title: Habitat use by fishes in coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove habitats in the Philippines.
abstract: Understanding the interconnectivity of organisms among different habitats is a key requirement for generating effective management plans in coastal ecosystems, particularly when determining component habitat structures in marine protected areas. To elucidate the patterns of habitat use by fishes among coral, seagrass, and mangrove habitats, and between natural and transplanted mangroves, visual censuses were conducted semiannually at two sites in the Philippines during September and March 2010-2012. In total, 265 species and 15,930 individuals were recorded. Species richness and abundance of fishes were significantly higher in coral reefs (234 species, 12,306 individuals) than in seagrass (38 species, 1,198 individuals) and mangrove (47 species, 2,426 individuals) habitats. Similarity tests revealed a highly significant difference among the three habitats. Fishes exhibited two different strategies for habitat use, inhabiting either a single (85.6% of recorded species) or several habitats (14.4%). Some fish that utilized multiple habitats, such as Lutjanus monostigma and Parupeneus barberinus, showed possible ontogenetic habitat shifts from mangroves and/or seagrass habitats to coral reefs. Moreover, over 20% of commercial fish species used multiple habitats, highlighting the importance of including different habitat types within marine protected areas to achieve efficient and effective resource management. Neither species richness nor abundance of fishes significantly differed between natural and transplanted mangroves. In addition, 14 fish species were recorded in a 20-year-old transplanted mangrove area, and over 90% of these species used multiple habitats, further demonstrating the key role of transplanted mangroves as a reef fish habitat in this region.
authors: Akkeshi Marine Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Aikappu, Akkeshi, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors: Kentaro
authors: K
authors: Honda
authors: Yohei
authors: Y
authors: Nakamura
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Nakaoka
authors: Wilfredo H
authors: WH
authors: Uy
authors: Miguel D
authors: MD
authors: Fortes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000502:physiology; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D057894:Coral Reefs; D017753:Ecosystem; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D010679:Philippines; D011157:Population Dynamics; D053833:Wetlands
references: PLoS One. 2007 Aug 08;2(8):e711
references: 17684557
references: Science. 2006 Mar 17;311(5767):1557-8
references: 16543444
references: Conserv Biol. 2010 Apr;24(2):531-40
references: 19843129
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jul 28;106(30):12377-81
references: 19587236
references: Nature. 2004 Feb 5;427(6974):533-6
references: 14765193
references: PLoS Biol. 2011 Apr;9(4):e1000606
references: 21483714
references: Science. 2002 Feb 15;295(5558):1280-4
references: 11847338
references: Nature. 2004 Jun 24;429(6994):827-33
references: 15215854
references: Nature. 2002 Aug 8;418(6898):689-95
references: 12167876
references: PLoS One. 2010 Dec 21;5(12):e15715
references: 21203576
references: J Environ Manage. 2002 Dec;66(4):441-54
references: 12503498
references: Ambio. 2006 Aug;35(5):245-54
references: 16989509