TY - JOUR

T1 - Relationships between structural complexity, coral traits, and reef fish assemblages

AU - Darling, Emily S.

AU - Graham, Nicholas A. J.

AU - Januchowski-Hartley, Fraser A.

AU - Nash, Kirsty L.

AU - Pratchett, Morgan S.

AU - Wilson, Shaun K.

N1 - The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1539-z

PY - 2017/6

Y1 - 2017/6

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Habitat diversity

KW - Species traits

KW - Functional ecology

KW - Reef architecture

KW - Scleractinian corals

KW - Coral reef fish

KW - HABITAT COMPLEXITY

KW - OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

KW - MARINE RESERVES

KW - ECOSYSTEMS

KW - DIVERSITY

KW - COMMUNITY

KW - FISHERIES

KW - LIFE

KW - VULNERABILITY

KW - BIODIVERSITY

U2 - 10.1007/s00338-017-1539-z

DO - 10.1007/s00338-017-1539-z

M3 - Journal article

VL - 36

SP - 561

EP - 575

JO - Coral Reefs

JF - Coral Reefs

SN - 0722-4028

IS - 561-575

ER -