Large predatory coral trout species unlikely to meet increasing energetic demands in a warming ocean.
Increased ocean temperature due to climate change is raising metabolic demands and energy requirements of marine ectotherms. If productivity of marine systems and fisheries are to persist, individual species must compensate for this demand through increasing energy acquisition or decreasing energy expenditure. Here we reveal that the most important coral reef fishery species in the Indo-west Pacific, the large predatory coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae), can behaviourally adjust food intake to maintain body-condition under elevated temperatures, and acclimate over time to consume larger meals. However, these increased energetic demands are unlikely to be met by adequate production at lower trophic levels, as smaller prey species are often the first to decline in response to climate-induced loss of live coral and structural complexity. Consequently, ubiquitous increases in energy consumption due to climate change will increase top-down competition for a dwindling biomass of prey, potentially distorting entire food webs and associated fisheries.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia.|Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, 32080, Florida, USA.
J L
JL
Johansen
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia.
M S
MS
Pratchett
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia.
V
V
Messmer
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia.|Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Jeddah 23955, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
D J
DJ
Coker
Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
A J
AJ
Tobin
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia.
A S
AS
Hoey
D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa; D002980:Climate; D017753:Ecosystem; D020387:Food Chain; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D013696:Temperature; D014337:Trout