Long-term no-take marine reserve and benthic habitat effects on coral reef fishes

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 529:233-248 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11246 Long-term no-take marine reserve and benthic habitat effects on coral reef fishes Garry R. Russ1,2,*,**, Kelsey I. Miller1,**, Justin R. Rizzari1,2, Angel C. Alcala3 1College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia 2Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia 3Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management, Silliman University, Dumaguete City, 6200, Philippines **Corresponding author: garry.russ@jcu.edu.au**These authors contributed equally to this work. ABSTRACT: No-take marine reserves (NTMRs) are advocated as tools to enhance or maintain density and assemblage structure of coral reef fishes. These reef fish population and assemblage attributes may be affected by both NTMR protection and benthic habitat change. Before-after-control-impact-pair (BACIP) sampling designs and long-term (8-30 yr) monitoring at 4 Philippine NTMRs were used to examine the relative effects of NTMR protection and benthic habitat change on densities and assemblage structures of fishery-targeted (Lethrinidae and Lutjanidae) and non-targeted (Pomacentridae) reef fishes. Targeted fish density increased significantly in NTMRs relative to fished control sites at all reserves over time. Non-targeted fish density and hard coral cover displayed a variety of patterns of change over time (unrelated to NTMR protection), but closely mirrored each other. Targeted fish were considered potential predators of non-targeted fish. Availability of potential prey for predators had a larger influence than the effect of potential predators on prey, with both processes much weaker than effects of habitat change. Multivariate analyses of long-term temporal data indicated that 65.8% of the variance in assemblage structure of non-targeted pomacentrids was explained by benthic habitat variables (structural complexity, cover of dead substrate) whereas NTMR protection alone explained only 9.7%. In contrast, 36.2% of assemblage structure of targeted lethrinids/lutjanids was explained by duration of NTMR protection (42.2% excluding effects of typhoons at one reserve), with habitat variables alone explaining 24.7%. These results help clarify the relative effects of NTMR protection, benthic habitat change, and potential trophic interactions on reef fishes targeted and non-targeted by fishing. KEY WORDS: No-take marine reserves · Benthic habitat effects · Target and non-target fishes · Fishing · Fish assemblage structure · Predation · Philippines · Coral reef fishes Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Russ GR, Miller KI, Rizzari JR, Alcala AC (2015) Long-term no-take marine reserve and benthic habitat effects on coral reef fishes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 529:233-248. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11246 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 529. Online publication date: June 08, 2015 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.