Non-reef habitats in a tropical seascape affect density and biomass of fishes on coral reefs.

ABSTRACT: Nonreef habitats such as mangroves, seagrass, and macroalgal beds are important for foraging, spawning, and as nursery habitat for some coral reef fishes. The spatial configuration of nonreef habitats adjacent to coral reefs can therefore have a substantial influence on the distribution and composition of reef fish. We investigate how different habitats in a tropical seascape in the Philippines influence the presence, density, and biomass of coral reef fishes to understand the relative importance of different habitats across various spatial scales. A detailed seascape map generated from satellite imagery was combined with field surveys of fish and benthic habitat on coral reefs. We then compared the relative importance of local reef (within coral reef) and adjacent habitat (habitats in the

SUBMITTER: Sievers KT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7771147 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature