Relationships between coral reef substrata and fish (original) (raw)

Abstract.

The objective of this work is to identify which substrata characteristics (such as coral morphology, coral diversity, coral species richness, percentage coverage by live coral or by algae) influence the structure and abundance of fish communities. The study was carried out at Reunion Island, Indian Ocean, where six sites were sampled in two zones (reef flat and outer reef slope). Quantitative data were collected by visual census techniques, along a linear transect of 50 m for the substratum, and a belt of 50×2 m for the fish communities. Correspondence analysis (CA) and an optimising cluster analysis, called dynamic clustering method (DCM) were used to describe and compare fish assemblages with the benthic composition. The relationships between benthic and fish communities were examined using the classes revealed by the partitioning of the substratum with DCM. This partitioning allowed us to derive four classes of substratum: the non-disturbed reef flat, the non-disturbed outer reef slope, the perturbed reef habitat and the reef pass. The analysis of the partitioning based on the coral variables suggests that there are significant relationships between benthic and fish assemblages.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Laboratoire d’Écologie marine, Université de La Réunion, BP 7151. 97715 St-Denis Messag Cedex 9. La Réunion, France, , , , , , FR
   P. Chabanet & M. Amanieu
2. Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, URA 1453 CNRS, Université de Perpignan 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France, , , , , , FR
   R. Galzin
3. Institut de Recherche en Mathématiques et Informatique Appliqués, Université de La Réunion, BP 7151. 97715 St-Denis Messag Cedex 9. La Réunion, France, , , , , , FR
   H. Ralambondrainy
4. I.S.I.M. (Sciences et Techniques de l’eau), Université de Montpellier Place Eugène Bataillon. 34095 Montpellier cedex, France, , , , , , FR
   G. Faure

Authors

1. P. Chabanet
2. H. Ralambondrainy
3. M. Amanieu
4. G. Faure
5. R. Galzin

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Accepted: 26 July 1996

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Chabanet, P., Ralambondrainy, H., Amanieu, M. et al. Relationships between coral reef substrata and fish.Coral Reefs 16, 93–102 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003380050063

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• Issue date: June 1997
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s003380050063

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