scholarly journals Comparison of cryptobenthic reef fish communities among microhabitats in the Red Sea

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily M. Troyer ◽  
Darren J. Coker ◽  
Michael L. Berumen
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Hard Coral ◽  
Coral Rubble ◽  
Coi Barcoding ◽  
Cryptobenthic Fishes

Knowledge of community structure within an ecosystem is essential when trying to understand the function and importance of the system and when making related management decisions. Within the larger ecosystem, microhabitats play an important role by providing inhabitants with a subset of available resources. On coral reefs, cryptobenthic fishes encompass many groups and make up an important proportion of the biodiversity. However, these fishes are relatively small, exhibit extreme visual or behavioral camouflage, and, therefore, are often overlooked. We examined the differences in fish community structure between three common reef microhabitats (live hard coral, dead coral rubble, and sand) using ichthyocide stations in the central Red Sea. Using a combination of morphological and genetic (cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcoding) techniques, we identified 326 individuals representing 73 species spread across 17 families, from fifteen 1 m2 quadrats. Fish assemblages in the three microhabitats were significantly different from each other. Rubble microhabitats yielded the highest levels of fish abundance, richness, and diversity, followed by hard coral, and then sand. The results show that benthic composition, even at a small scale, influences cryptobenthic communities. This study also provides new COI sequence data to public databases, in order to further the research of cryptobenthic fishes in the Red Sea region.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Variation of Fish Assemblages in Seti Gandaki River, Tanahu, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-104
Author(s):  
ARCHANA PRASAD ◽  
ANJANA SHRESTHA ◽  
JASH HANG LIMBU ◽  
DEEP SWAR
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Total Hardness ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Significant Difference

The space and time variations of the fish community structure in hill streams of Nepal are poorly understood. This research aims at studying the space and time variation of fish community structure in the Seti Gandaki River, Tanahu, Nepal. The field survey was conducted from July 2017 to June 2018 and the fishes were sampled from six sites using a medium size cast net of mesh size ranging from 3 mm to 6 mm mesh size, 25-33 feet length and 3.5-5 feet width, with the help of local fisher man. A total of 1,440 individuals were caught representing 46 species belonging to three order, nine families and 23 genera. The analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) showed significant difference in space (R = 0.824, P = 0.001) but not in time (R = 0.135, P = 0.021). On the basis of similarity percentage (SIMPER) analysis, 85.43% similarity was found among the seasons and major contributing species were Barilius bendelisis (8.44%) followed by B. vagra (7.79%), Tor putitora (7.27%), Garra gotyla (7%), Acanthocobotis botia (6.7%), Neolissochilus hexagonolepis (6.64%), Barilius shacra (6%), B. barila (4.5%) and Opsarius barna (4.37%). On the other hand, 85.24% similarity was found among the sites and major contributing species were B. bendelisis (8.8%) followed by B. vagra (7.6%), G. gotyla (7.27%), T. putitora (7.17%), A. botia (6.97%), N. hexagonolepis (6.7%), B. shacra (6.34%), B. barila (4.7%) and O. barna (4.39%). Results from the Canonical Correspondence Analysis indicated that the environmental variables, such as pH, total hardness, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen and water temperature have shown to determine the fish community structure of Seti Gandaki River. Keywords: Fish diversity, freshwater, habitat, spatio-temporal, stream

scholarly journals Implications of Community-Based Management of Marine Reserves in the Philippines for Reef Fish Communities and Biodiversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara E. Marriott ◽  
Courtney Cox ◽  
Rizaller C. Amolo ◽  
Dean Apistar ◽  
Roquelito H. Mancao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Marine Reserves ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Community Based

Overfishing and destructive fishing practices are major threats to marine biodiversity in the Philippines, where over 1.9 million small-scale fishers are supported by these biodiverse marine communities. Nearly 50% of all marine fish capture in the Philippines is from artisanal fisheries, with much of it not reported or under-reported. Marine reserves, where fishing is prohibited have been created in many local government units to help restore and preserve this biodiversity. The success of these marine reserves is still under serious debate with effective management still representing a significant challenge. The lack of a governance system to centrally managed marine reserves has resulted in non-governmental organizations developing community-based management schemes. Using independent fisheries data from Rare’s Fish Forever program, we applied PERMANOVA, SIMPER and biodiversity index analyses to evaluate the community structure of reef fish in 20 sites within the Philippines. We analyzed the differences in fish assemblage inside and outside of these marine reserves, before and after community-based management had been implemented. We provide evidence that: (i) fish community structure changes within marine reserves after community-based management strategies are implemented; and (ii) community-based management of marine fisheries resources protects and promotes biodiversity inside, and in some cases, outside marine reserves. Variability across sites suggests that other social or ecological factors may be influencing the ability of marine reserves to fully protect biodiversity and marine resources. Small-scale fishers in the Philippines participate in mixed-catch harvests and depend on biodiversity and reef community structure for their livelihoods. Thus, this work has implications on how community-based management strategies for marine reserves and adjacent waters may be beneficial for the sustainability of small-scale fishers.

