Life history patterns shape energy allocation among fishes on coral reefs |
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Authors: | Martial Depczynski Christopher J Fulton Michael J Marnane David R Bellwood |
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Institution: | (1) ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Marine Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Australia;(2) Present address: School of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia;(3) Wildlife Conservation Society, Marine Programs, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460-1099, USA |
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Abstract: | Although critically important, the link between animal life histories and ecosystem energetics is seldom explored. In the
pursuit of ecological simplification, ecosystem properties are typically described by models based on static counts, where
organisms are aggregated into trophic- or size-based groups. Consequently, output is often based on an assumption that larger
group biomass equals greater energetic contribution. Here, we modelled the individual growth of over 58,000 fishes from 74
genera within a coral reef ecosystem to investigate the role and importance of taxon-specific life histories to the division,
spatial distribution and relative contribution of biomass production within 14 coral reef fish families. Rank changes among
families in standing biomass to biomass production indicated that small cryptic families (e.g. Gobiidae and Blenniidae) exhibit
collective growth potentials equal to or exceeding those of many other common families composed of individuals with body-sizes
1–3 orders of magnitude larger. Remaining at high risk of predation throughout their lives as a consequence of their small
size, these cryptic fishes also provide a constant food resource and supply of reproductive energy to coral reefs throughout
the year. Enhanced further by the strength and diversity of their trophic relationships within food webs, the highly productive
nature of these small cryptic fishes suggests they make a substantial contribution to the flow of energy in coral reef ecosystems
via predatory pathways. It appears that life histories leave a strong imprint on ecosystem energy fluxes and illustrate the
importance of incorporating taxon-specific features when assigning values to key ecosystem processes.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
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Keywords: | Ecosystem energetics Food webs Growth Metabolism Biomass productivity |
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