Mangrove habitat use by juvenile reef fish: Meta-analysis reveals that tidal regime matters more than biogeographic region

M M Igulu; I Nagelkerken; M Dorenbosch; M G G Grol; A R Harborne; I A Kimirei; P J Mumby; Andrew D Olds; Y D Mgaya

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0114715

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Mangrove habitat use by juvenile reef fish: Meta-analysis reveals that tidal regime matters more than biogeographic region

Journal article

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Mangrove habitat use by juvenile reef fish: Meta-analysis reveals that tidal regime matters more than biogeographic region

M M Igulu, I Nagelkerken, M Dorenbosch, M G G Grol, A R Harborne, I A Kimirei, P J Mumby, Andrew D Olds and Y D Mgaya

PLoS One, Vol.9(12), pp.1-20

2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0114715

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Abstract

Identification of critical life-stage habitats is key to successful conservation efforts. Juveniles of some species show great flexibility in habitat use while other species rely heavily on a restricted number of juvenile habitats for protection and food. Considering the rapid degradation of coastal marine habitats worldwide, it is important to evaluate which species are more susceptible to loss of juvenile nursery habitats and how this differs across large biogeographic regions. Here we used a meta-analysis approach to investigate habitat use by juvenile reef fish species in tropical coastal ecosystems across the globe. Densities of juvenile fish species were compared among mangrove, seagrass and coral reef habitats. In the Caribbean, the majority of species showed significantly higher juvenile densities in mangroves as compared to seagrass beds and coral reefs, while for the Indo-Pacific region seagrass beds harbored the highest overall densities. Further analysis indicated that differences in tidal amplitude, irrespective of biogeographic region, appeared to be the major driver for this phenomenon. In addition, juvenile reef fish use of mangroves increased with increasing water salinity. In the Caribbean, species of specific families (e.g. Lutjanidae, Haemulidae) showed a higher reliance on mangroves or seagrass beds as juvenile habitats than other species, whereas in the Indo-Pacific family-specific trends of juvenile habitat utilization were less apparent. The findings of this study highlight the importance of incorporating region-specific tidal inundation regimes into marine spatial conservation planning and ecosystem based management. Furthermore, the significant role of water salinity and tidal access as drivers of mangrove fish habitat use implies that changes in seawater level and rainfall due to climate change may have important effects on how juvenile reef fish use nearshore seascapes in the future.

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Title: Mangrove habitat use by juvenile reef fish: Meta-analysis reveals that tidal regime matters more than biogeographic region
Authors: M M Igulu (Author) - Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute
I Nagelkerken (Author) - Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute
M Dorenbosch (Author) - Radboud University Nijmegen
M G G Grol (Author) - Radboud University Nijmegen
A R Harborne (Author) - The University of Queensland
I A Kimirei (Author) - Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute
P J Mumby (Author) - The University of Queensland
Andrew D Olds (Author) - Griffith University
Y D Mgaya (Author) - University of Dar es Salaam
Publication details: PLoS One, Vol.9(12), pp.1-20
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Date published: 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114715
ISSN: 1932-6203
Copyright note: Copyright © 2014 Igulu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. All relevant data from the meta-analysis are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Grants: The effects of sea-level rise on the feeding ecology of coral-reef fishes in shallow water, and the implications for reef-flat food webs, DE120102459, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Ocean acidification and rising sea temperature effect on fish., FT120100183, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450179202621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Marine & Freshwater Biology

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