Marine Ecology Progress Series
MEPS is a leading hybrid research journal on all aspects of marine, coastal and estuarine ecology. Priority is given to outstanding research that advances our ecological understanding.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13628
copiedMangrove fish assemblages reflect the environmental diversity of the Galapagos Islands
- Denisse Fierro-Arcos
- Jose R. Marin Jarrin
- Octavio Aburto-Oropeza
- Euan S. Harvey
- Etienne Rastoin-Laplane
- Pelayo Salinas-De-León
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.
KEYWORDS
Denisse Fierro-Arcos (Corresponding Author)
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos 200102, Ecuador
denisse.fierro@fcdarwin.org.ec
Jose R. Marin Jarrin (Co-author)
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos 200102, Ecuador
- Department of Fisheries Biology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California 95521, USA
Octavio Aburto-Oropeza (Co-author)
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California 92093, USA
Euan S. Harvey (Co-author)
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6845, Australia
Etienne Rastoin-Laplane (Co-author)
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos 200102, Ecuador
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6845, Australia
Pelayo Salinas-De-León (Co-author)
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos 200102, Ecuador
- Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC 20036, USA