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Fukunaga A, Asner GP, Grady BW, Vaughn NR. Fish assemblage structure, diversity and controls on reefs of South Kona, Hawai'i Island. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287790. [PMID: 37410744 PMCID: PMC10325036 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure of coral-reef fish assemblages is affected by natural and anthropogenic factors such as the architectural complexity, benthic composition and physical characteristics of the habitat, fishing pressure and land-based input. The coral-reef ecosystem of South Kona, Hawai'i hosts diverse reef habitats with a relatively high live coral cover, but a limited number of studies have focused on the ecosystem or the fish assemblages. Here, we surveyed fish assemblages at 119 sites in South Kona in 2020 and 2021 and investigated the associations between the fish assemblages and environmental variables obtained from published Geographic Information System (GIS) layers, including depth, latitude, reef rugosity, housing density and benthic cover. The fish assemblages in South Kona were dominated by a relatively small number of widely occurring species. Multivariate analyses indicated that fish assemblage structure strongly correlated with depth, reefscape-level rugosity and sand cover individually, while the final parsimonious model included latitude, depth, housing density within 3-km of shore, chlorophyll-a concentration and sand cover. Univariate analysis revealed negative associations between housing density and fish species richness and abundance. Effects of environmental factors specific to fish trophic groups were also found. Reefscape-level rugosity had strong positive influences on the distributions of all herbivores (browsers, grazers and scrapers), while housing density had strong negative influences only on the abundance of browsers. Positive associations were also found between live coral cover and the presence of scrapers, as well as the abundance of corallivorous fish. This study intensively surveyed shallow coral reefs along the coastline of South Kona and was the most complete spatial survey on the reef fish assemblages to date. As it utilized GIS layers to assess large-scale patterns in the fish assemblages, future studies including in-situ environmental data may further reveal local-scale patterns and insights into factors affecting the structure of fish assemblages in Hawai'i.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuko Fukunaga
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Gregory P. Asner
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Bryant W. Grady
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Nicholas R. Vaughn
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, Hawaii, United States of America
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2
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Yan HF, Kyne PM, Jabado RW, Leeney RH, Davidson LNK, Derrick DH, Finucci B, Freckleton RP, Fordham SV, Dulvy NK. Overfishing and habitat loss drive range contraction of iconic marine fishes to near extinction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/7/eabb6026. [PMID: 33568471 PMCID: PMC7875525 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb6026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Extinctions on land are often inferred from sparse sightings over time, but this technique is ill-suited for wide-ranging species. We develop a space-for-time approach to track the spatial contraction and drivers of decline of sawfishes. These iconic and endangered shark-like rays were once found in warm, coastal waters of 90 nations and are now presumed extinct in more than half (n = 46). Using dynamic geography theory, we predict that sawfishes are gone from at least nine additional nations. Overfishing and habitat loss have reduced spatial occupancy, leading to local extinctions in 55 of the 90 nations, which equates to 58.7% of their historical distribution. Retention bans and habitat protections are urgently necessary to secure a future for sawfishes and similar species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen F Yan
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Peter M Kyne
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0909, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Rima W Jabado
- Elasmo Project, P.O. Box 29588, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ruth H Leeney
- Ballyhire, Kilrane, Rosslare Harbour, Co. Wexford, Ireland
| | - Lindsay N K Davidson
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Danielle H Derrick
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Brittany Finucci
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), 301 Evans Bay Pde, Greta Point, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| | - Robert P Freckleton
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Sonja V Fordham
- Shark Advocates International, The Ocean Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Nicholas K Dulvy
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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3
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Buckley SM, Thurstan RH, Tobin A, Pandolfi JM. Historical spatial reconstruction of a spawning-aggregation fishery. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2017; 31:1322-1332. [PMID: 28370319 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Aggregations of individual animals that form for breeding purposes are a critical ecological process for many species, yet these aggregations are inherently vulnerable to exploitation. Studies of the decline of exploited populations that form breeding aggregations tend to focus on catch rate and thus often overlook reductions in geographic range. We tested the hypothesis that catch rate and site occupancy of exploited fish-spawning aggregations (FSAs) decline in synchrony over time. We used the Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) spawning-aggregation fishery in the Great Barrier Reef as a case study. Data were compiled from historical newspaper archives, fisher knowledge, and contemporary fishery logbooks to reconstruct catch rates and exploitation trends from the inception of the fishery. Our fine-scale analysis of catch and effort data spanned 103 years (1911-2013) and revealed a spatial expansion of fishing effort. Effort shifted offshore at a rate of 9.4 nm/decade, and 2.9 newly targeted FSAs were reported/decade. Spatial expansion of effort masked the sequential exploitation, commercial extinction, and loss of 70% of exploited FSAs. After standardizing for improvements in technological innovations, average catch rates declined by 90.5% from 1934 to 2011 (from 119.4 to 11.41 fish/vessel/trip). Mean catch rate of Spanish mackerel and occupancy of exploited mackerel FSAs were not significantly related. Our study revealed a special kind of shifting spatial baseline in which a contraction in exploited FSAs occurred undetected. Knowledge of temporally and spatially explicit information on FSAs can be relevant for the conservation and management of FSA species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Buckley
