Abstract
BackgroundThe threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons (Cuvier), is important in mediating interactions among corals, algae, and herbivores on Caribbean coral reefs. The preferred microhabitat of S. planifrons is thickets of the branching staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis. Within the past few decades, mass mortality of A. cervicornis from white-band disease and other factors has rendered this coral a minor ecological component throughout most of its range.Methodology/Principal FindingsSurvey data from Jamaica (heavily fished), Florida and the Bahamas (moderately fished), the Cayman Islands (lightly to moderately fished), and Belize (lightly fished) indicate that distributional patterns of S. planifrons are positively correlated with live coral cover and topographic complexity. Our results suggest that species-specific microhabitat preferences and the availability of topographically complex microhabitats are more important than the abundance of predatory fish as proximal controls on S. planifrons distribution and abundance.Conclusions/SignificanceThe loss of the primary microhabitat of S. planifrons—A. cervicornis—has forced a shift in the distribution and recruitment of these damselfish onto remaining high-structured corals, especially the Montastraea annularis species complex, affecting coral mortality and algal dynamics throughout the Caribbean.
Highlights
Caribbean coral reefs have changed dramatically over the past few decades [1]
Until the late 1970s, Caribbean reefs displayed a generalized zonation dominated by three common taxa of scleractinian corals, which were the primary builders of reef framework: the branching elkorn coral Acropora palmata, the branching staghorn coral A. cervicornis, and the massive corals of the Montastraea annularis species complex [2,3]
We selected study sites based on the following criteria: (a) sites were chosen along a gradient of fishing pressure; (b) all sites were located in fore-reef habitats at 10–15 m depth; (c) all sites were known to have had abundant stands of A. cervicornis in the recent past; and (d) A. cervicornis was either rare or absent at each site during the study period
Summary
Caribbean coral reefs have changed dramatically over the past few decades [1]. Until the late 1970s, Caribbean reefs displayed a generalized zonation dominated by three common taxa of scleractinian corals, which were the primary builders of reef framework: the branching elkorn coral Acropora palmata, the branching staghorn coral A. cervicornis, and the massive corals of the Montastraea annularis species complex [2,3]. We examine the effects of these shifts in coral assemblage structure on microhabitat utilization by the ecologically significant threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons (Cuvier). This species of herbivorous fish is important in reef communities of the Caribbean, because it mediates interactions among corals, algae, and other herbivores [10]. The threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons (Cuvier), is important in mediating interactions among corals, algae, and herbivores on Caribbean coral reefs. Within the past few decades, mass mortality of A. cervicornis from white-band disease and other factors has rendered this coral a minor ecological component throughout most of its range
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