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Are sea snakes pertinent bio-indicators for coral reefs? a comparison between species and sites

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Abstract

Classical sampling methods often miss important components of coral reef biodiversity, notably organisms that remain sheltered within the coral matrix. Recent studies using sea kraits (sea snakes) as bio-indicators suggest that the guild of predators represented by anguilliform fish (Congridae, Muraenidae, Ophichthidae, henceforth “eels” for simplicity) were far more abundant and diverse than previously suspected. In the current study, eel diversity (similarity and species richness indices) estimated via sea snake sampling (SSS) was compared among six areas of one of the main oceanic biodiversity hotspot of the Pacific Ocean (southwest lagoon of New Caledonia). Based on the eel diversity in the snakes’ diet, the results obtained in six areas, in two snake species, and using different estimates (ANOSIM, Shannon index…) were consistent, suggesting that SSS provided robust information. Analyses also suggested subtle, albeit significant, differences in the eel assemblages among islets. Such spatial differences are discussed in light of local management practices. As SSS is easy to use, cost-effective, and provides the best picture of eel assemblages to date, it can be employed to monitor the eel assemblages in addition to the snakes themselves in many areas of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, thereby providing an index of the top predator biodiversity of many coral reefs.

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Acknowledgments

B. Seret and R. Cambag helped with eel identifications. I. Ineich, Mayol, A. Lane, O. Lourdais, S. Lorioux, M. De Crignis, D. Pearson, A. Ramirez, M. Guillon, C. Michel, D. Serin, M. Bonnet and A. Lavandier helped during fieldwork. T. Cook and R. Tingley corrected the English. We also thank C. Chevillon, B. Mège, C. Goiran, and D. Ponton (DRN Province Sud, CONCEPT, Aquarium de Nouméa, IRD) for logistical support. We thank the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and the University François Rabelais for funding. The study was carried out under permits #6024-179/DRN/ENV and #6024-3601/DRN/ENV.

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Author notes

  1. François Brischoux

    Present address: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

  2. Pierre Legagneux

    Present address: Departement de biologie, Centre d’Etudes Nordiques, Universite Laval, Pavillon Vachon, 1045 avenue de la Medecine, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, 79360, Villiers en Bois, France

    François Brischoux, Xavier Bonnet & Pierre Legagneux

Authors
  1. François Brischoux
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  2. Xavier Bonnet
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to François Brischoux.

Additional information

Communicated by S. A. Poulet.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

See Table 2.

Table 2 List of the eel species sampled through SSS at the different sampling sites
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Brischoux, F., Bonnet, X. & Legagneux, P. Are sea snakes pertinent bio-indicators for coral reefs? a comparison between species and sites. Mar Biol 156, 1985–1992 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1229-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1229-7

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