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Change in the subtidal reef fish assemblage at Kuchierabu-jima Island, southern Japan, between 1972 and 2005

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Abstract

Change in the subtidal reef fish assemblage at Kuchierabu-jima Island, southern Japan, since the 1970s was investigated using an underwater visual census in October 2005. A comparison of this survey with data from 1972 revealed that the frequencies of species that had either increased, remained stable, or declined in abundance were dependent on the geographic range category and the major feeding guild. Temperate herbivorous fishes had noticeably declined in abundance, while subtropical carnivorous species had increased. We discuss causes of the change in the reef fish assemblage from the aspect of water temperature, loss of macroalgal beds, and anthropogenic impacts.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the people of Kuchierabu-jima Island for allowing us to conduct the fieldwork. We thank S. Maeda, K. Kobayashi, and T. Minetoma for their support during the fieldwork. We are grateful to T. Shibuno and M. Noda for helpful comments on the manuscript. We thank our colleagues at the Biology of Aquatic Resources, Hiroshima University, for helpful discussions and support. Thanks are also due to H. Shimabukuro for providing advice on identifying the seaweeds. Cynthia Kulongowski with Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) edited a draft of this manuscript. This study was carried out in compliance with the laws of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan

    Tatsuru Kadota, Norio Shimizu, Miyuki Tsuboi, Breno Barros, Yoichi Sakai, Hiroaki Hashimoto & Kenji Gushima

  2. Nagasaki Field Station, Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1551-8 Taira-machi, Nagasaki, 851-2213, Japan

    Tatsuru Kadota

  3. Hiroshima University Museum, 1-1-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8524, Japan

    Norio Shimizu

  4. Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, Pará, 687000-665, Brazil

    Breno Barros

  5. Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan

    Yoichi Sakai

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  1. Tatsuru Kadota
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  2. Norio Shimizu
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Correspondence to Tatsuru Kadota.

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This study complied with the current laws of Japan and the guidelines of the Ichthyological Society of Japan.

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Kadota, T., Shimizu, N., Tsuboi, M. et al. Change in the subtidal reef fish assemblage at Kuchierabu-jima Island, southern Japan, between 1972 and 2005. Ichthyol Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-024-00963-3

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