Final published version, 1.6 MB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Cross-scale habitat structure driven by coral species composition on tropical reefs
AU - Richardson, Laura
AU - Graham, Nicholas Anthony James
AU - Hoey, Andrew S.
PY - 2017/8/8
Y1 - 2017/8/8
N2 - The availability of habitat structure across spatial scales can determine ecological organization andresilience. However, anthropogenic disturbances are altering the abundance and composition ofhabitat-forming organisms. How such shifts in the composition of these organisms alter the physical structure of habitats across ecologically important scales remains unclear. At a time of unprecedented coral loss and homogenization of coral assemblages globally, we investigate the inherent structural complexity of taxonomically distinct reefs, across fve ecologically relevant scales of measurement (4–64cm). We show that structural complexity was infuenced by coral species composition, and was not a simple function of coral cover on the studied reefs. However, inter-habitat variation in structural complexity changed with scale. Importantly, the scales at which habitat structure was available also varied among habitats. Complexity at the smallest, most vulnerable scale (4cm) varied the most among habitats, which could have inferences for as much as half of all reef fshes which are small-bodied and refuge dependent for much of their lives. As disturbances continue and species shifts persist, the future of these ecosystems may rely on a greater concern for the composition of habitat-building species and prioritization of particular confgurations for protection of maximal cross-scale habitat structural complexity.
AB - The availability of habitat structure across spatial scales can determine ecological organization andresilience. However, anthropogenic disturbances are altering the abundance and composition ofhabitat-forming organisms. How such shifts in the composition of these organisms alter the physical structure of habitats across ecologically important scales remains unclear. At a time of unprecedented coral loss and homogenization of coral assemblages globally, we investigate the inherent structural complexity of taxonomically distinct reefs, across fve ecologically relevant scales of measurement (4–64cm). We show that structural complexity was infuenced by coral species composition, and was not a simple function of coral cover on the studied reefs. However, inter-habitat variation in structural complexity changed with scale. Importantly, the scales at which habitat structure was available also varied among habitats. Complexity at the smallest, most vulnerable scale (4cm) varied the most among habitats, which could have inferences for as much as half of all reef fshes which are small-bodied and refuge dependent for much of their lives. As disturbances continue and species shifts persist, the future of these ecosystems may rely on a greater concern for the composition of habitat-building species and prioritization of particular confgurations for protection of maximal cross-scale habitat structural complexity.
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-017-08109-4
DO - 10.1038/s41598-017-08109-4
M3 - Journal article
VL - 7
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
SN - 2045-2322
M1 - 7557
ER -