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Assembly rules of coral reef fish communities along the depth gradient

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Chancey MacDonaldORCiD

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Abstract

Coral reefs are home to some of the most studied ecological assemblages on the planet. However, differences 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 factors than shallower reefs.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Pinheiro HT, MacDonald C, Quimbayo JP, Shepherd B, Phelps TA, Loss AC, Teixeira JB, Rocha LA

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Current Biology

Year: 2023

Volume: 23

Issue: 8

Pages: 1421-1430.e4

Print publication date: 24/04/2023

Online publication date: 13/02/2023

Acceptance date: 13/02/2023

ISSN (print): 0960-9822

ISSN (electronic): 1879-0445

Publisher: Cell Press

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.040

DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.040

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