Goatley Christopher Harry Robert, Bellwood David Roy
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
Proc Biol Sci. 2016 Oct 26;283(1841). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1858.
Body size is closely linked to mortality rates in many animals, although the overarching patterns in this relationship have rarely been considered for multiple species. A meta-analysis of published size-specific mortality rates for coral reef fishes revealed an exponential decline in mortality rate with increasing body size, however, within this broad relationship there are three distinct phases. Phase one is characterized by naive fishes recruiting to reefs, which suffer extremely high mortality rates. In this well-studied phase, fishes must learn quickly to survive the many predation risks. After just a few days, the surviving fishes enter phase two, in which small increases in body size result in pronounced increases in lifespan (estimated 11 d mm). Remarkably, approximately 50% of reef fish individuals remain in phase two throughout their lives. Once fishes reach a size threshold of about 43 mm total length (TL) they enter phase three, where mortality rates are relatively low and the pressure to grow is presumably, significantly reduced. These phases provide a clearer understanding of the impact of body size on mortality rates in coral reef fishes and begin to reveal critical insights into the energetic and trophic dynamics of coral reefs.
在许多动物中，体型大小与死亡率密切相关，尽管这种关系的总体模式很少在多个物种中得到考虑。对已发表的珊瑚礁鱼类特定体型死亡率的一项荟萃分析显示，随着体型增大，死亡率呈指数下降，然而，在这种广泛的关系中存在三个不同阶段。第一阶段的特征是刚在珊瑚礁上定居的幼鱼，它们的死亡率极高。在这个经过充分研究的阶段，鱼类必须迅速学会如何在众多捕食风险中生存。仅仅几天后，存活下来的鱼进入第二阶段，在此阶段，体型的微小增加会导致寿命显著延长（估计每毫米体长可延长11天）。值得注意的是，大约50%的珊瑚礁鱼类个体一生都处于第二阶段。一旦鱼类达到大约43毫米的全长尺寸阈值，它们就进入第三阶段，此时死亡率相对较低，生长压力可能也会显著降低。这些阶段让我们更清楚地了解体型大小对珊瑚礁鱼类死亡率的影响，并开始揭示有关珊瑚礁能量和营养动态的关键见解。
