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The role of habitat complexity in shaping the size structure of a temperate reef fish community
Citation
Trebilco, R and Dulvy, NK and Stewart, H and Salomon, AK, The role of habitat complexity in shaping the size structure of a temperate reef fish community, Marine Ecology - Progress Series, 532 pp. 197-211. ISSN 0171-8630 (2015) [Refereed Article]
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© Inter-Research 2015 www.int-res.com
Abstract
Understanding how habitat complexity shapes fish communities is necessary to predict
the consequences of future habitat change. On temperate rocky reefs, the presence and characteristics
of canopy-forming kelps and the architectural complexity, or rugosity, of the underlying
rocky substratum are foundational elements of habitat complexity. However, it is not yet clear how
these factors shape the size structure of rocky-reef-associated fish communities. Here, we use biomass
spectrum models to evaluate how fish community size structure in high-latitude rocky-reef
kelp forests is shaped by substratum rugosity and the degree of closure and density of the kelp
canopy. We found that the presence of a closed kelp canopy was associated with an average 75%
increase in overall fish biomass compared to open-canopy reefs. Furthermore, on the highest rugosity
reefs, the biomass of small fishes (32−64 g) was 800% higher than on the lowest-rugosity
reefs, while large fish (1−2 kg) biomass was 60% lower. Consequently, biomass was more evenly
distributed across body-size classes on high-rugosity reefs. By decomposing the biomass spectrum
into total biomass and mean individual body mass, we found that higher kelp stipe densities also
tended to be associated with larger fishes, but this effect was outweighed by the tendency for
more small-bodied fishes with increasing rugosity. This study demonstrates how size-based analyses
can give new insights into the ecology of temperate reef communities, and may be useful for
tracking changes in kelp-associated assemblages in the coming decades with the maturation of
marine protected areas, the recovery of sea otter populations, and the changing climate.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | biomass size spectra, community ecology, kelp forest, coral reef, ecosystem baseline, energy flow, foundation species |
Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
Research Group: | Ecology |
Research Field: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
Objective Field: | Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems |
UTAS Author: | Trebilco, R (Dr Rowan Trebilco) |
ID Code: | 101961 |
Year Published: | 2015 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 26 |
Deposited By: | CRC-Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems |
Deposited On: | 2015-07-21 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-06 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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