National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Key Largo, Florida, USA.
PLoS One. 2010 May 26;5(5):e10835. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010835.
The threespot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons (Cuvier), is important in mediating interactions among corals, algae, and herbivores on Caribbean coral reefs. The preferred microhabitat of S. planifrons is thickets of the branching staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis. Within the past few decades, mass mortality of A. cervicornis from white-band disease and other factors has rendered this coral a minor ecological component throughout most of its range.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Survey data from Jamaica (heavily fished), Florida and the Bahamas (moderately fished), the Cayman Islands (lightly to moderately fished), and Belize (lightly fished) indicate that distributional patterns of S. planifrons are positively correlated with live coral cover and topographic complexity. Our results suggest that species-specific microhabitat preferences and the availability of topographically complex microhabitats are more important than the abundance of predatory fish as proximal controls on S. planifrons distribution and abundance.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The loss of the primary microhabitat of S. planifrons-A. cervicornis-has forced a shift in the distribution and recruitment of these damselfish onto remaining high-structured corals, especially the Montastraea annularis species complex, affecting coral mortality and algal dynamics throughout the Caribbean.
三点雀鲷（Stegastes planifrons）是加勒比珊瑚礁中一种重要的鱼类，它在调节珊瑚、藻类和草食动物之间的相互作用方面起着关键作用。三点雀鲷偏好的微生境是鹿角珊瑚（Acropora cervicornis）的茂密灌木丛。在过去的几十年里，由于白边病和其他因素的影响，鹿角珊瑚大量死亡，使其在大多数分布区域中成为次要的生态组成部分。
方法/主要发现：来自牙买加（过度捕捞）、佛罗里达和巴哈马群岛（适度捕捞）、开曼群岛（轻度至中度捕捞）和伯利兹（轻度捕捞）的调查数据表明，三点雀鲷的分布模式与活珊瑚覆盖率和地形复杂性呈正相关。我们的研究结果表明，特定物种的微生境偏好和地形复杂的微生境的可用性比掠食性鱼类的丰度更能作为三点雀鲷分布和丰度的近因控制因素。
结论/意义：三点雀鲷主要微生境——鹿角珊瑚的丧失，迫使这些雀鲷的分布和繁殖转移到剩余的高结构珊瑚上，特别是密环珊瑚物种复合体，这影响了整个加勒比地区的珊瑚死亡率和藻类动态。
