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Estimating the role of three mesopredatory fishes in coral reef food webs at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

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Abstract

Within the complex food webs that occur on coral reefs, mesopredatory fish consume small-bodied prey and transfer accumulated biomass to other trophic levels. We estimated biomass, growth and mortality rates of three common mesopredators from Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to calculate their annual turnover rates and potential contribution to local trophic dynamics. Biomass estimates of the serranid Epinephelus rivulatus (4.46 ± 0.76 g m−2) were an order of magnitude greater than two smaller-bodied mesopredatory fishes, Pseudochromis fuscus (0.10 ± 0.03 g m−2) and Parapercis clathrata (0.23 ± 0.31 g m−2). Growth parameters generated from a von Bertalanffy growth function fitted to size-at-age data, however, indicated that mortality rates for the three mesopredators were similar and that 32–55 % of fish survived each year. Consequently, interspecific differences in annual turnover rates among E. rivulatus (1.9 g m−2 yr−1), Pa. clathrata (0.10 g m−2 yr−1) and Ps. fuscus (0.07 g m−2 yr−1) were an artefact of differences in local biomass estimates. The rapid turnover estimates for E. rivulatus suggest this species is an important conduit of energy within the isolated patch reef habitat where it is typically found, while Ps. fuscus and Pa. clathrata channel smaller amounts of energy from specific habitats in the Ningaloo lagoon. Apparent differences in habitat, diet and turnover rates of the three species examined provide an insight into the different roles these species play in coral reef food webs and suggest that life-history traits allow for variability in the local and spatial contribution of these species at Ningaloo Reef. Moreover, calculating turnover rates of a broader suite of fish species from a range of trophic groups will help better define the role of fishes in coral reef trophic dynamics.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Department of Parks and Wildlife, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Western Australian Marine Science Institution for financial and logistical support, E. Ashworth, T. Holmes, P. Tinkler, K. Cure, S. Payet and C. Armstrong for assistance in the field and laboratory, A. Halford for statistical advice, and W. Robbins and M. Mackie for otolith reading advice. The research was conducted under permits from the Department of Parks and Wildlife (Perth, Western Australia), the Department of Fisheries (Perth, Western Australia), and in accordance with Curtin University’s Animal Ethics Guidelines. Superimposed images were taken from Allen (2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, PO Box 1987, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia

    Emma C. Thillainath & Jennifer L. McIlwain

  2. Marine Science Program, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia

    Shaun K. Wilson

  3. Australian Institute of Marine Science, The University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Martial Depczynski

  4. Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Shaun K. Wilson & Martial Depczynski

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  1. Emma C. Thillainath
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  2. Jennifer L. McIlwain
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  4. Martial Depczynski
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Correspondence to Emma C. Thillainath.

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Thillainath, E.C., McIlwain, J.L., Wilson, S.K. et al. Estimating the role of three mesopredatory fishes in coral reef food webs at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Coral Reefs 35, 261–269 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-015-1367-y

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