Relationships between structural complexity,coral traits,and reef fish assemblages |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Emily?S?DarlingEmail author Nicholas?A?J?Graham Fraser?A?Januchowski-Hartley Kirsty?L?Nash Morgan?S?Pratchett Shaun?K?Wilson |
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Institution: | 1.Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society,Bronx,USA;2.Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,University of Toronto,Toronto,Canada;3.Lancaster Environment Centre,Lancaster University,Lancaster,UK;4.ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies,James Cook University,Townsville,Australia;5.IRD UMR 9190 MARBEC, IRD-CNRS-IFREMER-UM,Université de Montpellier,Montpellier,France;6.Centre for Marine Socioecology,Hobart,Australia;7.Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies,University of Tasmania,Hobart,Australia;8.Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife,Kensington,Australia;9.Oceans Institute,University of Western Australia,Crawley,Australia |
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Abstract: | With the ongoing loss of coral cover and the associated flattening of reef architecture, understanding the links between coral habitat and reef fishes is of critical importance. Here, we investigate whether considering coral traits and functional diversity provides new insights into the relationship between structural complexity and reef fish communities, and whether coral traits and community composition can predict structural complexity. Across 157 sites in Seychelles, Maldives, the Chagos Archipelago, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, we find that structural complexity and reef zone are the strongest and most consistent predictors of reef fish abundance, biomass, species richness, and trophic structure. However, coral traits, diversity, and life histories provided additional predictive power for models of reef fish assemblages, and were key drivers of structural complexity. Our findings highlight that reef complexity relies on living corals—with different traits and life histories—continuing to build carbonate skeletons, and that these nuanced relationships between coral assemblages and habitat complexity can affect the structure of reef fish assemblages. Seascape-level estimates of structural complexity are rapid and cost effective with important implications for the structure and function of fish assemblages, and should be incorporated into monitoring programs. |
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