Do Mangroves Serve as Nurseries for Caribbean Coral Reef Fish?
Grippo RS and McKnight SR. Do Mangroves Serve as Nurseries for Caribbean Coral Reef Fish?. Research Permit and Reporting System
Coral reefs support high fish diversity. Pacific work shows diversity is affected by mangroves and water quality. Is Caribbean diversity similarly affected? Fish surveys and water quality in USVI mangroves and near and distant reefs indicate that species richness was higher in far sites, and more juveniles in mangroves. Water temp. affected richness and % juveniles, PO2 levels affected fish density, juvenile #, and fish richness. The “mangroves as coral reef nurseries” hypothesis is supported.