Abstract
Understanding the interconnectivity of organisms among different habitats is a key requirement for generating effective management plans in coastal ecosystems, particularly when determining component habitat structures in marine protected areas. To elucidate the patterns of habitat use by fishes among coral, seagrass, and mangrove habitats, and between natural and transplanted mangroves, visual censuses were conducted semiannually at two sites in the Philippines during September and March 2010–2012. In total, 265 species and 15,930 individuals were recorded. Species richness and abundance of fishes were significantly higher in coral reefs (234 species, 12,306 individuals) than in seagrass (38 species, 1,198 individuals) and mangrove (47 species, 2,426 individuals) habitats. Similarity tests revealed a highly significant difference among the three habitats. Fishes exhibited two different strategies for habitat use, inhabiting either a single (85.6% of recorded species) or several habitats (14.4%). Some fish that utilized multiple habitats, such as Lutjanus monostigma and Parupeneus barberinus, showed possible ontogenetic habitat shifts from mangroves and/or seagrass habitats to coral reefs. Moreover, over 20% of commercial fish species used multiple habitats, highlighting the importance of including different habitat types within marine protected areas to achieve efficient and effective resource management. Neither species richness nor abundance of fishes significantly differed between natural and transplanted mangroves. In addition, 14 fish species were recorded in a 20-year-old transplanted mangrove area, and over 90% of these species used multiple habitats, further demonstrating the key role of transplanted mangroves as a reef fish habitat in this region.
Highlights
In the tropics, seagrass beds and mangroves are formed in the shallow reef flat zone and the near coastline/estuarine region, respectively
Fewer fish were recorded in seagrass beds (1,198 individuals belonging to 38 species in 18 families) and mangrove areas (2,426 individuals belonging to 47 species in 24 families)
The present study revealed that fish assemblage structure varied significantly among coral, seagrass, and mangrove habitats at the study sites, differences between seagrass and mangrove habitats in terms of species richness and abundance were not significant (Figures 2, 4)
Summary
Seagrass beds and mangroves are formed in the shallow reef flat zone and the near coastline/estuarine region, respectively. Local connectivity by fishes and its importance among coral, seagrass, and mangrove ecosystems have received a great deal of attention in recent years [16,17,18,19]. Previous studies have indicated that the intensity and characteristics of connectivity by reef fishes widely fluctuate depending on regional differences and/or geographical conditions (see [18]), while the intensity weakens depending on the distance between habitats [20,21,22]. Only a few studies have evaluated differences in the intensity or effectiveness of connectivity by reef fishes between nonestuarine and transplanted mangroves in the Indo-Pacific [11,21,22,23,24]
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