Abstract
The fishes occurring in a subtropical mangrove (Avicennia marina) area in Moreton Bay, Australia, were studied for one year (November 1987 to November 1988, inclusive). Fishes within the mangroves were sampled using a block net, whilst those in adjacent waters were sampled using seine and gill nets. Forty six percent of the species, 75% of the number of fishes and 94% of the biomass taken during the study (all methods combined) were of direct importance to regional fisheries. The fish community utilising the habitat within the mangrove forest differed from that occurring in adjacent waters in terms of density, standing crop, species composition and diversity-index values. Standing-crop estimates for the fishes occurring within the mangroves (study period mean ± SD = 25.3 ± 20.4 g m−2) were amongst the highest recorded values for estuarine areas whilst those for adjacent waters (2.9±2.3 g m−2) were comparable to those of other estuarine studies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Anonymous (1988). Official tide tables for the coast of Queensland with notes on boating. Department of Harbours and Marine, Queensland, Australia
Austin, H. M., Austin, S. (1971). The feeding habits of some juvenile marine fishes from the mangroves in western Puerto Rico. Caribb. J. Sci. 11: 171–178
Bell, J. D., Pollard, D. A., Burchmore, J. J., Pease, B. C., Middleton, M. J. (1984). Structure of a fish community in a temperate tidal mangrove creek in Botany Bay, New South Wales. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 35: 33–46
Beumer, J. P. (1978). Feeding ecology of four fishes from a mangrove creek in north Queensland, Australia. J. Fish Biol. 12: 475–490
Blaber, S. J. M. (1980). Fish of the Trinity Inlet system of North Queensland with notes on the ecology of tropical Indo-Pacific estuaries. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 31: 137–146
Blaber, S. J. M., Blaber, T. G. (1980). Factors affecting the distribution of juvenile estuarine and inshore fishes. J. Fish Biol. 17: 143–162
Blaber, S. J. M., Young, J. W., Dunning, M. C. (1985). Community structure and zoogeographical affinities of the coastal fishes in the Dampier region of North-western Australia. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 36: 247–266
Carr, W. E. S., Giesel, J. T. (1975). Impact of thermal effluent from a stream-electric station on a marshland nursery area during the hot season. Fish. Bull. U.S. 73: 67–80
Clifford, H. T., Stephenson, W. W. (1975). An introduction to numerical classification. Academic Press, London
Cox, G. W. (1980). Laboratory manual of general ecology W. C. Brown & Co., Iowa
Gibbs, P. J., Matthews, J. (1982). Analysis of experimental trawling using a miniature otter trawl to sample demersal fish in shallow estuarine waters. Fish. Res. 1: 235–249
Gilmore, R. H., Holt, J. K., Jones R. S., Kulczycki, G. R., MacDowell III, L. G., Magley, W. C. (1978). Portable drop net for estuarine fish studies. Gulf Res. Rep. 4: 1–14
Hutchings, P., Saenger, P. (1987). Ecology of mangroves. University of Queensland Press, Queensland, Australia
Hyland, S. J., Butler, C. T. (1988). The distribution and modification of mangroves and saltmarsh-claypans in southern Queensland. Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Queensland (Inf. Ser. QI89004)
Jaccard, P. (1908). Nouvelles recherches sur la distribution florale. Bull. Soc. vaud. Sci. nat. 44: 223–270
Jones, R. S. C. (1965). Fish stocks from a helicopter-borne purse net. Sampling of Corpus Christi Bay, Texas 1962–1963. Publs Inst. mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 10: 68–75
Jones, R. S. C., Ogletree, W. B., Thompson, Jr., J. G., Flenniken, W. (1963). Helicopter-borne purse net for population sampling of shallow marine bays. Publs Inst. mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 9: 1–6
Kjelson, M. A., Colby, D. R. (1977). The evaluation and use of gear efficiencies in the estimation of estuarine fish abundance. In: Wiley, M. (ed.) Estuarine processes. Vol 2. Academic Press, New York, p. 416–424
Morton, R. M. (1988). Hydrology and fish fauna of canal developments in an intensively modified Australian estuary. Estuar., cstl Shelf Sci. 28: 43–58
Morton, R. M., Pollock, B. R., Beumer, J. P. (1987). The occurrence and diet of fishes in a tidal inlet to a saltmarsh in southern Moreton Bay, Queensland. Aust. J. Ecol. 12: 217–237
