Mumby Peter J, Edwards Alasdair J, Arias-González J Ernesto, Lindeman Kenyon C, Blackwell Paul G, Gall Angela, Gorczynska Malgosia I, Harborne Alastair R, Pescod Claire L, Renken Henk, Wabnitz Colette C C, Llewellyn Ghislane
Marine Spatial Ecology Laboratory, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Exeter, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK.
Nature. 2004 Feb 5;427(6974):533-6. doi: 10.1038/nature02286.
Mangrove forests are one of the world's most threatened tropical ecosystems with global loss exceeding 35% (ref. 1). Juvenile coral reef fish often inhabit mangroves, but the importance of these nurseries to reef fish population dynamics has not been quantified. Indeed, mangroves might be expected to have negligible influence on reef fish communities: juvenile fish can inhabit alternative habitats and fish populations may be regulated by other limiting factors such as larval supply or fishing. Here we show that mangroves are unexpectedly important, serving as an intermediate nursery habitat that may increase the survivorship of young fish. Mangroves in the Caribbean strongly influence the community structure of fish on neighbouring coral reefs. In addition, the biomass of several commercially important species is more than doubled when adult habitat is connected to mangroves. The largest herbivorous fish in the Atlantic, Scarus guacamaia, has a functional dependency on mangroves and has suffered local extinction after mangrove removal. Current rates of mangrove deforestation are likely to have severe deleterious consequences for the ecosystem function, fisheries productivity and resilience of reefs. Conservation efforts should protect connected corridors of mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs.
红树林是世界上受威胁最严重的热带生态系统之一，全球红树林损失超过35%（参考文献1）。幼年珊瑚礁鱼常栖息于红树林，但这些育苗场对礁鱼种群动态的重要性尚未得到量化。实际上，人们可能认为红树林对礁鱼群落的影响微乎其微：幼鱼可以栖息于其他栖息地，而且鱼类种群可能受其他限制因素调控，如幼体供应或捕捞。在此我们表明，红树林出人意料地重要，它作为一个中间育苗栖息地，可能会提高幼鱼的存活率。加勒比地区的红树林对邻近珊瑚礁上鱼类的群落结构有强烈影响。此外，当成年鱼栖息地与红树林相连时，几种具有商业重要性的鱼类的生物量会增加一倍多。大西洋最大的草食性鱼类，即太平洋鹦嘴鱼，对红树林有功能依赖性，在红树林被砍伐后已在当地灭绝。当前红树林砍伐率可能会对珊瑚礁的生态系统功能、渔业生产力和恢复力产生严重的有害后果。保护工作应保护红树林、海草床和珊瑚礁的连通走廊。
