15:20-17:00 Session IIb Dynamics of Coral Ecosystem
Reef fish biodiversity and the role of fishes on coral reefs
David R. Bellwood
Department of Marine Biology, James Cook University
Townsville, Australia
Reef fishes are among the most conspicuous inhabitants on coral reefs and represent part of the visible diversity of life in these systems. They are also some of the most vulnerable forms being subject to direct effects of fishing and indirect effects such as habitat loss or modification as a result of human disturbance. I will briefly present an overview of the approaches currently available to describe biodiversity and how we may evaluate the consequences of changes in biodiversity. The presentation will focus on one group of reef fishes, the Labridae (wrasses and parrotfishes), for which we have data which describes not only species richness and species abundance but also several estimates of the functional role of component species in the reef ecosystem. Containing over 520 species worldwide, the Labridae is one of the most speciose families on coral reefs and displays the greatest degree of morphological diversity recorded from a single fish family. This group therefore provides a useful model for examining the role of biodiversity on coral reefs. In these species, we are in a position to contrast various measures of biodiversity and to evaluate the contribution of functional studies to the protection of reef ecosystems.
