Fish communities on the world's warmest reefs: What can they tell us about the effects of climate change in the future?

Journal of Fish Biology

Volumn 77, Issue 8, 2010, Pages 1931-1947

  Feary, D A ^a   Burt, J A ^b   Bauman, A G ^a,c   Usseglio, P ^a,d   Sale, P F ^a   Cavalcante, G H ^a,e  

^a United Nations University   (Canada)

^b NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ABU DHABI   (United Arab Emirates)

^c JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

^d UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII   (United States)

^e URS CORPORATION   (United States)

Author keywords

Arabian Gulf; Climate change; Coral reef fishes; Gulf of Oman; Persian Gulf; Temperature

Indexed keywords

ANIMAL; ARTICLE; BIODIVERSITY; CLIMATE CHANGE; COMPARATIVE STUDY; CORAL REEF; FISH; INDIAN OCEAN; PHYSIOLOGY; POPULATION DENSITY;

ANIMALS; BIODIVERSITY; CLIMATE CHANGE; CORAL REEFS; FISHES; INDIAN OCEAN; POPULATION DENSITY;

ANTHOZOA; MARTES PENNANTI; PISCES;

EID: 78449298994     PISSN: 00221112     EISSN: 10958649     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02777.x     Document Type: Article

References (70)

1. Baker, A. C., Glynn, P. W. & Riegl, B. (2008). Climate change and coral reef bleaching: an ecological assessment of long-term impacts, recovery trends and future outlook. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 80, 435-471. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2008.09.003
2. Beaugrand, G., Edwards, M., Brander, K. M., Luczak, C. & Ibañez, F. (2008). Causes and projections of abrupt climate-driven ecosystem shifts in the North Atlantic. Ecology Letters 11, 1157-1168. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01218.x
3. Behrenfeld, M. J., O'Malley, R. T., Siegel, D. A., McClain, C. R., Sarmiento, J. L., Feldman, G. C., Milligan, A. J., Falkowski, P. G., Letelier, R. M. & Boss, E. S. (2006). Climate-driven trends in contemporary ocean productivity. Nature 444, 752-755. doi: 10.1038/ nature05317
4. Bohm, E., Morrison, J. M., Manghnani, V., Kim, H.-S. & Flagg, C. N. (1999). The Ras al Hadd Jet: remotely sensed and acoustic Doppler current profiler observations in 1994-1995. Deep-Sea Research II 46, 1531-1549.
5. Booth, D. J. (1995). Juvenile groups in a coral-reef damselfish: density-dependent effects on individual fitness and population demography. Ecology 76, 91-106.
6. Bradbury, J. (2008). Coral reefs and climate change. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6, 354-354.
7. Brock, J., Sathyendranath, S. & Platt, T. (1994). A model study of seasonal mixed-layer primary production in the Arabian Sea. Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science, Earth and Planetary Sciences 103, 163-176.
8. Brown, C. J., Fulton, E. A., Hobday, A. J., Matear, R. J., Possingham, H. P., Bulman, C., Christensen, V., Forrest, R. E., Gehrke, P. C., Gribble, N. A., Griffith, S. P., Lozano-Montes, H., Martin, J. M., Metcalf, S., Okey, T. A., Watson, R. & Richardson, A. J. (2010). Effects of climate-driven primary production change on marine food webs: implications for fisheries and conservation. Global Change Biology 16, 1194-1212. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02046.x
9. Burt, J., Bartholomew, A. & Usseglio, P. (2008). Recovery of corals a decade after a bleaching event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Marine Biology 154, 27-36. doi: 10.1007/ s00227-007-0892-9
10. Burt, J., Bartholomew, A., Usseglio, P., Bauman, A. & Sale, P. F. (2009). Are artificial reefs surrogates of natural habitats for corals and fish in Dubai, United Arab Emirates? Coral Reefs 28, 663-675. doi: 10.1007/s00338-009-0500-1
11. Carpenter, K. E., Abrar, M., Aeby, G., Aronson, R. B., Banks, S., Bruckner, A. Chiriboga, A., Cortes, J., Delbeek, J. C., DeVantier, L., Edgar, G. J., Edwards, A. J., Fenner, D., Guzman, H. M., Hoeksema, B. W., Hodgson, G., Johan, O., Licuanan, W. Y., Livingstone, S. R., Lovell, E. R., Moore, J. A., Obura, D. O., Ochavillo, D., Polidoro, B. A., Precht, W. F., Quibilan, M. C., Reboton, C., Richards, Z. T., Rogers, A. D., Sanciangco, J., Sheppard, A., Sheppard, C., Smith, J., Stuart, S., Turak, E., Veron, J. E. N., Wallace, C., Weil, E. & Wood, E. (2008). One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts. Science 321, 560-563. doi: 10.1126/science.1159196
