Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier Reef
Abstract Escalating climate and anthropogenic disturbances draw into question how stable large-scale patterns in biological diversity are in the Anthropocene. Here, we analyse how patterns of reef fish diversity have changed from 1995 to 2022 by examining local diversity and species dissimilarity al...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55128-7 |
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| author | F. Javier González-Barrios Sally A. Keith Michael J. Emslie Daniela M. Ceccarelli Gareth J. Williams Nicholas A. J. Graham |
| author_facet | F. Javier González-Barrios Sally A. Keith Michael J. Emslie Daniela M. Ceccarelli Gareth J. Williams Nicholas A. J. Graham |
| author_sort | F. Javier González-Barrios |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Escalating climate and anthropogenic disturbances draw into question how stable large-scale patterns in biological diversity are in the Anthropocene. Here, we analyse how patterns of reef fish diversity have changed from 1995 to 2022 by examining local diversity and species dissimilarity along a large latitudinal gradient of the Great Barrier Reef and to what extent this correlates with changes in coral cover and coral composition. We find that reef fish species richness followed the expected latitudinal diversity pattern (i.e., greater species richness toward lower latitudes), yet has undergone significant change across space and time. We find declines in species richness at lower latitudes in recent periods but high variability at higher latitudes. Reef fish turnover continuously increased over time at all latitudes and did not show evidence of a return. Altered diversity patterns are characterised by heterogeneous changes in reef fish trophic groups across the latitudinal gradient. Shifts in coral composition correlate more strongly with reef fish diversity changes than fluctuations in coral cover. Our findings provide insight into the extent to which classic macroecological patterns are maintained in the Anthropocene, ultimately questioning whether these patterns are decoupling from their original underlying drivers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e85b22ea0b8d46e4a7a2e5c2bbe84d3b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-e85b22ea0b8d46e4a7a2e5c2bbe84d3b2025-01-19T12:31:33ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111110.1038/s41467-024-55128-7Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier ReefF. Javier González-Barrios0Sally A. Keith1Michael J. Emslie2Daniela M. Ceccarelli3Gareth J. Williams4Nicholas A. J. Graham5Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster UniversityLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster UniversityAustralian Institute of Marine ScienceAustralian Institute of Marine ScienceSchool of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai BridgeLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster UniversityAbstract Escalating climate and anthropogenic disturbances draw into question how stable large-scale patterns in biological diversity are in the Anthropocene. Here, we analyse how patterns of reef fish diversity have changed from 1995 to 2022 by examining local diversity and species dissimilarity along a large latitudinal gradient of the Great Barrier Reef and to what extent this correlates with changes in coral cover and coral composition. We find that reef fish species richness followed the expected latitudinal diversity pattern (i.e., greater species richness toward lower latitudes), yet has undergone significant change across space and time. We find declines in species richness at lower latitudes in recent periods but high variability at higher latitudes. Reef fish turnover continuously increased over time at all latitudes and did not show evidence of a return. Altered diversity patterns are characterised by heterogeneous changes in reef fish trophic groups across the latitudinal gradient. Shifts in coral composition correlate more strongly with reef fish diversity changes than fluctuations in coral cover. Our findings provide insight into the extent to which classic macroecological patterns are maintained in the Anthropocene, ultimately questioning whether these patterns are decoupling from their original underlying drivers.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55128-7 |
| spellingShingle | F. Javier González-Barrios Sally A. Keith Michael J. Emslie Daniela M. Ceccarelli Gareth J. Williams Nicholas A. J. Graham Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier Reef Nature Communications |
| title | Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier Reef |
| title_full | Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier Reef |
| title_fullStr | Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier Reef |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier Reef |
| title_short | Emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the Great Barrier Reef |
| title_sort | emergent patterns of reef fish diversity correlate with coral assemblage shifts along the great barrier reef |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55128-7 |
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