1
|
Coghlan AR, Blanchard JL, Wotherspoon S, Stuart-Smith RD, Edgar GJ, Barrett N, Audzijonyte A. Mean reef fish body size decreases towards warmer waters. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14375. [PMID: 38361476 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Aquatic ectotherms often attain smaller body sizes at higher temperatures. By analysing ~15,000 coastal-reef fish surveys across a 15°C spatial sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, we found that the mean length of fish in communities decreased by ~5% for each 1°C temperature increase across space, or 50% decrease in mean length from 14 to 29°C mean annual SST. Community mean body size change was driven by differential temperature responses within trophic groups and temperature-driven change in their relative abundance. Herbivores, invertivores and planktivores became smaller on average in warmer temperatures, but no trend was found in piscivores. Nearly 25% of the temperature-related community mean size trend was attributable to trophic composition at the warmest sites, but at colder temperatures, this was <1% due to trophic groups being similarly sized. Our findings suggest that small changes in temperature are associated with large changes in fish community composition and body sizes, with important ecological implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Rose Coghlan
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Julia L Blanchard
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | | | - Rick D Stuart-Smith
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Graham J Edgar
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Neville Barrett
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Asta Audzijonyte
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hodge JR, Price SA. Biotic Interactions and the Future of Fishes on Coral Reefs: The Importance of Trait-Based Approaches. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1734-1747. [PMID: 36138511 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Biotic interactions govern the structure and function of coral reef ecosystems. As environmental conditions change, reef-associated fish populations can persist by tracking their preferred niche or adapting to new conditions. Biotic interactions will affect how these responses proceed and whether they are successful. Yet, our understanding of these effects is currently limited. Ecological and evolutionary theories make explicit predictions about the effects of biotic interactions, but many remain untested. Here, we argue that large-scale functional trait datasets enable us to investigate how biotic interactions have shaped the assembly of contemporary reef fish communities and the evolution of species within them, thus improving our ability to predict future changes. Importantly, the effects of biotic interactions on these processes have occurred simultaneously within dynamic environments. Functional traits provide a means to integrate the effects of both ecological and evolutionary processes, as well as a way to overcome some of the challenges of studying biotic interactions. Moreover, functional trait data can enhance predictive modeling of future reef fish distributions and evolvability. We hope that our vision for an integrative approach, focused on quantifying functionally relevant traits and how they mediate biotic interactions in different environmental contexts, will catalyze new research on the future of reef fishes in a changing environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R Hodge
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Samantha A Price
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Stuart-Smith RD, Edgar GJ, Clausius E, Oh ES, Barrett NS, Emslie MJ, Bates AE, Bax N, Brock D, Cooper A, Davis TR, Day PB, Dunic JC, Green A, Hasweera N, Hicks J, Holmes TH, Jones B, Jordan A, Knott N, Larkin MF, Ling SD, Mooney P, Pocklington JB, Seroussi Y, Shaw I, Shields D, Smith M, Soler GA, Stuart-Smith J, Turak E, Turnbull JW, Mellin C. Tracking widespread climate-driven change on temperate and tropical reefs. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4128-4138.e3. [PMID: 36150387 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Warming seas, marine heatwaves, and habitat degradation are increasingly widespread phenomena affecting marine biodiversity, yet our understanding of their broader impacts is largely derived from collective insights from independent localized studies. Insufficient systematic broadscale monitoring limits our understanding of the true extent of these impacts and our capacity to track these at scales relevant to national policies and international agreements. Using an extensive time series of co-located reef fish community structure and habitat data spanning 12 years and the entire Australian continent, we found that reef fish community responses to changing temperatures and habitats are dynamic and widespread but regionally patchy. Shifts in composition and abundance of the fish community often occurred within 2 years of environmental or habitat change, although the relative importance of these two mechanisms of climate impact tended to differ between tropical and temperate zones. The clearest of these changes on temperate and subtropical reefs were temperature related, with responses measured by the reef fish thermal index indicating reshuffling according to the thermal affinities of species present. On low latitude coral reefs, the community generalization index indicated shifting dominance of habitat generalist fishes through time, concurrent with changing coral cover. Our results emphasize the importance of maintaining local ecological detail when scaling up datasets to inform national policies and global biodiversity targets. Scaled-up ecological monitoring is needed to discriminate among increasingly diverse drivers of large-scale biodiversity change and better connect presently disjointed systems of biodiversity observation, indicator research, and governance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rick D Stuart-Smith
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia; Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia.
| | - Graham J Edgar
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia; Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Ella Clausius
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia; Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Elizabeth S Oh
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Neville S Barrett
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Michael J Emslie
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townville, Queensland 4810, Australia
| | - Amanda E Bates
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Nic Bax
- CSIRO, Oceans & Atmosphere, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Daniel Brock
- Marine Science Program, Department for Environment and Water, 81-95 Waymouth Street, Adelaide, Australia 5000
| | - Antonia Cooper
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia; Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Tom R Davis
- Fisheries Research, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, Australia 2450
| | - Paul B Day
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia; Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Jillian C Dunic
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Andrew Green
- Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Norfaizny Hasweera
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Jamie Hicks
- Marine Science Program, Department for Environment and Water, 81-95 Waymouth Street, Adelaide, Australia 5000
| | - Thomas H Holmes
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA, Australia; The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Ben Jones
- Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Alan Jordan
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Nathan Knott
- Marine Ecosystems Research, NSW Department of Primary Industries, PO Box 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Meryl F Larkin
- Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia; National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, 2 Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour, Australia
| | - Scott D Ling
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Peter Mooney
- Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Jacqueline B Pocklington
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia; Environment and Science Division, Parks Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Yanir Seroussi
- Underwater Research Group of Queensland, 24 Pulle St, Perennially QLD 4105, Australia
| | - Ian Shaw
- Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Derek Shields
- Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Margo Smith
- Reef Life Survey Foundation, 60 Napoleon St, Battery Point, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - German A Soler
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Jemina Stuart-Smith
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - Emre Turak
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia
| | - John W Turnbull
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington Campus, Sydney 2052, Australia
| | - Camille Mellin
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| |
Collapse
|