Article Assembly rules of coral reef fish communities along the depth gradient

Author(s)

Pinheiro, Hudson T. ; MacDonald, Chancey ; Quimbayo, Juan Pablo ; Shepherd, Bart ; Phelps, Tyler A. ; Loss, Ana Carolina ; Teixeira, Joao Batista ; Rocha, Luiz A.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Current Biology; v. 33, n. 8, p. 15-pg., 2023-04-24.

Abstract

Coral reefs are home to some of the most studied ecological assemblages on the planet. However, differ-ences in large-scale assembly rules have never been studied using empirical quantitative data stratified along the depth gradient of reefs. Consequently, little is known about the small-and regional-scale effects of depth on coral reef assemblages. Using a large dataset of underwater surveys, we observed that the influence of classic biogeographic drivers on the species richness of coral reef fishes changes significantly with depth, shaping distinct assemblages governed by different rules in mesophotic coral ecosystems. We show that a general pattern of decreased taxonomic and functional richness of reef fish assemblages with depth results from convergent filtering of species composition and trophic strategies on deeper reefs across ocean basins and that at smaller scales deep-reef communities are less influenced by regional fac-tors than shallower reefs. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 21/09279-4 - Linking climate change and the past, present, and future of fish communities
• Grantee: Juan Pablo Quimbayo Agreda
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 21/07039-6 - Biodiversity, biogeography and conservation of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean
• Grantee: Hudson Tercio Pinheiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - BIOTA - Young Researchers
• FAPESP's process: 18/21380-0 - Climate drivers of reef fish functional diversity in the Atlantic Ocean
• Grantee: Juan Pablo Quimbayo Agreda
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 19/24215-2 - Biodiversity, biogeography and conservation of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean
• Grantee: Hudson Tercio Pinheiro
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Young Investigators Grants