12. Chown, S. L. & Gaston, K. J. (2008). Macrophysiology for a changing world. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 275, 1469-1478. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0137
13. Clarke, K. R. & Warwick, R. M. (1994). Changes in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation. Plymouth: NERC Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
14. Clarke, K. & Warwick, R. (2001). Changes in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation. Plymouth: PRIMER-E Ltd.
15. Coles, S. L. (1997). Reef corals occurring in a highly fluctuating temperature environment at Fahal Island, Gulf of Oman (Indian Ocean). Coral Reefs 16, 269-272.
16. Coles, S. L. (2003). Coral species diversity and environmental factors in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman: a comparison to the Indo-Pacific region. Atoll Research Bulletin 507, 1-19.
17. Coles, S. & Tarr, A. (1990). Reef fish assemblages in the western Arabian Gulf: a geographically isolated population in an extreme environment. Bulletin of Marine Science 47, 696-720.
18. Feary, D. A., Almany, G. R., McCormick, M. I. & Jones, G. P. (2007). Habitat choice, recruitment and the response of coral reef fishes to coral degradation. Oecologia 153, 727-737. doi: 10.1007/s00442-007-0773-4
19. Feary, D. A., McCormick, M. I. & Jones, G. P. (2009). Growth of reef fishes in response to live coral cover. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 373, 45-49. doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2009.03.002
20. Figueira, W. F., Biro, P., Booth, D. J. & Valenzuela, V. C. (2009). Performance of tropical fish recruiting to temperate habitats: role of ambient temperature and implications of climate change. Marine Ecology Progress Series 384, 231-239. doi: 10.3354/meps08057
21. Fonseca, V. F. & Cabral, H. N. (2007). Are fish early growth and condition patterns related to life-history strategies? Reviews of Fish Biology and Fisheries 17, 545-564. doi: 10.1007/s11160-007-9054-x
22. Gilman, E. L., Ellison, J., Duke, N. C. & Field, C. (2008). Threats to mangroves from climate change and adaptation options: a review. Aquatic Botany 89, 237-250. doi: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2007.12.009
23. Gotelli, N. J. & Colwell, R. K. (2001). Quantifying biodiversity: procedures and pitfalls in the measurement and comparison of species richness. Ecology Letters 4, 379-391.
24. Graham, N. A. J., Wilson, S. K., Jennings, S., Polunin, N. V. C., Bijoux, J. P. & Robinson, J. (2006). Dynamic fragility of oceanic coral reef ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 103, 8425-8429. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0600693103
25. Harley, C. D. G., Hughes, A. R., Hultgren, K. M., Miner, B. G., Sorte, C. J. B., Thornber, C. S., Rodriguez, L. F., Tomanek, L. & Williams, S. L. (2006). The impacts of climate change in coastal marine systems. Ecology Letters 9, 228-241. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00871.x
26. Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (1999). Climate change, coral bleaching and the future of the world's coral reefs. Marine and Freshwater Research 8, 839-866.
27. Holbrook, S. J. & Schmitt, R. J. (2002). Competition for shelter space causes density dependent predation mortality in damselfishes. Ecology 83, 2855-2868.
28. Hurst, T. P. (2007). Causes and consequences of winter mortality in fishes. Journal of Fish Biology 71, 315-345. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01596.x
29. IPCC (2007). Summary for policymakers. In Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (Parry, M. L., Canziani, O. F., Palutilof, J. P., Van Der Linden, P. J. & Hanson, G. E., eds), pp 7-12. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
30. Jackson, J. B. C., Kirby, M. X., Berger, W. H., Bjorndal, K. A., Botsford, L. W., Bourque, B. J., Bradbury, R. H., Cooke, R., Erlandson, J., Estes, J. A., Hughes, T. P., Kidwell, S., Lange, C. B., Lenihan, H. S., Pandolfi, J. M., Peterson, C. H., Steneck, R. S., Tegner, M. J. & Warner, R. R. (2001). Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems. Science 293, 629-638.
