REEF-ASSOCIATED PREDATORS INFLUENCE ADJACENT SOFT-SEDIMENT COMMUNITIES

Marine reserves provide a large-scale manipulation of predator densities, which provides a means to investigate the potential effects of predation. The effects of reef-associated predators were examined in northeastern New Zealand by comparing soft- sediment assemblages at sites having different densities of large predators. Large rock lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) were 3.8 times more abundant, and large snapper (Pagrus au- ratus) 12 times more abundant, on average, at reserve sites compared with non-reserve sites. The overall structure of infaunal communities differed between areas with high pred- ator densities (reserve) and those with lower densities (fished). Sites with consistently higher densities of snapper and lobster were found to have a lower biomass of two bivalve species, and the greatest decreases were found near the reef edge (2-5 m). For several fauna a strong gradient in their density with distance from the reef was observed at both reserve and non- reserve sites. The hermit crab Pagurus novizelandiae occurred more frequently near the reef edge, while the heart urchin Echinocardium cordatum and bivalve Dosinia subrosea occurred more frequently farther away from the reef. The results suggest that certain species in this assemblage are affected differently by a combination of physical and biological forces. We conclude that, where reef predators are removed by fishing pressure, a resultant indirect effect is an increase in prey species in adjacent soft-sediment assemblages.

[1]  Robin K. S. Hankin,et al.  Snapper Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) home range dynamics : acoustic tagging studies in a marine reserve , 2003 .

[2]  B. Halpern,et al.  Review Paper. Matching marine reserve design to reserve objectives , 2003, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[3]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  Generalized discriminant analysis based on distances , 2003 .

[4]  Russell B. Millar,et al.  Burdens of evidence and the benefits of marine reserves: putting Descartes before des horse? , 2003, Environmental Conservation.

[5]  R. Millar,et al.  Protection of exploited fish in temperate regions: high density and biomass of snapper Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) in northern New Zealand marine reserves , 2003 .

[6]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  CANONICAL ANALYSIS OF PRINCIPAL COORDINATES: A USEFUL METHOD OF CONSTRAINED ORDINATION FOR ECOLOGY , 2003 .

[7]  N. Shears,et al.  Continuing trophic cascade effects after 25 years of no-take marine reserve protection , 2003 .

[8]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  Permutation tests for multi-factorial analysis of variance , 2003 .

[9]  N. Shears,et al.  Marine reserves demonstrate top-down control of community structure on temperate reefs , 2002, Oecologia.

[10]  Benjamin S. Halpern,et al.  Marine reserves have rapid and lasting effects , 2002 .

[11]  J. Ellis,et al.  Fishing disturbance and marine biodiversity: the role of habitat structure in simple soft-sediment systems , 2001 .

[12]  J. Parrish,et al.  Physical processes dominate in shaping invertebrate assemblages in reef-associated sediments of an exposed Hawaiian coast , 2001 .

[13]  S. Kelly.  Temporal variation in the movement of the spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii , 2001 .

[14]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  Permutation tests for univariate or multivariate analysis of variance and regression , 2001 .

[15]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance in ecology , 2001 .

[16]  Brian H. McArdle,et al.  FITTING MULTIVARIATE MODELS TO COMMUNITY DATA: A COMMENT ON DISTANCE‐BASED REDUNDANCY ANALYSIS , 2001 .

[17]  Underwood,et al.  Observations in ecology: you can't make progress on processes without understanding the patterns. , 2000, Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology.

[18]  R. Millar,et al.  Detection of spatial variability in relative density of fishes: comparison of visual census, angling, and baited underwater video , 2000 .

[19]  T. Agardy.  Effects of fisheries on marine ecosystems: a conservationist's perspective , 2000 .

[20]  Simon F. Thrush,et al.  THE GENERALITY OF FIELD EXPERIMENTS: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN LOCAL AND BROAD-SCALE PROCESSES , 2000 .

[21]  Nick T. Shears,et al.  Changes in community structure in temperate marine reserves , 1999 .

[22]  S. Hall,et al.  Inferring changes in North Sea benthos from fish stomach analysis , 1999 .

[23]  Pierre Legendre,et al.  DISTANCE‐BASED REDUNDANCY ANALYSIS: TESTING MULTISPECIES RESPONSES IN MULTIFACTORIAL ECOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS , 1999 .

[24]  M. Posey,et al.  The effects of bioturbation on the infaunal community adjacent to an offshore hardbottom reef , 1999 .

[25]  R. Babcock,et al.  Characteristics of spiny lobster, Jasus edwardsii, aggregations in exposed reef and sandy areas , 1999 .

[26]  M. Tegner,et al.  SLIDING BASELINES, GHOSTS, AND REDUCED EXPECTATIONS IN KELP FOREST COMMUNITIES , 1998 .

[27]  S. Connell,et al.  Spatial, temporal and habitat-related variation in the abundance of large predatory fish at One Tree Reef, Australia , 1998, Coral Reefs.

[28]  Michel J. Kaiser,et al.  The effects of fishing on marine ecosystems , 1998 .

[29]  M. Beck.  Inference and generality in ecology: current problems and an experimental solution , 1997 .

[30]  A. J. Underwood,et al.  Experiments in Ecology: Their Logical Design and Interpretation Using Analysis of Variance , 1997 .

[31]  M. Posey,et al.  Effects of proximity to an offshore hard-bottom reef on infaunal abundances , 1994 .

[32]  B. Anderson,et al.  Changes in Alaskan soft-bottom prey communities along a gradient in sea otter predation , 1992 .

[33]  W. Ambrose.  Are Infaunal Predators Important in Structuring Marine Soft-Bottom Communities? , 1991 .

[34]  L. Watling.  The Sedimentary Milieu and its Consequences for Resident Organisms , 1991 .

[35]  Ross Maller,et al.  Daily movement patterns of the spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton) on a shallow reef in northern New Zealand , 1991 .

[36]  A. Macdiarmid.  Seasonal changes in depth distribution, sex ratio and size frequency of spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii on a coastal reef in northern New Zealand , 1991 .

[37]  D. Sweetnam,et al.  Lobster Predation on Mussels: Shore-Level Differences in Prey Vulnerability and Predator Preference , 1990 .

[38]  P. Fairweather.  Predation creates haloes of bare space among prey on rocky seashores in New South Wales , 1988 .

[39]  P. Fairweather.  Experiments on the interaction between predation and the availability of different prey on rocky seashores , 1988 .

[40]  M.L.H. Thomas,et al.  A physically derived exposure index for marine shorelines , 1986 .

[41]  M. Watzin.  Larval settlement into marine soft-sediment systems: Interactions with the meiofauna , 1986 .

[42]  S. Hurlbert.  Pseudoreplication and the Design of Ecological Field Experiments , 1984 .

[43]  T. Suchanek.  Control of seagrass communities and sediment distribution by Callianassa (Crustacea, Thalassinidea) bioturbation , 1983 .

[44]  P. Dayton,et al.  Man-made structures on marine sediments: Effects on adjacent benthic communities , 1982 .

[45]  A. J. Underwood,et al.  Techniques of analysis of variance in experimental marine biology and ecology , 1981 .

[46]  T. Suchanek.  The ecology of Mytilus edulis L. in exposed rocky intertidal communities , 1978 .

[47]  J. A. Colman.  Food of snapper, Chrysophrys auratus (forster), in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand , 1972 .

[48]  B. L. Godfriaux.  Food of predatory demersal fish in Hauraki Gulf. 1. Food and feeding habits of snapper. , 1969 .

[49]  J. Morton,et al.  The New Zealand Sea Shore , 1968 .