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Investigating functional redundancy versus complementarity in Hawaiian herbivorous coral reef fishes

Oecologia volume 182, pages 1151–1163 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Patterns of species resource use provide insight into the functional roles of species and thus their ecological significance within a community. The functional role of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs has been defined through a variety of methods, but from a grazing perspective, less is known about the species-specific preferences of herbivores on different groups of reef algae and the extent of dietary overlap across an herbivore community. Here, we quantified patterns of redundancy and complementarity in a highly diverse community of herbivores at a reef on Maui, Hawaii, USA. First, we tracked fish foraging behavior in situ to record bite rate and type of substrate bitten. Second, we examined gut contents of select herbivorous fishes to determine consumption at a finer scale. Finally, we placed foraging behavior in the context of resource availability to determine how fish selected substrate type. All species predominantly (73–100 %) foraged on turf algae, though there were differences among the types of macroalgae and other substrates bitten. Increased resolution via gut content analysis showed the composition of turf algae consumed by fishes differed across herbivore species. Consideration of foraging behavior by substrate availability revealed 50 % of herbivores selected for turf as opposed to other substrate types, but overall, there were variable foraging portfolios across all species. Through these three methods of investigation, we found higher complementarity among herbivorous fishes than would be revealed using a single metric. These results suggest differences across species in the herbivore “rain of bites” that graze and shape benthic community composition.

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Acknowledgments

We thank S. Sandin for discussions of data analysis and implications. Thanks to M. Dailer and D. White for ideas and field support, P. Dockry for logistical support, and K. Moses and N. Pederson for processing gut content samples. We also thank S. Kram, J. Harris, L. Lewis, M. Miller, D. Brown, J. Locke, and E. Keenan. A. Khen provided drawings used in figures. Funding was provided by NSF IGERT, Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative, Mia Tegner Fellowship, Women Divers Hall of Fame, Explorers Club Exploration Fund, the Sussman Fellowship, and the Oceanids Memorial Fellowship. Funding for benthic coral reef surveys came from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. We thank D. Burkepile, S. Brandl, and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments in improving the manuscript.

Author contribution statement

ELAK and JES conceived and designed the experiments. ELAK, SC, RT, IDW, and JES executed the field work and resulting additional research ideas. ELAK, SC, and MG analyzed samples in the lab. YE, ELAK, SC, MG and JES analyzed the data. ELAK wrote the manuscript with significant contributions and edits from all authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Emily L. A. Kelly, Yoan Eynaud, Samantha M. Clements, Molly Gleason & Jennifer E. Smith

  2. Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, Maui Office, 130 Mahalani Street, Wailuku, HI, 96768, USA

    Russell T. Sparks

  3. Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA IRC, 1845 Wasp Blvd. Building 176, Honolulu, HI, 96818, USA

    Ivor D. Williams

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  1. Emily L. A. Kelly
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Correspondence to Emily L. A. Kelly.

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Kelly, E.L.A., Eynaud, Y., Clements, S.M. et al. Investigating functional redundancy versus complementarity in Hawaiian herbivorous coral reef fishes. Oecologia 182, 1151–1163 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3724-0

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Keywords

  • Herbivore
  • Functional redundancy
  • Complementarity
  • Functional guild
  • Selectivity