31. Kemp, J. M. (1998). Zoogeography of the coral reef fishes of the Socotra Archipelago. Journal of Biogeography 25, 919-933.
32. Kinsman, D. J. J. (1964). Reef coral tolerance of high temperatures and salinities. Nature 202, 1280-1282.
33. Kitchell, J. F., Stewart, D. J. & Weininger, D. (1977). Applications of a bioenergetics model to yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum). Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 34, 1922-1935.
34. Kohler, K. & Gill, S. (2006). Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe): a Visual Basic program for the determination of coral and substrate coverage using random point count methodology. Computers and Geoscience 32, 1259-1269. doi: 10.1016/j.cageo.2005. 11.009
35. McCune, B. & Grace, J. (2002). Analysis of Ecological Communities. Gleneden Beach, OR: MjM Software Design.
36. McKinnon, A. D., Richardson, A. J., Burford, M. E. & Furnas, M. J. (2007). Vulnerability of Great Barrier Reef plankton to climate change. In Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef: A Vulnerability Assessment (Johnson, J. E. & Marshall, P.A., eds), pp. 121-152. Townsville: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
37. Moore, S. K., Trainer, V. L., Mantua, N. J., Parker, M. S., Laws, E. A., Backer, L. C. & Fleming, L. E. (2008). Impacts of climate variability and future climate change on harmful algal blooms and human health. Environmental Health 7, S4. doi: 10.1186/ 1476-069X-7-S2-S4
38. Munday, P. L. & Jones, G. P. (1998). The ecological implications of small body size among coral-reef fishes. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 36, 373-411.
39. Munday, P. L., Jones, G. P., Pratchett, M. S. & Williams, A. J. (2008). Climate change and the future for coral reef fishes. Fish and Fisheries 9, 261-285.
40. Nezlin, N. P., Polikarpov, I. G. & Al-Yamani, F. (2007). Satellite-measured chlorophyll distribution in the Arabian Gulf: spatial, seasonal and inter-annual variability. International Journal of Oceans and Oceanography 2, 139-156.
41. Nilsson, G. E., Crawley, N., Lunde, I. G. & Munday, P. L. (2009). Elevated temperature reduces the respiratory scope of coral reef fishes. Global Change Biology 15, 1405-1412. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01767.x
42. Pratchett, M. S., Munday, P. L., Wilson, S. K., Graham, N. A. J., Cinner, J. E., Bellwood, D. R., Jones, G. P., Polunin, N. V. C. & McClanahan, T. R. (2008). Effects of climate-induced coral bleaching on coral-reef fishes - ecological and economic consequences. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 46, 251-296.
43. Price, A. R. G. (2002). Simultaneous 'hotspots' and 'coldspots' of marine biodiversity and implications for global conservation. Marine Ecology Progress Series 241, 23-27.
44. Price, A. R. G., Sheppard, C. R. C. & Roberts, C. M. (1993). The Gulf: its biological setting. Marine Pollution Bulletin 27, 9-15.
45. Przeslawski, R., Ahyong, S., Byrne, M., Worheide, G. & Hutchings, P. (2008). Beyond corals and fish: the effects of climate change on noncoral benthic invertebrates of tropical reefs. Global Change Biology 14, 2773-2795. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01693.x
46. Purkis, S. J. & Riegl, B. (2005). Spatial and temporal dynamics of Arabian Gulf coral assemblages quantified from remote-sensing and in situ monitoring data. Marine Ecology Progress Series 287, 99-113.
47. Randall, J. (1995). Coastal Fishes of Oman. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
48. Reynolds, M. R. (1993). Physical oceanography of the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman - results from the Mt. Mitchell Expedition. Marine Pollution Bulletin 27, 35-39.
49. Richardson, A. J. & Schoeman, D. S. (2004). Climate impact on plankton ecosystems in the Northeast Atlantic. Science 305, 1609-1612.
50. Richlen, M. L., Morton, S. L., Jamali, E. A., Rajan, A. & Anderson, D. M. (2010). The catastrophic 2008-2009 red tide in the Arabian Gulf region, with observations on the identification and phylogeny of the fish-killing dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides. Harmful Algae 9, 163-172. doi: 10.1016/j.hal.2009.08.013