- School of Biological Sciences, Gehrmann Building, The University of Queensland and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Ruth H Thurstan
- School of Biological Sciences, Gehrmann Building, The University of Queensland and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia
| | - Andrew Tobin
- Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - John M Pandolfi
- School of Biological Sciences, Gehrmann Building, The University of Queensland and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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Blanchard JL, Heneghan RF, Everett JD, Trebilco R, Richardson AJ. From Bacteria to Whales: Using Functional Size Spectra to Model Marine Ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:174-186. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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5
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Webb TJ. Extracting order from elegant chaos: implications of the marine diversity spectrum. J Anim Ecol 2015; 83:741-3. [PMID: 26050544 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 04/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
How do we begin to extract order from the elegant chaos of natural ecosystems? In a landmark new paper published in this issue, Reuman et al. (2014) go back to first principles, combining a range of established body size- and species-centred ecological theories with empirically well-supported relationships to construct a model that enables them to predict key features using only remarkably simple biological and environmental measurements. They test this model using widely available data on the communities living in all of the world's coastal seas. Here, I discuss the key features of their model, and especially how the general patterns they document can lead to further, empirically driven tests of theory across multiple ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Webb
- Department of Animal & Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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6
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Sunday JM, Pecl GT, Frusher S, Hobday AJ, Hill N, Holbrook NJ, Edgar GJ, Stuart-Smith R, Barrett N, Wernberg T, Watson RA, Smale DA, Fulton EA, Slawinski D, Feng M, Radford BT, Thompson PA, Bates AE. Species traits and climate velocity explain geographic range shifts in an ocean-warming hotspot. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:944-53. [PMID: 26189556 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Revised: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Species' ranges are shifting globally in response to climate warming, with substantial variability among taxa, even within regions. Relationships between range dynamics and intrinsic species traits may be particularly apparent in the ocean, where temperature more directly shapes species' distributions. Here, we test for a role of species traits and climate velocity in driving range extensions in the ocean-warming hotspot of southeast Australia. Climate velocity explained some variation in range shifts, however, including species traits more than doubled the variation explained. Swimming ability, omnivory and latitudinal range size all had positive relationships with range extension rate, supporting hypotheses that increased dispersal capacity and ecological generalism promote extensions. We find independent support for the hypothesis that species with narrow latitudinal ranges are limited by factors other than climate. Our findings suggest that small-ranging species are in double jeopardy, with limited ability to escape warming and greater intrinsic vulnerability to stochastic disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Sunday
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Gretta T Pecl
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | - Stewart Frusher
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | | | - Nicole Hill
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | - Neil J Holbrook
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | - Graham J Edgar
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | - Rick Stuart-Smith
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | - Neville Barrett
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | - Thomas Wernberg
- School of Plant Biology & UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, 6009, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, 39 Fairway, Crawley, 6009, Australia
| | - Reg A Watson
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | - Dan A Smale
- The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK
| | | | - Dirk Slawinski
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, Floreat, 6014, WA, Australia
| | - Ming Feng
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, Floreat, 6014, WA, Australia
| | - Ben T Radford
- School of Plant Biology & UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, 6009, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, 39 Fairway, Crawley, 6009, Australia.,School of Earth and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, 6009, Australia
| | | | - Amanda E Bates
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia.,Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK
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Abstract
Daily animal movements are usually limited to a discrete home range area that scales allometrically with body size, suggesting that home-range size is shaped by metabolic rates and energy availability across species. However, there is little understanding of the relative importance of the various mechanisms proposed to influence home-range scaling (e.g., differences in realm productivity, thermoregulation, locomotion strategy, dimensionality, trophic guild, and prey size) and whether these extend beyond the commonly studied birds and mammals. We derive new home-range scaling relationships for fishes and reptiles and use a model-selection approach to evaluate the generality of home-range scaling mechanisms across 569 vertebrate species. We find no evidence that home-range allometry varies consistently between aquatic and terrestrial realms or thermoregulation strategies, but we find that locomotion strategy, foraging dimension, trophic guild, and prey size together explain 80% of the variation in home-range size across vertebrates when controlling for phylogeny and tracking method. Within carnivores, smaller relative prey size among gape-limited fishes contributes to shallower scaling relative to other predators. Our study reveals how simple morphological traits and prey-handling ability can profoundly influence individual space use, which underpins broader-scale patterns in the spatial ecology of vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natascia Tamburello
