Cover Picture and Issue Information

Abstract

Methods in Ecology and EvolutionVolume 14, Issue 5 p. 1147-1149 COVER PICTURE AND ISSUE INFORMATIONOpen Access Cover Picture and Issue Information First published: 03 May 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13886AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Graphical Abstract This month’s cover photo depicts a small coral reef goby – Pleurosicya mossambica – resting on a bubble coral in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia. Like other cryptobenthic fishes, this tiny (< 2cm) animal is a common resident of tropical coral reefs, but our ability to survey and monitor these fishes is severely hampered by their small size and hidden lifestyle. In this issue, Simon Brandl and colleagues introduce a new, standardized method for monitoring cryptobenthic fish biodiversity: fish-specific autonomous reef monitoring structures (FARMS). FARMS consist of cheap and easily obtained materials (PVC pipes and sheets), and can be deployed and retrieved using a variety of methods that grant access to environments that are impossible to sample with other techniques. Their paper shows that FARMS can attract a locally representative suite of cryptobenthic fish species that is comparable to other sampling methods based on the sampled area. Thus, FARMS provide a useful complementary technique to document and monitor the smallest reef fishes, especially in places where other sampling methods are rendered unfeasible due to high turbidity, depth, or restrictions on the use of chemicals. © Tane Sinclair-Taylor. Volume14, Issue5May 2023Pages 1147-1149 RelatedInformation