A new study reveals significant changes in fish communities on the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef ecosystem. Fish populations are declining in the northern areas, while increasing in the south, raising concerns about the overall health and functioning of the reef. The study also highlights the increasing impact of human activities and climate change on the reef's biodiversity.
Life on the Great Barrier Reef is undergoing big changes in the face of climate change and other human-caused pressures, a new study reveals. From food security to controlling seaweed and even making sand for beaches, reef fish are a hugely important part of marine ecosystems providing a range of benefits to humans and coral reef ecosystems. New research reveals significant transformations in fish communities on the Great Barrier Reef, the World's largest coral reef ecosystem.
Their findings show Great Barrier Reef fish communities differ substantially from those of the 1990s, and the pace of change has increased. The findings raise questions around how long-known patterns of how life is spread across the Earth seem to be shifting. One of the most documented patterns of life on Earth is how the number of species increases as you get closer to the Equator. This pattern is known as the 'latitudinal diversity gradient'. A key result from this study is showing how this pattern has undergone significant fluctuations.
But the researchers not only show how the number of fish species has changed, they also looked at how the composition of fish communities has changed. They found that fish communities have continuously changed as fish species replace others particularly in response to disturbances. And as disturbances become more common so too do these changes in fish communities.
Another key finding from the study is that changes to the composition of coral species is a better predictor of altered fish patterns than simply the percentage cover of hard corals -- a widely-used metric to evaluate coral reef condition.
GREAT BARRIER REEF CLIMATE CHANGE FISH COMMUNITIES BIODIVERSITY LOSS MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
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