Birt Matthew J, Cure Katherine, Wilson Shaun, Newman Stephen J, Harvey Euan S, Meekan Mark, Speed Conrad, Heyward Andrew, Goetze Jordan, Gilmour James
The Australian Institute of Marine Science Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Cnr of Fairway and Service Road 4 Perth WA 6009 Australia.
Marine Science Program Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Government of Western Australia 17 Dick Perry Ave Kensington WA 6151 Australia.
Ecol Evol. 2021 Mar 16;11(9):4701-4718. doi: 10.1002/ece3.7370. eCollection 2021 May.
Anthropogenic impacts at isolated and inaccessible reefs are often minimal, offering rare opportunities to observe fish assemblages in a relatively undisturbed state. The remote Rowley Shoals are regarded as one of the healthiest reef systems in the Indian Ocean with demonstrated resilience to natural disturbance, no permanent human population nearby, low visitation rates, and large protected areas where fishing prohibitions are enforced. We used baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) to quantify fish assemblages and the relative abundance of regionally fished species within the lagoon, on the slope and in the mesophotic habitat at the Rowley Shoals at three times spanning 14 years and compared abundances of regionally fished species and the length distributions of predatory species to other isolated reefs in the northeast Indian Ocean. Fish assemblage composition and the relative abundance of regionally fished species were remarkably stable through time. We recorded high abundances of regionally fished species relative to other isolated reefs, including globally threatened humphead Maori wrasse (s) and bumphead parrotfish (). Length distributions of fish differed among habitats at the Rowley Shoals, suggesting differences in ontogenetic shifts among species. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands typically had larger-bodied predatory species than at the Rowley Shoals. Differences in geomorphology, lagoonal habitats, and fishing history likely contribute to the differences among remote reefs. Rowley Shoals is a rare example of a reef system demonstrating ecological stability in reef fish assemblages during a time of unprecedented degradation of coral reefs.
在偏远且难以到达的珊瑚礁，人为影响通常很小，这为观察处于相对未受干扰状态的鱼类群落提供了难得的机会。偏远的罗利沙洲被认为是印度洋最健康的珊瑚礁系统之一，已证明其对自然干扰具有恢复力，附近没有常住人口，游客到访率低，且有大片执行捕鱼禁令的保护区。我们使用了带饵遥控水下视频系统（BRUVS），在14年中的三个时间点，对罗利沙洲泻湖、斜坡和中光层栖息地的鱼类群落以及区域捕捞物种的相对丰度进行了量化，并将区域捕捞物种的丰度和捕食性物种的长度分布与印度洋东北部的其他偏远珊瑚礁进行了比较。鱼类群落组成和区域捕捞物种的相对丰度随时间变化显著稳定。与其他偏远珊瑚礁相比，我们记录到区域捕捞物种的丰度很高，包括全球受威胁的波纹唇鱼和驼头大鹦嘴鱼。罗利沙洲不同栖息地的鱼类长度分布有所不同，这表明不同物种在个体发育转变上存在差异。科科斯（基林）群岛的捕食性物种通常比罗利沙洲的体型更大。地貌、泻湖栖息地和捕鱼历史的差异可能导致了偏远珊瑚礁之间存在这些差异。罗利沙洲是一个罕见的例子，展示了在珊瑚礁前所未有的退化时期，一个珊瑚礁系统在礁栖鱼类群落中表现出生态稳定性。