Newell, B. S., Barber, W. E. (1975). Estuaries important to Australian fisheries. Aust. Fish. 34: 17–22
Odum, W. E., Heald, E. J. (1972). Trophic analyses of an estuarine mangrove community. Bull. mar. Sci. 22: 671–737
Odum, W. E., Heald, E. J. (1975). The detritus-based food web of an estuarine mangrove community. In: Cronin, L. E. (ed.) Estuarine research. Academic Press, Inc., New York. p. 265–286
Odum, W. E., Zieman, J. C., Heald, E. J. (1972). The importance of vascular plant detritus to estuaries. In: Chabreck, H. (ed.) Proceedings of the coastal marsh and estuary management symposium. Louisiana State University, Division of Continuing Education, Baton Rouge. p. 91–115. (Internal publication)
Perry, W. G. (1976). Standing crop of fishes in an estuarine area in southwest Louisiana. Proc. a. Conf. SEast. Ass. Fish Wildl. Agenc. 30: 71–81. (Cited after Ross et al. 1987)
Pollard, D. A. (1976). Estuaries must be protected. Aust. Fish. 6: 6–10
Quinn, N. J. (1980). Analysis of temporal changes in fish assemblages in Serpentine Creek, Queensland. Envir. Biol. Fish. 6: 213–218
Robertson, A. I. (1986). Leaf-burying crabs: their influence on energy flow and export from mixed mangrove forests (Rhizophora spp.) in northeastern Australia. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 102: 237–248
Robertson, A. I., Duke, N. C. (1987). Mangroves as nursery sites: comparisons of the abundance and species composition of fishes and crustaceans in mangrove and other nearshore habitats in tropical Australia. Mar. Biol. 96: 193–205
Ross, T. S., McMichael, R. H., Jr., Ruple, D. L. (1987). Seasonal and diel variation in the standing crop of fishes and macroinvertebrates from a Gulf of Mexico surf zone. Estuar., cstl Shelf Sci. 25: 391–412
Ruello, N. V. (1975). A small beam trawl for sampling surface or demersal and benthic animals. Bull Aust. Soc. Limnol. 6: 9–16
Sokal, R. R., Rohlf, F. J. (1981). Biometry. The principles and practice of statistics in biological research. 2nd ed. W. H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco
Staples, D. J. (1980). Ecology of juvenile and adolescent banana prawnsPenaeus merguiensis (de Man) in a mangrove estuary and adjacent offshore area of the Gulf of Carpentaria. I. Immigration and settlement of postlarvae. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 31: 635–652
Stephenson, W., Dredge, M. C. L. (1976). Numerical analysis of fish catches from Serpentine Creek. Proc. R. Soc. Qd 87: 33–43
Taylor, C. C. (1953). Nature of variability in trawl catches. Fishery Bull. Fish Wildl. Serv. U.S. 54: 145–166
Thayer, G. W., Colby, D. R., Hettler, W. F., Jr. (1987). Utilization of the red mangrove prop root habitat by fishes in south Florida. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 35: 25–38
Thomson, J. M. (1954). The organs of feeding and the food of some Australian mullet. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 5: 469–485
Thomson, J. M. (1959). Some aspects of the ecology of Lake Macquarie, N.S.W., with regard to an alleged depletion of fish. IX. The fishes and their food. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 10: 365–374
Wallace, J. H., van der Elst, R. P. (1975). The estuarine fishes of the east coast of South Africa. IV. Occurrence of juveniles in estuaries. V. Ecology, estuarine dependence and status. Investl Rep. oceanogr. Res. Inst., Durban 42: 1–63
Weinstein, M. P., Courtney, C. M., Kinch, J. C. (1977). The Marco Island estuary; a summary of physicochemical and biological parameters. Fla Scient. 40: 97–104
Yanez-Arancibia, A., Linares F. A., Day, J. W., Jr. (1980). Fish community structure and function in Terminos lagoon, a tropical estuary in the southern Gulf of Mexico. In: Kennedy, V. S. (ed.) Estuarine perspectives. New York, Academic Press, p. 465–482
Young, P. C. (1975). Preliminary observations on the environment and biology of juvenile king prawns (Peneus plebejus) in Moreton Bay, Queensland. In: Young, P. C. (ed.) First Australian National Prawn Seminar. Australian Government Printers, Canberra, p. 18–34
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by G. F. Humphrey, Sydney
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Morton, R.M. Community structure, density and standing crop of fishes in a subtropical Australian mangrove area. Mar. Biol. 105, 385–394 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01316309
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01316309