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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Connectivity shapes functional diversity and maintains complementarity in surf zones on exposed coasts
Estuaries and Coasts, Vol.45(6), pp.1534-1544
21/01/2022
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Habitat complexity and connectivity can influence the number of species and their diversity across a landscape. For the surf zones of ocean-exposed beaches, globally one of the longest habitat interfaces, the assumed low structural complexity, and apparent homogeneity, of the sandy seafloor habitats predicts low taxonomic and functional diversity. Here, we assessed how the configuration of the seascape and the context of different beach structure functional diversity and functional niche space of fish assemblages in surf zones. We expected that beaches that were well connected with highly productive and complex estuarine and reef habitats would support a greater level of functional diversity, and a greater degree of functional complementarity within different niches. We sampled surf zones at twenty-five beaches along 50 km of coastline in southeast Queensland, Australia. We calculated functional diversity and functional niche space using variation in the functional traits of fish assemblages. We found that increased proximity with nearby subtidal rocky reefs was the key feature of the coastline shaping functional diversity and functional niche space in surf zone fishes. These effects resulted in increased functional complementarity within a number of fish functional group niches when rocky reefs were nearby. We provide empirical evidence that habitat proximity can structure functional diversity and complementarity in the surf zones of ocean beaches, a system traditionally viewed as having low habitat heterogeneity. Our results highlight the focus management must take in conserving these highly connected ecosystems to avoid negative functional consequences.
Details
- Title
- Connectivity shapes functional diversity and maintains complementarity in surf zones on exposed coasts
- Creators
- Christopher J. Henderson - University of the Sunshine CoastBen L. Gilby - University of the Sunshine CoastAndrew D. Olds - University of the Sunshine CoastJesse Mosman - University of the Sunshine CoastRod M. Connolly - Griffith UniversityGlenn Hyndes - Edith Cowan UniversityBrendan Kelaher - Southern Cross UniversityBrooke Maslo - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyAlan Williams - CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere (Australia, Hobart)Thomas A. Schlacher - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication Details
- Estuaries and Coasts, Vol.45(6), pp.1534-1544
- Publisher
- Springer New York LLC
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions. Funding for this project was provided by the Sunshine Coast Council and Yaroomba Beach.
- Identifiers
- 991013044413302368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2022 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article