Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20444
Title: Reef-scale partitioning of cryptobenthic fish assemblages across the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Contributor(s): Goatley, Christopher  (author)orcid ; Gonzalez-Cabello, Alonso (author); Bellwood, David R (author)
Publication Date: 2016
DOI: 10.3354/meps11614
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20444
Abstract: Onshore to offshore gradients in marine assemblages have been well documented on coral reefs, with most studies showing a distinct separation between onshore and offshore locations. Here we use enclosed anaesthetic sampling of small, cryptobenthic reef fishes to assess changes in assemblage composition across the Great Barrier Reef continental shelf. The cryptobenthic fishes exhibited fine-scale partitioning across the shelf. Three dominant species of goby accounted for over 55% of all fishes collected, with 1 species characterising each of the 3 key shelf positions: inner-, mid- and outer-shelf. Multivariate analyses of assemblage composition revealed further separation of reefs within the inner- and mid-shelf positions, highlighting the exceptional sensitivity of cryptobenthic reef fish assemblages to shelf position, with a progressive separation of individual reef assemblages with distance from the shore. These among-reef patterns contrast markedly with other reef fish taxa which invariably show 2 broad assemblages across the continental shelf (inner- vs. a composite mid- and outer-shelf community). As a result of this exceptional sensitivity to environmental conditions, cryptobenthic reef fish communities may represent good subjects for high-resolution monitoring of disturbances on coral reefs.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Marine Ecology Progress Series, v.544, p. 271-280
Publisher: Inter-Research
Place of Publication: Germany
ISSN: 1616-1599
0171-8630
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology)
050206 Environmental Monitoring
050102 Ecosystem Function
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
410203 Ecosystem function
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 960507 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Marine Environments
960808 Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 180601 Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
180504 Marine biodiversity
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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