Damselfish territories as a refuge for macroalgae on coral reefs
Damselfish territories as a refuge for macroalgae on coral reefs
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DOI：
10.1007/s00338-009-0567-8
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发表时间：
2010-03-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Bellwood, D. R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hoey, A. S.;Bellwood, D. R.
食草动物被广泛认为是决定底栖生物群落结构和珊瑚礁复原力的一个关键过程。近年来的研究主要集中在浮游草食性鱼类在生态系统过程中的重要性。在这里，我们研究的作用，领土雀鲷在塑造模式的大型藻类分布的基础上底栖生物调查和大型藻类生物测定。领土组成和居民雀鲷去除马尾藻生物测定的影响进行了量化的六种雀鲷的Linguistan岛，在北方大堡礁（GBR）的中间架礁。藻类群落的功能组成的领土内物种之间的差异显着。四个物种的领土（Dischistodus perspicillatus，Dischistodus pseudochrysopoecilus，Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus和Stegastes nigricans）的特点是由藻类草皮，而两个物种的领土（Dischistodus prosopotaenia和Hemiglyphidodon plagiometopon）的特点是叶状和革质的棕色大型藻类。马尾藻是中陆架礁上一种罕见的藻类，在D. prosopotaenia领土上的背风侧的岛屿，但没有在其领土上的迎风侧的岛屿。D. prosopotaenia是唯一的物种，保留移植的马尾藻，只有一个最小的减少马尾藻生物量（1.1%）被记录在其领土内，在背风和迎风的网站在24小时内。相反，在邻近D. prosopotaenia领土（83.8%），和内和邻近的其余5种雀鲷的领土（76.2-92.5%）。总体而言，只有一个的六个雀鲷物种提供了一个避难所的革质棕色大型藻类，并可能促进这种大型藻类的GBR的中间架珊瑚礁的发展。
Herbivory is widely accepted as a key process determining the benthic community structure and resilience of coral reefs. Recent studies have mostly focused on the importance of roving herbivorous fishes in ecosystem processes. Here, we examine the role of territorial damselfish in shaping patterns of macroalgal distribution based on benthic surveys and macroalgal bioassays. The territory composition and effect of resident damselfish on the removal of Sargassum bioassays were quantified for six species of damselfish on Lizard Island, a mid-shelf reef in the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The functional composition of algal communities within territories varied markedly among species. The territories of four species (Dischistodus perspicillatus, Dischistodus pseudochrysopoecilus, Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus, and Stegastes nigricans) were characterized by algal turfs, while the territories of two species (Dischistodus prosopotaenia and Hemiglyphidodon plagiometopon) were characterized by foliose and leathery brown macroalgae. Sargassum, a generally rare alga on mid-shelf reefs, was a particularly common alga within D. prosopotaenia territories on the leeward side of the island but absent within their territories on the windward side of the island. D. prosopotaenia was the only species to retain the transplanted Sargassum, with only a minimal reduction in Sargassum biomass (1.1%) being recorded within their territories at both leeward and windward sites over a 24-h period. In contrast, reductions in Sargassum biomass were high in areas adjacent to D. prosopotaenia territories (83.8%), and within and adjacent to the territories of the five remaining damselfish species (76.2-92.5%). Overall, only one of the six damselfish species provided a refuge for leathery brown macroalgae and may facilitate the development of this macroalgae on mid-shelf reefs of the GBR.