Habitat use patterns of fishes across the mangrove-seagrass-coral reef seascape at Ishigaki Island,southern Japan |
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Authors: | Takuro Shibuno Yohei Nakamura Masahiro Horinouchi Mitsuhiko Sano |
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Institution: | (1) Ishigaki Tropical Station, Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, 148-446 Fukai-Ohta, Ishigaki, Okinawa 907-0451, Japan;(2) Laboratory of Ecology and Systematic, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan;(3) Research Center for Coastal Lagoon Environments, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu-cho, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504, Japan;(4) Department of Global Agricultural Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan;(5) Present address: Department of Living Marine Resources, Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 1-15-1 Minamidai, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-8639, Japan |
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Abstract: | To clarify seascape-scale habitat use patterns of fishes in the Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan), visual censuses were conducted
in the mangrove estuary, sand area, seagrass bed, coral rubble area, branching coral area on the reef flat, and tabular coral
area on the outer reef slope at Ishigaki Island in August and November 2004, and May, August and November 2005. During the
study period a total of 319 species were observed. Species richness and abundance were highest in the branching and tabular
coral areas, followed in order by the seagrass bed and mangrove estuary, and coral rubble and sand areas, in each month. Cluster
analysis resulted in a clear grouping of assemblage structures by habitat type rather than by census month. SIMPER analysis
showed that fish assemblages in the tabular coral area were mainly characterized by Acanthurus nigrofuscus, Pomacentrus lepidogenys, P. philippinus and P. vaiuli, the branching coral area by Chromis viridis and Pomacentrus moluccensis, the coral rubble area by Amblyeleotris steinitzi and Ctenogobiops pomastictus, the seagrass bed by Cheilio inermis, Lethrinus atkinsoni and Stethojulis strigiventer, the sand area by Valenciennea longipinnis, and the mangrove estuary by Gerres oyena, Lutjanus fulvus and Yongeichthys criniger. Moreover, fishes exhibited two habitat use strategies, inhabiting either a single or several specific habitats throughout
their benthic life history stages, or having a possible ontogenetic habitat shift from the mangrove estuary or seagrass bed
to coral-dominated habitats (e.g., Lethrinus atkinsoni, Lethrinus obsoletus, Lutjanus fulviflamma, Lutjanus fulvus, Lutjanus gibbus, Lutjanus monostigma and Parupeneus barberinus), suggesting that the mangrove estuary and seagrass bed have a nursery function. |
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