Habitat Complexity: Coral Structural Loss Leads to Fisheries Declines
نویسنده
چکیده
Direct human impacts and global climate change are altering the composition and structure of coral reef habitats. These changes are simplifying size-abundance relationships of reef fish communities, reducing productivity through the system and ultimately threatening fisheries yields.
منابع مشابه
Vulnerability of Coral Reef Fisheries to a Loss of Structural Complexity
Coral reefs face a diverse array of threats, from eutrophication and overfishing to climate change. As live corals are lost and their skeletons eroded, the structural complexity of reefs declines. This may have important consequences for the survival and growth of reef fish because complex habitats mediate predator-prey interactions [1, 2] and influence competition [3-5] through the provision o...
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There has been ongoing flattening of Caribbean coral reefs with the loss of habitat having severe implications for these systems. Complexity and its structural components are important to fish species richness and community composition, but little is known about its role for other taxa or species-specific responses. This study reveals the importance of reef habitat complexity and structural com...
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Habitat structural complexity is a key factor shaping marine communities. However, accurate methods for quantifying structural complexity underwater are currently lacking. Loss of structural complexity is linked to ecosystem declines in biodiversity and resilience. We developed new methods using underwater stereo-imagery spanning four years (2010-2013) to reconstruct 3D models of coral reef are...
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Severe climatic disturbance events often have major impacts on coral reef communities, generating cycles of decline and recovery, and in some extreme cases, community-level phase shifts from coral-to algal-dominated states. Benthic habitat changes directly affect reef fish communities, with low coral cover usually associated with low fish diversity and abundance. No-take marine reserves (NTRs) ...
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عنوان ژورنال:
- Current Biology
دوره 24 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2014