Researchers examine the trophic component of coral reef fish diversity. The Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) is home to one of Earth's major biodiversity hotspots. However, the trophic status of species across the IAA remains unclear. Combining datasets of ecological traits and distribution of 13 fish families that are universally found on coral reefs, Alexandre Siqueira and colleagues assessed the trophic status of diversity distributions in coral reef fishes across the globe. The authors found significant distribution disparities in coral reef fish species across trophic groups, although species richness was highest in the IAA when compared with other regions. Whereas all trophic groups of coral reef fishes featured more species in the IAA than elsewhere, the IAA exhibited a disproportionate number of planktivores, which exceeded 350 species in some locations. Planktivore species richness was especially high near Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. However, a planktivore hotspot was central only to the IAA. The number of planktivore species sharply declined outside the IAA, especially relative to fish species from other trophic groups. The findings suggest that abundant planktonic resources and stable habitat conditions in the IAA are key drivers of planktivore richness in the IAA, when compared with other oceanic regions, according to the authors.
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Article #20-19404: "Planktivores as trophic drivers of global coral reef fish diversity patterns," by Alexandre C. Siqueira, Renato A. Morais, David R. Bellwood, and Peter F. Cowman.
MEDIA CONTACT: Alexandre C. Siqueira, James Cook University, Townsville, AUSTRALIA; tel: +61-0498-574-927; email: <alexandre.siqueira@my.jcu.edu.au>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences