Abstract
Structural complexity of seagrass bed including species composition and shoot density is argued to be an important factor determining fish assemblages. However statistical verification of such a relationship is possible only in areas with high species richness of seagrass and fish assemblages which is observed in tropical waters. Material for this study was collected in three seagrass beds with different structure in Inner Ambon Bay, Eastern Indonesia. This study provided evidence that higher structural complexity of seagrass bed was related to the higher richness, abundance, and biomass of fish. However, lower structural complexity of seagrass patch should not be underestimated because it provided different habitat for various stages of life in fish. Smaller fish preferred to occupy dense seagrass of dominant pioneer small-sized species (Halodule uninervis) and moved to the lesser dense bed of climax large-sized seagrass (Thalassia hemprichii and Enhalus acoroides) with increasing their size. This finding is important for seagrass-fisheries management.
Highlights
Seagrasses are submerged aquatic plants inhabiting marine coastal waters; they occur in the intertidal zone and in deeper areas
Leaves and stems of seagrasses support numerous and abundant epiphytes which are fed upon by small epifaunal organisms [3], which, in turn, provide food to the fishes foraging in the seagrass beds [1,4,5]
A total of 9189 individual fish representing 95 species from 38 families were collected at the three stations
Summary
Seagrasses are submerged aquatic plants inhabiting marine coastal waters; they occur in the intertidal zone and in deeper areas. They grow in beds and often form extensive underwater meadows. Leaves and stems of seagrasses support numerous and abundant epiphytes which are fed upon by small epifaunal organisms [3], which, in turn, provide food to the fishes foraging in the seagrass beds [1,4,5]. Fish may use seagrass for the following purposes: temporary nursery, permanent habitat for completion of the full life cycle, feeding area for various life stages, and/or refuge from predation [6,7]
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