Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes
Abstract Coastal restoration projects to mitigate environmental impacts have increased global demand for sand resources. Unfortunately, these resources are often extracted from sand/shell banks on the inner continental shelf, resulting in significant alteration or loss of low‐relief reefs in coastal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Ecosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3542 |
| _version_ | 1819138550398976000 |
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| author | Michael A. Dance Jay R. Rooker Richard J. Kline Antonietta Quigg Gregory R. Stunz R. J. David Wells Kirsten Lara Jessica Lee Bobbie Suarez |
| author_facet | Michael A. Dance Jay R. Rooker Richard J. Kline Antonietta Quigg Gregory R. Stunz R. J. David Wells Kirsten Lara Jessica Lee Bobbie Suarez |
| author_sort | Michael A. Dance |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Coastal restoration projects to mitigate environmental impacts have increased global demand for sand resources. Unfortunately, these resources are often extracted from sand/shell banks on the inner continental shelf, resulting in significant alteration or loss of low‐relief reefs in coastal oceans. Experimental reefs (oyster shell, limestone rubble, composite) were deployed in the western Gulf of Mexico to assess their potential value as nurseries for newly settled reef fishes. Occurrence, abundance, and species richness of juvenile fishes were significantly higher on all three types of low‐relief reefs compared with unconsolidated sediment. Moreover, reefs served as nursery habitat for a range of reef fish taxa (angelfishes, grunts, sea basses, snappers, and triggerfishes). Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) was the dominant species present on all experimental reefs (100% occurrence), and mean density of this species was markedly higher on each of the three low‐relief reefs (>40.0 individuals/reef) relative to comparable areas over unconsolidated sediment (0.2 individuals). Our results suggest creation or restoration of structurally complex habitat on the inner shelf has the potential to markedly increase early life survival and expedite the recovery of exploited reef fish populations, and therefore may represent a critical conservation tool for increasing recruitment and maintaining reef fish diversity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T11:08:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2b1db44273344497a26645ad5b5070c2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-8925 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T11:08:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-2b1db44273344497a26645ad5b5070c22022-12-21T18:28:13ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252021-06-01126n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.3542Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishesMichael A. Dance0Jay R. Rooker1Richard J. Kline2Antonietta Quigg3Gregory R. Stunz4R. J. David Wells5Kirsten Lara6Jessica Lee7Bobbie Suarez8Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana70803USADepartment of Marine Biology Texas A&M University Galveston Galveston Texas77554USASchool of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Brownsville Texas78520USADepartment of Marine Biology Texas A&M University Galveston Galveston Texas77554USAHarte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Texas A&M University‐Corpus Christi Corpus Christi Texas78412USADepartment of Marine Biology Texas A&M University Galveston Galveston Texas77554USADepartment of Biological Sciences University of Texas‐Rio Grande Valley Brownsville Texas78520USADepartment of Marine Biology Texas A&M University Galveston Galveston Texas77554USADepartment of Marine Biology Texas A&M University Galveston Galveston Texas77554USAAbstract Coastal restoration projects to mitigate environmental impacts have increased global demand for sand resources. Unfortunately, these resources are often extracted from sand/shell banks on the inner continental shelf, resulting in significant alteration or loss of low‐relief reefs in coastal oceans. Experimental reefs (oyster shell, limestone rubble, composite) were deployed in the western Gulf of Mexico to assess their potential value as nurseries for newly settled reef fishes. Occurrence, abundance, and species richness of juvenile fishes were significantly higher on all three types of low‐relief reefs compared with unconsolidated sediment. Moreover, reefs served as nursery habitat for a range of reef fish taxa (angelfishes, grunts, sea basses, snappers, and triggerfishes). Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) was the dominant species present on all experimental reefs (100% occurrence), and mean density of this species was markedly higher on each of the three low‐relief reefs (>40.0 individuals/reef) relative to comparable areas over unconsolidated sediment (0.2 individuals). Our results suggest creation or restoration of structurally complex habitat on the inner shelf has the potential to markedly increase early life survival and expedite the recovery of exploited reef fish populations, and therefore may represent a critical conservation tool for increasing recruitment and maintaining reef fish diversity.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3542coastal restorationcontinental shelfdredgingGulf of Mexicojuvenilelow‐relief reef |
| spellingShingle | Michael A. Dance Jay R. Rooker Richard J. Kline Antonietta Quigg Gregory R. Stunz R. J. David Wells Kirsten Lara Jessica Lee Bobbie Suarez Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes Ecosphere coastal restoration continental shelf dredging Gulf of Mexico juvenile low‐relief reef |
| title | Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes |
| title_full | Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes |
| title_fullStr | Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes |
| title_short | Importance of low‐relief nursery habitat for reef fishes |
| title_sort | importance of low relief nursery habitat for reef fishes |
| topic | coastal restoration continental shelf dredging Gulf of Mexico juvenile low‐relief reef |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3542 |
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