Paddack Michelle J, Reynolds John D, Aguilar Consuelo, Appeldoorn Richard S, Beets Jim, Burkett Edward W, Chittaro Paul M, Clarke Kristen, Esteves Rene, Fonseca Ana C, Forrester Graham E, Friedlander Alan M, García-Sais Jorge, González-Sansón Gaspar, Jordan Lance K B, McClellan David B, Miller Margaret W, Molloy Philip P, Mumby Peter J, Nagelkerken Ivan, Nemeth Michael, Navas-Camacho Raúl, Pitt Joanna, Polunin Nicholas V C, Reyes-Nivia Maria Catalina, Robertson D Ross, Rodríguez-Ramírez Alberto, Salas Eva, Smith Struan R, Spieler Richard E, Steele Mark A, Williams Ivor D, Wormald Clare L, Watkinson Andrew R, Côté Isabelle M
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
Curr Biol. 2009 Apr 14;19(7):590-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.02.041. Epub 2009 Mar 19.
Profound ecological changes are occurring on coral reefs throughout the tropics, with marked coral cover losses and concomitant algal increases, particularly in the Caribbean region. Historical declines in the abundance of large Caribbean reef fishes likely reflect centuries of overexploitation. However, effects of drastic recent degradation of reef habitats on reef fish assemblages have yet to be established. By using meta-analysis, we analyzed time series of reef fish density obtained from 48 studies that include 318 reefs across the Caribbean and span the time period 1955-2007. Our analyses show that overall reef fish density has been declining significantly for more than a decade, at rates that are consistent across all subregions of the Caribbean basin (2.7% to 6.0% loss per year) and in three of six trophic groups. Changes in fish density over the past half-century are modest relative to concurrent changes in benthic cover on Caribbean reefs. However, the recent significant decline in overall fish abundance and its consistency across several trophic groups and among both fished and nonfished species indicate that Caribbean fishes have begun to respond negatively to habitat degradation.
整个热带地区的珊瑚礁正在发生深刻的生态变化，珊瑚覆盖率显著下降，藻类大量繁殖，尤其是在加勒比地区。加勒比大型珊瑚礁鱼类数量的历史性下降可能反映了几个世纪的过度捕捞。然而，近期珊瑚礁栖息地急剧退化对礁栖鱼类群落的影响尚未明确。通过荟萃分析，我们分析了从48项研究中获得的礁栖鱼类密度时间序列，这些研究涵盖了加勒比地区的318个珊瑚礁，时间跨度为1955年至2007年。我们的分析表明，十多年来，整个礁栖鱼类密度一直在显著下降，加勒比海盆所有次区域的下降速度一致（每年损失2.7%至6.0%），六个营养组中有三个营养组也是如此。相对于加勒比珊瑚礁底栖生物覆盖率的同期变化，过去半个世纪鱼类密度的变化较小。然而，近期整个鱼类数量的显著下降以及其在几个营养组以及捕捞和未捕捞物种中的一致性表明，加勒比鱼类已开始对栖息地退化做出负面反应。