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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8
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Nash KL, Allen CR, Barichievy C, Nyström M, Sundstrom S, Graham NAJ. Habitat structure and body size distributions: cross-ecosystem comparison for taxa with determinate and indeterminate growth. OIKOS 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.01314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty L. Nash
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ.; Townsville QLD 4811 Australia
| | - Craig R. Allen
- US Geological Survey - Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Univ. of Nebraska; Lincoln NE 68583 USA
| | - Chris Barichievy
- Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Ithala Game Reserve; Louwsberg 3150 South Africa
- Centre for African Ecology, Univ. of Witwatersrand 2050; Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Magnus Nyström
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm Univ.; SE-106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Shana Sundstrom
- School of Natural Resources, Univ. of Nebraska; Lincoln NE 68583 USA
| | - Nicholas A. J. Graham
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook Univ.; Townsville QLD 4811 Australia
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9
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Jiménez JE, Arriagada AM, Fontúrbel FE, Camus PA, Avila-Thieme MI. Effects of exotic fish farms on bird communities in lake and marine ecosystems. Naturwissenschaften 2013; 100:779-87. [PMID: 23817947 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1076-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2013] [Revised: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Salmon farming is a widespread activity around the world, also known to promote diverse environmental effects on aquatic ecosystems. However, information regarding the impact of salmon farming on bird assemblages is notably scarce. We hypothesize that salmon farming, by providing food subsidies and physical structures to birds, will change their local community structure. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a seasonal monitoring of bird richness, abundance, and composition at paired salmon pen and control plots in two marine and two lake sites in southern Chile, from fall 2002 to summer 2004. Overall, salmon farming had no significant effects on species richness, but bird abundance was significantly and noticeably higher in salmon pens than in controls. Such aggregation was mainly accounted for by the trophic guilds of omnivores, diving piscivores, carrion eaters, and perching piscivores, but not by invertebrate feeders, herbivores, and surface feeders. Species composition was also significantly and persistently different between salmon pens and controls within each lake or marine locality. The patterns described above remained consistent across environment types and seasons indicating that salmon farming is changing the community structure of birds in both lake and marine habitats by promoting functional and aggregation responses, particularly by favoring species with broader niches. Such local patterns may thus anticipate potential threats from the ongoing expansion of the salmon industry to neighboring areas in Chile, resulting in regional changes of bird communities, toward a less diverse one and dominated by opportunistic, common, and generalist species such as gulls, vultures, and cormorants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime E Jiménez
- Department of Biology, Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA.
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10
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Trebilco R, Baum JK, Salomon AK, Dulvy NK. Ecosystem ecology: size-based constraints on the pyramids of life. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 28:423-31. [PMID: 23623003 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Revised: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Biomass distribution and energy flow in ecosystems are traditionally described with trophic pyramids, and increasingly with size spectra, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Here, we show that these methods are equivalent and interchangeable representations of the same information. Although pyramids are visually intuitive, explicitly linking them to size spectra connects pyramids to metabolic and size-based theory, and illuminates size-based constraints on pyramid shape. We show that bottom-heavy pyramids should predominate in the real world, whereas top-heavy pyramids indicate overestimation of predator abundance or energy subsidies. Making the link to ecological pyramids establishes size spectra as a central concept in ecosystem ecology, and provides a powerful framework both for understanding baseline expectations of community structure and for evaluating future scenarios under climate change and exploitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan Trebilco
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5S 1A6, Canada.
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11
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Webb TJ. Marine and terrestrial ecology: unifying concepts, revealing differences. Trends Ecol Evol 2012; 27:535-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2012] [Revised: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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12
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Passy SI. A hierarchical theory of macroecology. Ecol Lett 2012; 15:923-34. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01809.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2012] [Revised: 04/16/2012] [Accepted: 05/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sophia I. Passy
- Department of Biology; University of Texas at Arlington; Box 19498; Arlington; TX; 76019-0498; USA
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