Species-Packing by Reef Fishes on Australian and Caribbean Reefs: An Experimental Approach
Bohnsack JA and Talbot FH. 1980. Species-Packing by Reef Fishes on Australian and Caribbean Reefs: An Experimental Approach. Bulletin of Marine Science. 30(3):710-723
Reef fishes rapidly colonized similar isolated model reefs in Australia and Florida. Observed at the model reefs were a similar total number of species. total number of families, species per residency category, and mean individuals per reef, despite the fact that the Australian site has appmximately twice the species pool available for colonization. Island biogeographic theory may explain the greater species pool reported from the Australian site. Contrary to the habitat resource partitioning hypothesis, finer within-habitat resource partitioning by the more species-rich Australian fauna was not observed. Florida had significantly more species per census which is possibly explained by the "intermediate disturbance'" hypothesis where disturbance is periodic cold weather.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Bohnsack, James; Talbot, Frank
- Units
- BISC
- Keywords
- Abundances, Apalachee Bay, Benthic, Biomass, Carnivorous, Deposit feeding, Diversity, Dominance, Econfina River, Epifaunal amphipods, Epifaunal polychaetes, Fenholloway River, Halophila engelmanni, Macrobenthic animals, macrofauna, Macrofloral biomass, macrophytes, omnivorous, Seagrass meadows, Sediment granulometry, Species, Suspension feeding, Syringodium, Thalassia testudinum, trophic organization, Vegetation