Multiple Fish Species Supplement Predation in Estuaries Despite the Dominance of a Single Consumer

Jesse D. D. Mosman; Ben L. L. Gilby; Andrew D. D. Olds; Lucy A. Goodridge A. Gaines; Hayden P. P. Borland; Christopher J. J. Henderson

doi:10.1007/s12237-023-01184-z

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Multiple Fish Species Supplement Predation in Estuaries Despite the Dominance of a Single Consumer

Journal article

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Multiple Fish Species Supplement Predation in Estuaries Despite the Dominance of a Single Consumer

Jesse D. D. Mosman, Ben L. L. Gilby, Andrew D. D. Olds, Lucy A. Goodridge A. Gaines, Hayden P. P. Borland and Christopher J. J. Henderson

Estuaries and Coasts, Vol.46, pp.891-905

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-023-01184-z

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Abstract

Coastal ecosystems

Ecological function

Functional redundancy

Functional complementarity

Seascape context

Habitat condition

Predation is important in maintaining the community structure, functioning and ecological resilience of estuarine seascapes. Understanding how predator community structure, seascape context and habitat condition combine to influence predation is vital in managing estuarine ecosystems. We measured relationships between predator species richness, predator abundance and individual species abundances as well as seascape context and habitat condition, on relative predation probability in mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and unvegetated sediment across 11 estuaries in Queensland, Australia. Predation was quantified using videoed assays of tethered invertebrates (i.e. ghost nippers, Trypaea australiensis) and fish assemblages were surveyed using remote underwater video systems. Yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) dominated predation in all three habitats; however, predation was not correlated with yellowfin bream abundance. Instead, predation increased fourfold in mangroves and threefold in unvegetated sediment when predatory species richness was highest (> 3 species), and increased threefold in seagrass when predator abundance was highest (> 10 individuals). Predation in mangroves increased fourfold in forests with a lower pneumatophore density (< 50/m(2)). In seagrass, predation increased threefold at sites that had a greater extent (> 2000 m(2)) of seagrass, with longer shoot lengths (> 30 cm) and at sites that were closer to (< 2000 m) the estuary mouth. Predation on unvegetated sediment increased threefold when more extensive salt marshes (> 15000 m(2)) were nearby. These findings demonstrate the importance of predator richness and abundance in supplementing predation in estuaries, despite the dominance of a single species, and highlight how seascape context and habitat condition can have strong effects on predation in estuaries.

Details

Title: Multiple Fish Species Supplement Predation in Estuaries Despite the Dominance of a Single Consumer
Authors: Jesse D. D. Mosman (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Ben L. L. Gilby (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Andrew D. D. Olds (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Lucy A. Goodridge A. Gaines (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Hayden P. P. Borland (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Christopher J. J. Henderson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Publication details: Estuaries and Coasts, Vol.46, pp.891-905
Publisher: Springer New York LLC
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1007/s12237-023-01184-z
ISSN: 1559-2731; 1559-2723
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Grant note: CAUL Healthy Land and Water
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99713298302621
Output Type: Journal article

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