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Predictability of reef fish diversity and abundance using remote sensing data in Diego Garcia (Chagos Archipelago)

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Abstract

The diversity, abundance and distribution of reef fish are related to heterogeneity and physical complexity of benthic habitat. However, the field effort required to evaluate these aspects of the benthos in situ, at the scale of entire reefscapes, is greatly constrained by logistical and resource limitations. With moderate ground truthing, both substratum type and seabed topography are amenable to monitoring using satellite data. Here, remote sensing imagery was used to resolve the bathymetry and benthic character of a reef system in Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory). Replicate fish counts were made at seven measurement stations across the study area using visual census. Monte Carlo simulation revealed that species richness and abundance of several guilds and size groupings of reef fish appraised in situ were correlated with the satellite-derived seabed parameters over areas of seafloor as large as 5,030 m2. The study suggests that satellite remote sensing is capable of predicting habitat complexity at a scale relevant to fish. Furthermore, as larger size classes of fish were better predicted with the satellite habitat complexity data, this technique could be used to predict fish stocks and identify potential sites for marine protected areas where intensive field surveys are not practical.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Chagos Research Expedition of 2006, funded largely by the FCO, London, for resources which enabled the visit to take place. Additional funding for SP and BR was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Science, under award NA04NOS4260065 to Nova Southeastern University for the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI). Additional funding for NG was provided by the Leverhulme Trust and the Fisheries Society of the British Isles. We are grateful for assistance in the field provided by Alasdair Harris (Blue Ventures) and advice offered by Shaun Wilson and three anonymous reviewers. Lastly, we are forever indebted to Charles Sheppard (University of Warwick) for facilitating a trip to such a unique location. This is NCRI contribution 90.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Centre, 8000 N. Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, USA

    S. J. Purkis & B. M. Riegl

  2. School of Marine Science and Technology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK

    N. A. J. Graham

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  1. S. J. Purkis
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  2. N. A. J. Graham
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  3. B. M. Riegl
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Correspondence to S. J. Purkis.

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Communicated by Ecology Editor P.J. Mumby.

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Purkis, S.J., Graham, N.A.J. & Riegl, B.M. Predictability of reef fish diversity and abundance using remote sensing data in Diego Garcia (Chagos Archipelago). Coral Reefs 27, 167–178 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0306-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0306-y

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