What makes mangroves attractive to fish? Use of artificial units to test the influence of water depth,cross-shelf location,and presence of root structure |
| |
| Authors: | I Nagelkerken CH Faunce |
| |
| Institution: | aDepartment of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands;bFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 19100 Southeast Federal Highway, Tequesta, FL 33469, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | Mangroves are an attractive fish habitat because they provide shelter and food for juvenile fishes. However, because mangroves are almost always located in shallow water and in sheltered (i.e., lagoonal, estuarine or bay) environments, the degree to which the latter two factors contribute to the attractiveness of mangrove prop-roots as a fish habitat is unknown. Artificial Mangrove Units (AMUs) were placed at multiple depths and along a gradient from an embayment to, and including, the coral reef. Total fish density and species richness in AMUs placed in the embayment was lower at 1 m depth than at 2 and 3 m depth, suggesting that shallow water is not a prerequisite for the attractiveness of mangrove prop-roots as a fish habitat. Total fish density and species richness were equal or greater in AMUs on the coral reef than in the embayment, suggesting that placement of mangroves in a sheltered lagoonal environment is not solely responsible for the attractiveness of mangrove prop-roots either. After 3 weeks, removal of AMUs did not have a negative effect on total fish density or species richness. However, within the embayment AMU removal resulted in the complete collapse of the assemblage component comprised of species that use mangroves as juvenile habitats, highlighting the need for a species-based approach towards assessing the benefits provided by the presence of mangrove root structure for fishes. |
| |
| Keywords: | coral reef fish artificial mangrove units structure Caribbean |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