51. Riegl, B. (1999). Corals in a non-reef setting in the southern Arabian Gulf (Dubai, UAE): fauna and community structure in response to recurring mass mortality. Coral Reefs 18, 63-73.
52. Riegl, B. (2001). Inhibition of reef framework by frequent disturbance: examples from the Arabian Gulf, South Africa, and the Cayman Islands. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology and Palaoecology 175, 79-101.
53. Riegl, B. (2003). Climate change and coral reefs: different effects in two high-latitude areas (Arabian Gulf, South Africa). Coral Reefs 22, 433-446. doi: 10.1007/s00338-003-0335-0
54. Roberts, C. M., Shepherd, A. R. D. & Ormond, R. F. G. (1992). Large-scale variation in assemblage structure of Red Sea butterflyfishes and angelfishes. Journal of Biogeography 19, 239-250.
55. Roessig, J. M., Woodley, C. M., Cech, J. J. J. & Hansen, L. J. (2004). Effects of global climate change on marine and estuarine fishes and fisheries. Review of Fish Biology and Fisheries 14, 251-275. doi: 10.1007/s11160-004-6749-0
56. Sarmiento, J. L., Slater, R., Barber, R., Bopp, L., Doney, S. C., Hirst, A. C., Kleypas, J., Matear, R., Mikolajewicz, U., Monfray, P., Soldatov, V., Spall, S. A. & Stouffer, R. (2004). Response of ocean ecosystems to climate warming. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 18, GB3003. doi: 10.1029/2003GB002134
57. Schils, T. & Wilson, S. C. (2006). Temperature threshold as a biogeographic barrier in northern Indian Ocean macroalgae. Journal of Phycology 42, 749-756. doi: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2006.00242.x
58. Sheppard, C. R. C. (1987). Coral species of the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas: a synonymized compilation and some regional distribution patterns. Atoll Research Bulletin 307, 1-32.
59. Sheppard, C. R. C. (1993). Physical environment of the Gulf relevant to marine pollution: an overview. Marine Pollution Bulletin 27, 3-8.
60. Sheppard, C. & Loughland, R. (2002). Coral mortality and recovery in response to increasing temperature in the southern Arabian Gulf. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 5, 395-402.
61. Sheppard, C. & Sheppard, A. (1991). Corals and coral communities of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 12, 3-17.
62. Sheppard, C., Price, A. & Roberts, C. (1992). Marine Ecology of the Arabian Region: Patterns and Processes in Extreme Tropical Environments. Toronto: Academic Press.
63. Sheppard, C. R. C., Wilson, S. C., Salm, R. V. & Dixon, D. (2000). Reefs and coral communities of the Arabian Gulf and Arabian Sea. In Coral reefs of the Indian Ocean: their Ecology and Conservation (McClanahan, T. R., Sheppard, C. R. C. & Obura, D. O., eds), pp. 257-293. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
64. Stewart, B. D. & Jones, G. P. (2001). Associations between the abundance of piscivorous fishes and their prey on coral reefs: implications for prey-fish mortality. Marine Biology 138, 383-397.
65. Tabachnick, B. & Fidell, L. (2001). Using Multivariate Statistics. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
66. Veron, J. (2000). Corals of the World. Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science.
67. Wilson, S. C. (2007). Ecology of coral communities in a marginal environment: southern Arabia. PhD Thesis, University of Warwick, U.K.
68. Wilson, S. K., Adjeroud, M., Bellwood, D. R., Berumen, M. L., Booth, D., Bozec, Y.-M., Chabanet, P., Cheal, A., Cinner, J., Depczynski, M., Feary, D. A., Gagliano, M., Graham, N. A. J., Halford, A. R., Halpern, B. S., Harborne, A. R., Hoey, A. S., Holbrook, S. J., Jones, G. P., Kulbiki, M., Letourneur, Y., De Loma, T. L., McClanahan, T., McCormick, M. I., Meekan, M. G., Mumby, P. J., Munday, P. L., Öhman, M. C., Pratchett, M. S., Riegl, B., Sano, M., Schmitt, R. J. & Syms, C. (2010). Critical knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes. Journal of Experimental Biology 213, 894-900. doi: 10.1242/jeb.037895
69. Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (Eds) (2009). FishBase. Available at (accessed May 2009).
70. Gotelli, N. J. & Entsminger, G. L. (2009). EcoSim: Null Models Software for Ecology. Version 7. Vericho, VT: Acquired Intelligence Inc. & Kesey-Bear. Available at