The importance of small-scale environment factors to community structure patterns of tropical rocky reef fish

2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 1175-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudson T. Pinheiro ◽  
Agnaldo S. Martins ◽  
Jean-Christophe Joyeux
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Rocky Reef ◽  
Trophic Guilds ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Rocky Reefs ◽  
Structure Patterns

Understanding the spatial distribution of fish species and fish trophic guilds in reef environments may help improve our knowledge about ecological relationships and therefore favour sound strategies for sampling, coastal management and conservation policy. To verify if small-scale changes are important in forming the fish community structure at a tropical rocky coastal island, we assessed the depth, structural complexity and wave exposure gradients. The community structure changed along all gradients analysed. The trophic guilds found on the sheltered, low and intermediate exposure zones, in the deepest areas and in areas of highest structural complexity showed significant differences when compared with the general assemblage. Rocky reefs, even of narrow (transversal) extension, can show great changes in fish community structure at so small a scale that these changes are generally overlooked. The relationships evidenced between community and environment provide strong support for the importance of considering a wide array of such distinct environmental conditions when determining the structure patterns of the community.

scholarly journals Seascape Context as a Driver of the Fish Community Structure of Posidonia oceanica Meadows in the Adriatic Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-109
Author(s):  
Ivana Zubak Čižmek ◽  
Stewart Tyre Schultz ◽  
Claudia Kruschel ◽  
Hrvoje Čižmek
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Visual Census ◽  
Fish Abundances ◽  
Unique Species

Abstract Marine underwater habitats dominated by seagrass Posidonia oceanica play an essential role in fish community assembly, affecting taxonomic and functional diversity, abundance and fish behavior. The value of seagrasses as habitat depends on the spatial arrangement of the seascape elements and the availability of alternative habitats. Little is known about the effect of the seascape context of P. oceanica meadows on fish assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea. To identify P. oceanica meadows’ relative importance as a habitat for fishes, fish communities in the Croatian Adriatic Sea were investigated, using SCUBA lure-assisted visual census. The results show a significant effect of different arrangements of P. oceanica meadows’ seascape elements and surrounding habitats on fish community structure. Fragmented mosaic meadows with P. oceanica growing directly on and between rocky-algal reefs/boulders had significantly higher fish abundances compared to both types of continuous meadows (bordering rock and bordering sand). Continuous meadows bordering sand harbored the highest number of unique species. Evidence that alternative structured habitats within proximity to seagrass beds may affect the community structure of associated fish assemblages is provided, highlighting the need to consider P. oceanica meadows’ seascape context in conservation management and experimental design for fish community structure.

Fish community structure, habitat complexity, and soundscape characteristics of patch reefs in a tropical, back-reef system

2019 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
RP Lyon ◽  
DB Eggleston ◽  
DR Bohnenstiehl ◽  
CA Layman ◽  
SW Ricci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Habitat Complexity ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Back Reef ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Patch Reefs ◽  
Reef System

Dissolved oxygen and temperature best predict deep-sea fish community structure in the Gulf of California with climate change implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 159-180
Author(s):  
ND Gallo ◽  
M Beckwith ◽  
CL Wei ◽  
LA Levin ◽  
L Kuhnz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Explained Variance

Natural gradient systems can be used to examine the vulnerability of deep-sea communities to climate change. The Gulf of California presents an ideal system for examining relationships between faunal patterns and environmental conditions of deep-sea communities because deep-sea conditions change from warm and oxygen-rich in the north to cold and severely hypoxic in the south. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) remotely operated vehicle (ROV) ‘Doc Ricketts’ was used to conduct seafloor video transects at depths of ~200-1400 m in the northern, central, and southern Gulf. The community composition, density, and diversity of demersal fish assemblages were compared to environmental conditions. We tested the hypothesis that climate-relevant variables (temperature, oxygen, and primary production) have more explanatory power than static variables (latitude, depth, and benthic substrate) in explaining variation in fish community structure. Temperature best explained variance in density, while oxygen best explained variance in diversity and community composition. Both density and diversity declined with decreasing oxygen, but diversity declined at a higher oxygen threshold (~7 µmol kg-1). Remarkably, high-density fish communities were observed living under suboxic conditions (<5 µmol kg-1). Using an Earth systems global climate model forced under an RCP8.5 scenario, we found that by 2081-2100, the entire Gulf of California seafloor is expected to experience a mean temperature increase of 1.08 ± 1.07°C and modest deoxygenation. The projected changes in temperature and oxygen are expected to be accompanied by reduced diversity and related changes in deep-sea demersal fish communities.

Keystone species of fish community structure in the Bohai Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Zhongyi LI ◽  
Qiang WU ◽  
Xiujuan SHAN ◽  
Tao YANG ◽  
Fangqun DAI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Bohai Sea ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
The Bohai Sea

Microbial community structure and trichloroethylene degradation in groundwater

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 433-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
J A Humphries ◽  
A M.H Ashe ◽  
J A Smiley ◽  
C G Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Clone Library ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Restriction Analysis ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Tetrazolium Chloride ◽  
Degrading Bacteria ◽  
Trichloroethylene Degradation ◽  
Rdna Clone

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a prevalent contaminant of groundwater that can be cometabolically degraded by indigenous microbes. Groundwater contaminated with TCE from a US Department of Energy site in Ohio was used to characterize the site-specific impact of phenol on the indigenous bacterial community for use as a possible remedial strategy. Incubations of14C-TCE-spiked groundwater amended with phenol showed increased TCE mineralization compared with unamended groundwater. Community structure was determined using DNA directly extracted from groundwater samples. This DNA was then analyzed by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. Unique restriction fragment length polymorphisms defined operational taxonomic units that were sequenced to determine phylogeny. DNA sequence data indicated that known TCE-degrading bacteria including relatives of Variovorax and Burkholderia were present in site water. Diversity of the amplified microbial rDNA clone library was lower in phenol-amended communities than in unamended groundwater (i.e., having Shannon–Weaver diversity indices of 2.0 and 2.2, respectively). Microbial activity was higher in phenol-amended ground water as determined by measuring the reduction of 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride. Thus phenol amendments to groundwater correlated with increased TCE mineralization, a decrease in diversity of the amplified microbial rDNA clone library, and increased microbial activity.Key words: community structure, trichloroethylene, degradation, groundwater.

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