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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Peter Mumby, Professor Nick Polunin, Clare Wormald
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Profound ecological changes are occurring on coral reefs throughout the tropics [1-3], with marked coral cover losses and concomitant algal increases, particularly in the Caribbean region [4]. Historical declines in the abundance of large Caribbean reef fishes likely reflect centuries of overexploitation [5-7]. However, effects of drastic recent degradation of reef habitats on reef fish assemblages have yet to be established. By using meta.-analysis, we analyzed time series of reef fish density obtained from 48 studies that include 318 reefs across the Caribbean and span the time period 1955-2007. Our analyses show that overall reef fish density has been declining significantly for more than a decade, at rates that are consistent across all subregions of the Caribbean basin (2.7% to 6.0% loss per year) and in three of six trophic groups. Changes in fish density over the past half-century are modest relative to concurrent changes in benthic cover on Caribbean reefs. However, the recent significant decline in overall fish abunclance and its consistency across several trophic groups. and among both fished and nonfished species indicate that Caribbean fishes have begun to respond negatively to habitat degradation.
Author(s): Paddack MJ, Reynolds JD, Aguilar C, Appeldoorn RS, Beets J, Burkett EW, Chittaro PM, Clarke K, Esteves R, Fonseca AC, Forrester GE, Friedlander AM, Garcia-Sais J, Gonzalez-Sanson G, Jordan LKB, McClellan DB, Miller MW, Molloy PP, Mumby PJ, Nagelkerken I, Nemeth M, Navas-Camacho R, Pitt J, Polunin NVC, Reyes-Nivia MC, Robertson DR, Rodriguez-Ramirez A, Salas E, Smith SR, Spieler RE, Steele MA, Williams ID, Wormald CL, Watkinson AR, Cote IM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Current Biology
Year: 2009
Volume: 19
Issue: 7
Pages: 590-595
ISSN (print): 0960-9822
ISSN (electronic): 1879-0445
Publisher: Cell Press
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2009.02.041
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.02.041
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