Abstract
Coral Reef Fish: Not Just a Matter of Beauty!
Highlights
Coral reefs are vulnerable ecosystems where a great number of fish species live
This study compared the human perception of fish beauty with the ecological roles and characteristics of these fishes
It appears that ugly fish have a wider variety of roles in the coral reef ecosystem than beautiful fish do
Summary
In the scientific study of animals, we often talk about biodiversity. But what does that mean? Biodiversity refers to the diversity, or di erent kinds of living beings, in a certain habitat or ecosystem. You can see biodiversity by observing the immense Amazonian forest in South America, or the Great Barrier Reef in the sea o Australia Both of these ecosystems support life, but they do not function in the same way. You probably know Nemo,the orange and white clownfish (Amphiprion percula) hero of the movie “Finding Nemo” and his friend Dory, a blue and yellow surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus) These fish species do live in coral reefs and are sought after for their beauty. The “beautiful” fish that received more votes have fewer ecological characteristics This means that the “uglier” fish are more useful for the functioning of coral reefs (pictures from left to right: tubelip wrasse (Labrichtys unilineatus), bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus), moon wrasse (Thalassoma lunare), sea goldie (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), raccoon butterflyfish (Chateodon lunula), and semicircle angelfish (Pomacanthus semicirculatus)
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