StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs - Article Example

Cite this document
Summary
Essay The study examined the effects of habitat disturbances on the species richness of fishes in the coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. Many fish species like the Teleost fishes constitute an important part of the reef ecosystem and are also major sources of food to those living in the coastal areas…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.8% of users find it useful
Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs"

Essay The study examined the effects of habitat disturbances on the species richness of fishes in the coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. Many fish species like the Teleost fishes constitute an important part of the reef ecosystem and are also major sources of food to those living in the coastal areas. Since many reef fishes are associated with the reef substratum, the natural and anthropogenic disturbances have been found to cause profound damages to the coral reef structure and also influence the species richness of the fish population.

Studies have shown that reduction of coral cover due to such environmental disturbances have caused algal colonization in the vacant coral reef area which has resulted in an abundance of fish species that thrive on algal feeds and this replacement causes a change in the species richness. However, other studies have also shown that certain types of disturbances such as coral disease and bleaching, during which the structural complexity of the coral reefs are maintained, may actually not cause any change in species richness thus stressing the point that the extent of habitat damage and the condition of the reef will determine the fish species richness.

The study analyzed the data collected from surveys carried out for a period of 11 years to determine the effect of various disturbances on the coral cover, structural complexity of the reef and diversity of the fishes. The biological and physical changes in coral reef and its consequent effect on the reef fish community were analyzed. The study encompassed documenting the changes occurring in the coral cover, structural complexity and species richness in 10 reefs along the GBR. The major disturbances that were found to occur during the study period included COTS outbreaks, storms and coral bleaching.

Disturbed reefs collected from 47 areas which were subjected to such disturbances were used for the study. in addition 3 control reefs which were not subjected to any disturbances was analyzed and the results were compared with that of the disturbed reefs. Following the sampling, the coral cover was expressed as a percentage of the substratum and the species richness of 210 fishes from 10 families was recorded using a single observer. The fishes were placed under ecological groups according to their dependency on corals or other EAM- feeders.

A 360° pan view of the reef under study was made using video camera to study the structural complexity of the habitat. Statistical methods such as ANOVA were used to study the changes that occurred in coral cover or species richness during the period of the study. The annual changes in species richness for both the coral dependent group and the EAM feeders were calculated. Using the Principle Component Analysis (PCA) based on correlation matrix, the effect of coral losses on species richness was estimated.

The relation between percentage of live coral cover and structural complexity of the habitat with that of species richness was identified using the mixed-effect modeling. The results found that the hard coral cover had deteriorated in the 10 reefs under study with the rate varying with the type of disturbance. Those affected by storms showed rapid declines. However, the structural complexity declined only in 5 reefs with the live coral cover showing a decline and a positive relation to structural complexity.

The species richness was found to be stable in 7 reefs with variations being observed in the other 3 reefs. Loss of coral dependent species was compensated with an increase in EAM feeders. All the above factors were found to be normal in the control reefs. Hence this study has determined the fact that disturbances which do not affect structural complexity but only cause a significant reduction in the coral cover does not affect the species richness of the fishes associated with the reefs. However, in the present study the limited amount of variations in structural complexity has not lead to a definitive identification of structural complexity as a major cause for species diversity in the reefs.

References Wilson, S.K., Dolman, A.M., Cheal, A.J., Emslie, M.J., Pratchett, M.S., and Sweatman, H.P.A. “Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs.” (2008).

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs Article”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1415976-maintenance-of-fish-diversity-on-disturbed-coral
(Maintenance of Fish Diversity on Disturbed Coral Reefs Article)
https://studentshare.org/other/1415976-maintenance-of-fish-diversity-on-disturbed-coral.
“Maintenance of Fish Diversity on Disturbed Coral Reefs Article”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1415976-maintenance-of-fish-diversity-on-disturbed-coral.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Maintenance of fish diversity on disturbed coral reefs

Coral Reef Ecosystem

Date Coral Reef Location of the Ecosystem coral reefs are found in the underwater and are made of calcium carbonate produced by the corals, in the underground waters; the coral reefs are built from stony corals, which consist of a cluster of polyps.... hellip; The best requirements of coral reefs to thrive include warm, sunny, clear, shallow, and agitated waters.... coral reefs therefore are mostly found in the oceanic environment where there are large quantities of calcium carbonate....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

What Is Ecological Footprint

The quality of our life depends on the physical (pure air, water, soil), biological (diversity in plant and animal species) and social attributes 1.... The next step is to see the possible causes – leakage/block in pipeline connected to this faucet; damage/clog in the main pipeline supplying water to the house; check for reports in press and media about possible maintenance work by water supply department or break down in power supply, contamination at the source of water supply, higher incidence of water borne diseases being reported....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Cruise Tourism in the Caribbean

A major cause of the environmental degradation that the oceans and the seas of the world have suffered from is the pollution they receive… The growth of international tourism has been phenomenal and the group of Caribbean island nations, here termed as The Caribbean, ranks sixth in the world as far as tourist receipts is concerned (Jayawardena 2002)....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper

Ecology - tasks (1-2-3-4)

The increase in growth of human population results to an increase in global consumption of the natural resources thereby making it essential that we measure the nature's capacity to meet these demands.... hellip; That is, Ecological Footprint Accounting reports whether the planet is large enough to keep up the human demands. There are enormous benefits in relation to the benefits of The local economy grows because of buying from the local farmers, and this still keeps them into the business....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

Environmental Ethics of Cleaning up the Oceans

In addition,… ey provide employment opportunities to millions of people across the world, while helping the human kind with necessary protein diet taken from the fish and other marine creatures.... Oceanic waters absorb most of the carbon dioxide that is released to the atmosphere, because of industrial and agricultural activities going on in almost all parts of the world, particularly the coastal areas....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

The Effect of Human Activity on the Ecology of Long Island Sound

"The Effect of Human Activity on the Ecology of Long Island Sound" paper argues that the interaction of the man with the elements of nature has been a subject of intense debate.... This issue has gained such importance that most industrial and economic activities are begun with this issue at the roots....
53 Pages (13250 words) Coursework

Natural Versus Artificial Coral Reefs

This coursework "Natural Versus Artificial coral reefs" focuses on coral reefs, whether natural or artificial, that are as much an attractive tourist destination as are they fascinating to the environmentalists.... nbsp;… Artificial coral reefs are rapidly colonized with a comparable population of fishes and benthic communities.... In certain cases a higher species richness, as well as abundance, has also been reported for artificial coral reefs; thereby greatly enhancing the biomass and promoting fisheries stock in regions where it was formerly absent....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us