosity habitats. Results of these submersible surveys indicate that seamounts in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean may be an important source of biodiversity and that more quantitative surveys are needed to characterize the fauna of the region. Citation: Starr, R.M., K. Green & E. Sala. 2012. Deepwater fish assemblages at Coco Island National Park and Las Gemelas Seamounts, Costa Rica. Rev. Biol. Trop. 60 (Suppl. 3): 347-362. Epub 2012 Dec 01.

Checklist of conspicuous reef fishes of the Bahía de los Ángeles region, Baja California Norte, Mexico, with comments on abundance and ecological biogeography

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2922 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
ISMAEL MASCAREÑAS-OSORIO ◽  
BRAD ERISMAN ◽  
JERRY MOXLEY ◽  
EDUARDO BALART ◽  
OCTAVIO ABURTO-OROPEZA
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Tropical Eastern Pacific ◽  
Geographic Distributions

A first checklist of conspicuous reef fishes observed at 15 sites in the vicinity of Bahía de los Ángeles from 2008 to 2010 is presented. A total of 70 species representing 31 families were observed. Species composition was similar to well studied regions in the southern Gulf of California, in that most species had distributions that span the Tropical Eastern Pacific but species endemic to Mexico or the Gulf of California ranked highest in relative abundance, frequency of occurrence, and mean density. Several species with temperate geographic distributions were more abundant and frequent than on reefs in the southern Gulf. Large-bodied, predatory species such as sharks and the Gulf Grouper, Mycteroperca jordani, were rare or absent.

List of coastal fishes of Islas Marías archipelago, Mexico, with comments on taxonomic composition, biogeography, and abundance

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2985 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRAD E. ERISMAN ◽  
GRANTLY R. GALLAND ◽  
ISMAEL MASCAREÑAS ◽  
JERRY MOXLEY ◽  
H. J. WALKER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Museum Collections ◽  
Tropical Eastern Pacific ◽  
Coastal Fish ◽  
Northeast Pacific ◽  
The Pacific

The first comprehensive list of 318 coastal fish species recorded from the Islas Marías Archipelago, Mexico, was compiled from recent fieldwork, archival museum collections, and literature references. The jacks (Carangidae, 18 species) and the labrisomid blennies (Labrisomidae, 16) were the most speciose families. Most recorded species occur throughout the tropical eastern Pacific (160 species), while a significant proportion have wider ranges in the eastern Pacific (39), eastern Pacific and Indo-Pacific (39), eastern Pacific and Atlantic (3), or are circumtropical (39) in distribution. Three species occur in the Northeast Pacific, twenty-five are endemic to the Pacific coasts of Mexico, five are endemic to the Gulf of California, and three are endemic to Islas Marías. Cephalopholis panamensis (Epinephelidae), Epinephelus labriformis (Epinephelidae), Mulloidichthys dentatus (Mullidae), Stegastes flavilatus (Pomacentridae), Acanthurus xanthopterus (Acanthuridae), Pseudobalistes naufragium (Tetraodontidae), and Sufflamen verres (Tetraodontidae) were the dominant conspicuous species observed during underwater surveys in 2010. The absence or low abundance of commercially valuable shark, ray, and grouper species throughout the archipelago is discussed.

scholarly journals Climate change and its implications for Australia's freshwater fish

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Morrongiello ◽  
Stephen J. Beatty ◽  
James C. Bennett ◽  
David A. Crook ◽  
David N. E. N. Ikedife ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Freshwater Fish Species ◽  
Physiological Tolerance ◽  
Anthropogenic Stressors ◽  
Projected Change ◽  
Australian Freshwater

Freshwater environments and their fishes are particularly vulnerable to climate change because the persistence and quality of aquatic habitat depend heavily on climatic and hydrologic regimes. In Australia, projections indicate that the rate and magnitude of climate change will vary across the continent. We review the likely effects of these changes on Australian freshwater fishes across geographic regions encompassing a diversity of habitats and climatic variability. Commonalities in the predicted implications of climate change on fish included habitat loss and fragmentation, surpassing of physiological tolerances and spread of alien species. Existing anthropogenic stressors in more developed regions are likely to compound these impacts because of the already reduced resilience of fish assemblages. Many Australian freshwater fish species are adapted to variable or unpredictable flow conditions and, in some cases, this evolutionary history may confer resistance or resilience to the impacts of climate change. However, the rate and magnitude of projected change will outpace the adaptive capacities of many species. Climate change therefore seriously threatens the persistence of many of Australia’s freshwater fish species, especially of those with limited ranges or specific habitat requirements, or of those that are already occurring close to physiological tolerance limits. Human responses to climate change should be proactive and focus on maintaining population resilience through the protection of habitat, mitigation of current anthropogenic stressors, adequate planning and provisioning of environmental flows and the consideration of more interventionist options such as managed translocations.

Community structure of temperate reef fishes in kelp-dominated subtidal habitats of northern Chile

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Pérez-Matus ◽  
Lara A. Ferry-Graham ◽  
Alfredo Cea ◽  
Julio A. Vásquez
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Temperate Reef ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Study Sites

An important aim of fish ecology is to understand and predict patterns of distribution and abundance in marine communities. Such patterns were examined at four kelp-dominated sites along the northern coast of Chile (19° through 30° S) over 1 year. Fish species richness, diversity and abundance estimates obtained via observational and destructive sampling methods were compared among sites as were habitat and environmental variables that characterised the sites; including sea water temperature below the surface, nutrients, productivity, visibility, density of macroalgae stands, and percentage cover of observed microhabitats (including understorey algae and faunal assemblages). In total, 19 fish species belonging to 14 families were observed from all sites. Species richness and diversity were highest in sites where kelp canopy was composed of two species and where kelp was densest, although only species diversity was significantly different among sites. The sites with high kelp density, in turn, sustained abundant habitat-forming species in the kelp understorey. Principal coordinate analysis indicated that the composition and structure of the fish assemblages varied significantly with depth at all study sites. The depth distribution of fishes was correlated with the arrangement of site-specific biological microhabitats, defined by the algae or invertebrate species that form the microhabitat. Temperature, productivity, and nutrients did not vary consistently across study sites, but did vary within individual sites. We suggest that kelp cover and composition strongly affects the diversity and distribution of fishes at shallow coastal habitats in northern Chile through the availability of microhabitats.

scholarly journals Reduced fish diversity despite increased fish biomass in a Gulf of California Marine Protected Area

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8885
Author(s):  
Georgina Ramírez-Ortiz ◽  
Héctor Reyes-Bonilla ◽  
Eduardo F. Balart ◽  
Damien Olivier ◽  
Leonardo Huato-Soberanis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Fishing Pressure ◽  
General Increase ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Density And Biomass

Multi-use marine protected areas (MUMPAs) are a commonly applied tool for marine conservation in developing countries, particularly where large no-take reserves are not socially or politically feasible. Although MUMPAs have produced benefits around the world, the persistence of moderate fishing pressure reduces the likelihood of achieving the primary objective of these areas, which is the conservation of ecosystems. In this study we used traditional and functional metrics to evaluate how fish assemblages changed through time in a MUMPA, including shifts in species responses and in ecological processes. We conducted visual censuses of fishes at Espíritu Santo Island, México (MUMPA; N = 320; 24°N, 110°W) from 2005 to 2017 to assess fish richness, size-distribution and density. Three functional indices were calculated using six traits (size, mobility, period of activity, aggregation, position in water column and diet): functional richness (volume occupied by species), dispersion (complementarity between species) and originality (inverse of functional redundancy). We compared fish diversity among three management zone types (sustainable fishing, traditional fishing and no-take zones), through a 13-year period, assessing which species increased or decreased in occurrence, density, and biomass, and how indices respond over time. Despite a general increase in biomass and stability in density and originality, we detected a reduction in fish biodiversity in the form of declines in species and functional richness, which could imply the risk of local extinction and decrease in certain ecosystem processes. In addition, changes in functional dispersion showed that some functions are losing representation through time. Although no single cause is apparent, such factors as competitive interactions, habitat loss and persistence of fishing pressure potentially explain these decreases. The rise in biomass was associated with a general increase in the average size, rather than increased biomass of commercial species, as the latter remained stable during the study period. Expansion of no-take areas, enforcement of fishing regulations, and surveillance in core zones, should be implemented to reverse the decline in particular species and to promote conservation of fish functional diversity in this MUMPA.

scholarly journals The influence of environmental variables on the functional structure of headwater stream fish assemblages: a study of two tropical basins in Central Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Assis Carvalho ◽  
Francisco Leonardo Tejerina-Garro
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Headwater Stream ◽  
Stream Fish ◽  
Tropical Region ◽  
Dissimilarity Matrix ◽  
Species Trait ◽  
Stream Fish Assemblages

We investigated functional patterns of fish assemblages of two adjacent basins (Araguaia and Tocantins) to test whether their headwater stream fish assemblages are more functionally (dis)similar than expected by chance and whether these (dis)similarities are related to differences of environmental conditions between basins. We used an analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) on a functional dissimilarity matrix to test for (dis)similarities between fish assemblages of both basins. We performed RLQ and fourth-corner analyses to determine fish species trait-environment relationship. Our results revealed functional dissimilarities between fish assemblages of both basins and significant species trait-environment relationships, suggesting that environmental conditions are driving such dissimilarities. Inter-basin dissimilarities are mainly driven by altitudinal and water temperature gradients, whereas dissimilarities among streams within the basins are influenced by channel depth, turbidity and conductivity. These five environmental variables mostly affected six fish species traits (body mass, water column position, substrate preference, parental care, foraging locality and migration) in different manners. This study is an attempt to understand functional trends of fish assemblages in a tropical region that remains poorly known but severely threatened.

New Records of Lymphocystis Disease in Four Eastern Pacific Fish Species

1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1809-1810 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. McCosker ◽  
Ross F. Nigrelli
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
New Records ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Lymphocystis Disease ◽  
Spontaneous Infection

Four new records of lymphocystis viral disease are described for gobiid and diodontid fishes. Spontaneous infection was found in Diodon holocanthus and Gobiosoma paradoxum from the Gulf of Panamá and in Gillichthys seta from the upper Gulf of California. Infection was intragenerically transferred to Diodon hystrix in a cohabitation experiment.

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