| Abstract: | Abstract Although eutrophication is frequently cited as an anthropogenic threat to coral-reef systems, very little is known about the effects of eutrophication on coral-reef fishes. In this paper, I explore how variation and similarity among fish species, and among the species with which they interact, may determine when population- or system-level responses to nutrient enrichment are most likely. Where functionally similar species exhibit complementary responses to environmental stress, ecosystem function may be maintained relatively unchanged although the relative abundance of species may shift dramatically. Alternatively, major changes in the ecosystem can occur if functionally similar species respond similarly to changes in the environment, if little functional complementarity or behavioural plasticity exists, or if feedback exists whereby changes in the fish assemblage cause further degradation of their coral habitat. |
