کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
4398207 1305932 2006 17 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Seagrass complexity hierarchies: Influence on fish groups around the coast of Jersey (English Channel)
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم زیستی و بیوفناوری علوم کشاورزی و بیولوژیک علوم آبزیان
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Seagrass complexity hierarchies: Influence on fish groups around the coast of Jersey (English Channel)
چکیده انگلیسی

Recent research has identified a need for seagrass habitat management plans to be based on landscape-level approaches as they offer a more appropriate scale for large mobile fauna than smaller scales. Also, conservation decisions are more likely to be a choice between different seagrass beds rather than parts of individual beds. The present study examined the spatial utilisation of subtidal seagrass beds by fish around the coast of Jersey, English Channel (49°N 02°W) with the aim of identifying influential scales of complexity. A hierarchical-scale of landscape configuration and habitat characteristics was measured for eight seagrass beds using aerial photographic analysis (e.g. core area, contiguity and other landscape metrics), digital echo-sounder data (e.g. depth, canopy height) and diver surveys (e.g. epiphyte load). The contributions of these variables as predictors of functional fish groups were explored using multiple linear regression models. Results indicated that more fragmented seagrass beds supported lower numbers of fish species than more homogenous seagrass landscapes (squared semi-partial correlation coefficient, sr2 = − 0.3). Densities of juveniles of larger fish species showed a negative relationship with increased fragmentation of the seagrass (sr2 = − 0.34). At smaller scales of structural complexity the densities of cryptic fish were related positively to canopy height (sr2 = 0.46). At night, fewer patterns could be explained by the independent variables in the model, which was attributed to the greater movement of fish between the seagrass and adjacent habitats to forage, and a breakdown in the association with seagrass habitat as a refuge from predation.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology - Volume 330, Issue 1, 7 March 2006, Pages 38–54
نویسندگان
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