Biomass and distribution of herbivorous blennies in the southern Great Barrier Reef |
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Authors: | K A Townsend I R Tibbetts |
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Institution: | Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia;Centre for Marine Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia |
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Abstract: | At the small scale (<1 m2), a correlation between microhabitat availability and abundance of comb–toothed blennies was apparent at Heron Island. Investigation of medium scale (>20 m2) differences, showed that community structure and biomass of herbivorous blennies differed among the 14 geomorphological zones identified. Large scale differences (>10 km2), detected using comparisons between Heron, Lady Elliot and North West reefs, revealed that species composition and biomass, but not density, differed significantly. At Heron Reef, density and biomass of comb–toothed blennies exceeded published estimates for most groups of conspicuous herbivorous fish in equivalent zones. The influence of scale on interpretation of patterns of fish distribution and the role of inconspicuous grazers such as comb–toothed blennies, deserves closer attention. |
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Keywords: | blennies diversity biomass distribution scale coral reef |
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