Does habitat complexity influence fish recruitment?

A. Cheminée (1, 2) , B. Merigot (3) , M. A. Vanderklift (4) , P. Francour (2)

1 CEFREM - Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditérranéens
2 ECOMERS - Ecosystèmes Côtiers Marins et Réponses aux Stress
3 UMR MARBEC - MARine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation
4 CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship

Human activities facilitate coastal habitat transformation and homogenization. The spread of marine invasive species is one example. This in turn may influence fish recruitment and the subsequent replenishment of adult assemblages. We tested habitat complexity effect on fish (Teleostei) recruitment by experimentally manipulating meadows of the habitat-forming invasive mac-roalga Caulerpa taxifolia (Chlorophyta). Among the fourteen fish species recorded during the experiment, only two labrids (Coris julis and Symphodus ocellatus) settled in abundance among these meadows. Patterns in the abundance of these juveniles suggested that reduced tri-dimensional meadow complexity may reduce habitat quality and result in altered habitat choices and / or differential mortality of juveniles, therefore reducing fish recruitment and likely the abundance of adults.

Mots clés: Mediterranean; Habitat complexity; fish settlement; nursery; Caulerpa; Coris; Symphodus

Domaines: Biologie animale

A. Cheminée, B. Merigot, M. A. Vanderklift, P. Francour. Does habitat complexity influence fish recruitment?. Mediterranean Marine Science, 2016, 17 (1), p. 39-46. ⟨10.12681/mms.1231⟩. ⟨hal-01271830⟩