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MEPS 664:183-205 (2021)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13628

Mangrove fish assemblages reflect the environmental diversity of the Galapagos Islands

Denisse Fierro-Arcos1,*, José R. Marín Jarrín1,2, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza3, Euan S. Harvey4, Etienne Rastoin-Laplane1,4, Pelayo Salinas-de-León1,5

1Charles Darwin Foundation, Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos 200102, Ecuador
2Department of Fisheries Biology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California 95521, USA
3Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California 92093, USA
4School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6845, Australia
5Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC 20036, USA
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: Mangroves are important habitats for a variety of ecologically, commercially and culturally important fishes. However, little is known about their role within the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP), and particularly in the Galapagos Archipelago, the westernmost limit for mangroves in the Americas, and the only oceanic islands in the TEP where mangroves are present. We describe patterns of fish composition in the 2 Galapagos bioregions where mangroves are present and assess potential environmental factors influencing fish community composition. Underwater Visual Census and Stereo Baited Remote Underwater Video stations (stereo-BRUVS) were used to sample fish communities. We identified 35029 fish representing 93 species, 67 genera and 36 families. Pomacentridae, Mugilidae, Haemulidae and Lutjanidae were the most common families. Juveniles made up 43% of the fish, 30 species were of importance to local artisanal fisheries and 80% of species were associated with reef habitats, suggesting mangroves in Galapagos may provide nursery habitats for economically valued species. Fish assemblage composition varied across bioregions, with 6 taxa responsible for driving these differences, including species of economic importance: Lutjanus novemfasciatus and Mycteroperca olfax. Species richness was 17% higher in the Central-Southeastern than in the Western region; while higher species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Pielou’s evenness were detected with BRUVS than through visual censuses. Our results highlight the role of mangroves as a habitat for a unique fish community composed of young, endemic and commercially important species, whose composition is likely driven by the isolation of the islands and its location in a convergence zone.


KEY WORDS: Fisheries · Nursery habitat · Marine protected area · MPA · Underwater Visual Census · UVC · Stereo-Baited Remote Underwater Video stations · Stereo-BRUVS · Tropical Eastern Pacific


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Cite this article as: Fierro-Arcos D, Marín Jarrín JR, Aburto-Oropeza O, Harvey ES, Rastoin-Laplane E, Salinas-de-León P (2021) Mangrove fish assemblages reflect the environmental diversity of the Galapagos Islands. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 664:183-205. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13628

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