Abstract
Biological invasions have modified habitat structure, forcing changes in ecosystem functions. Structural complexity modulates diversity and trophic pathways, but the roles of invasive species in mediating coral reef habitat attributes and trophic effects are poorly understood. We investigated the influence of invasive corals on reef structural complexity and their implications on reef fish trophic structure. To assess habitat complexity and trophic relationships, we used a digital probe to map reef rugosity and characterized benthic cover and fish abundances by video and visual estimates. We calculated a coral skeleton complexity index (for individual invasive and native colonies) by building high-resolution three-dimensional models with photogrammetry techniques. The study was conducted between February 2018 and March 2019 in Cascos Reef, located on the east coast of Brazil. We reveal that the complex morphology of the invasive coral Tubastraea spp. skeleton had a significant positive effect on reef rugosity, contributing to substrate complexity at a sub-metric scale. However, this likely did not promote reef fish diversity but altered the assemblage structure patterns, demonstrated by a negative relationship between coral colony complexity index and abundance of trophic groups such as roving herbivores and omnivores and a positive relationship with planktivores. Thus, our findings support that habitat attribute modification promoted by invasive corals can influence the benthos-fish dynamic, promoting some fish groups to the detriment of others, with pervasive implications for ecosystem functions. Global changes are increasing invasions worldwide, enhancing the need for effective policies for regulation and management to ensure human well-being and ecosystem services.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The Video Transect Analyzer software (Version 1.0) is available for download at https://bit.ly/VTA1installer.
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Acknowledgements
We thank T. Albuquerque, R. Lapa, D. Lisboa, M. Caetano, Y. Costa, I. “Buda” Andrade, and L. Tourinho for assistance in field activities. We also thank I. Cruz for his help with the three-dimensional reconstruction methods of objects and G. Lessa for enriching technical-scientific discussions. C. “Catruco” provided assertive and safe navigation in all field activities. F. Moraes prepared the map of the study area. I. Menezes and L. Carvalho provided support with the GLMs. Finally, we thank the reviewers for their valuable considerations and improvement suggestions provided.
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This work is a product of the National Institute of Science and Technology of Tropical Marine Environments (inct AmbTropic), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Process 465634/2014-1. Ruy Kenji Papa de Kikuchi is a CNPq Research Productivity Fellow (PQ1C—CNPq Process 311449/2019-0). LSNR was supported by CNPq (Ph.D. scholarship 158799/2015-1). RJM was supported by CNPq (post-doc scholarship 150883/2020-0).
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LSNR, JACCN, RJM, and RKPK designed the study; LSNR performed fieldwork; RKPK and LSNR provided infrastructure/material/technical support; LSNR, JACCN, and RJM analyzed the data; and LSNR, JACCN, RJM, and RKPK contributed to the manuscript.
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Neves da Rocha, L.S., Nunes, J.A.C.C., Miranda, R.J. et al. Effects of invasive sun corals on habitat structural complexity mediate reef trophic pathways. Mar Biol 171, 76 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-024-04394-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-024-04394-6