Cross-habitat patterns of sediment transport and release by surgeonfishes

Authors

Sterling B. Tebbett
David R. Bellwood
James Gahan
Isabelle Ng
Alexandre C. Siqueira, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Author Identifier

Alexandre C. Siqueira: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7970-4024

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Coral Reefs

Publisher

Springer

School

Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research / School of Science

RAS ID

77129

Funders

Australian Research Council / Ian Potter Foundation / Chris Joscelyne Postdoctoral Fellowship / Australian Museum’s Lizard Island Research Station

Grant Number

ARC Number : FL190100062

Comments

Tebbett, S. B., Bellwood, D. R., Gahan, J., Ng, I., & Siqueira, A. C. (2024). Cross-habitat patterns of sediment transport and release by surgeonfishes. Coral Reefs. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-024-02586-6

Abstract

Building a comprehensive understanding of geo-ecological functions is viewed as a critical step in the quantification of carbonate and sediment budgets on coral reefs. Although parrotfishes are known to play key roles in such functions, the roles of surgeonfishes are less well understood. This is despite surgeonfishes being some of the largest and most abundant, nominally herbivorous fishes on reefs, with the potential to play a major role in sediment dynamics. Here, we quantified the role of four focal surgeonfish species across two functional groups (sediment suckers and brushers) in cross-habitat sediment dynamics by combining data on behavioural observations, fish abundance, gut content analysis, and published gut throughput rates. On average, these surgeonfish species together were estimated to rework and/or transport 71.4 ± 12.7 kg 100 m−2 year−1 of sediment. A single 30–35 cm surgeonfish was estimated to rework ~ 36 kg individual−1 year−1, a value equivalent to that of large parrotfishes. However, the two functional groups of surgeonfishes contributed to sediment dynamics in fundamentally different ways. The brusher, Ctenochaetus striatus, was primarily involved in on-reef sediment reworking. In contrast, the three sediment suckers were primarily involved in off-reef sediment reworking and in driving a potential net flux of sediment onto the reef. These results highlight the importance of off-reef shallow sand habitats as key feeding grounds for some surgeonfishes, as well as the role of these surgeonfishes in connecting off-reef habitats to reefs via biological sediment fluxes.

DOI

10.1007/s00338-024-02586-6

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