Macroalgal resource use differences across age and size classes in the dominant temperate herbivorous fish Aplodactylus lophodon (Aplodactylidae)

Yiu, BA; Booth, DJ; Fowler, AM; Feary, DA

Macroalgal resource use differences across age and size classes in the dominant temperate herbivorous fish Aplodactylus lophodon (Aplodactylidae)

Yiu, BA Booth, DJ

Fowler, AM

Feary, DA

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Marine and Freshwater Research, 2019, 70 (4), pp. 531 - 540
Issue Date:: 2019-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Yiu, BA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Booth, DJ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8256-1412	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Fowler, AM https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3075-7066	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Feary, DA	en_US
dc.date.issued	2019-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Marine and Freshwater Research, 2019, 70 (4), pp. 531 - 540	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1323-1650	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/136049
dc.description.abstract	© 2019 CSIRO. Herbivorous fishes comprise a substantial proportion of temperate fish communities, although there is little understanding of their trophic resource use and whether this changes throughout post-settlement ontogeny. With increasing loss of macroalgal forests, understanding how temperate fishes use macroalgae will be vital in predicting future effects on temperate fish biodiversity. The Australian rock cale (Aplodactylus lophodon) is one of the most abundant herbivorous fish inhabiting shallow temperate south-eastern Australian reefs. We examined gastrointestinal contents throughout ontogeny and demonstrated that this species maintains a herbivorous diet through all life stages. Differences in algal taxa consumed were apparent through ontogeny, with the juvenile diet dominated by filamentous red and green algae and the adult diet dominated by brown and calcareous red algae. Relative gut length increased through ontogeny, potentially facilitating dietary transition to less digestible algae, but no concurrent increase in jaw power was observed. The results highlight the diversity of trophic resource use in a temperate marine herbivore, but the near-complete dominance of dietary algae throughout ontogeny indicates the reliance on primary producers across all life stages. Given the importance of fucoid resources in the adult diet, any loss of macroalgal forests within south-eastern Australia may affect foraging success and persistence.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Marine and Freshwater Research	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1071/MF18086	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Marine Biology & Hydrobiology	en_US
dc.title	Macroalgal resource use differences across age and size classes in the dominant temperate herbivorous fish Aplodactylus lophodon (Aplodactylidae)	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	70	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	0606 Physiology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	70	en_US

Abstract:

© 2019 CSIRO. Herbivorous fishes comprise a substantial proportion of temperate fish communities, although there is little understanding of their trophic resource use and whether this changes throughout post-settlement ontogeny. With increasing loss of macroalgal forests, understanding how temperate fishes use macroalgae will be vital in predicting future effects on temperate fish biodiversity. The Australian rock cale (Aplodactylus lophodon) is one of the most abundant herbivorous fish inhabiting shallow temperate south-eastern Australian reefs. We examined gastrointestinal contents throughout ontogeny and demonstrated that this species maintains a herbivorous diet through all life stages. Differences in algal taxa consumed were apparent through ontogeny, with the juvenile diet dominated by filamentous red and green algae and the adult diet dominated by brown and calcareous red algae. Relative gut length increased through ontogeny, potentially facilitating dietary transition to less digestible algae, but no concurrent increase in jaw power was observed. The results highlight the diversity of trophic resource use in a temperate marine herbivore, but the near-complete dominance of dietary algae throughout ontogeny indicates the reliance on primary producers across all life stages. Given the importance of fucoid resources in the adult diet, any loss of macroalgal forests within south-eastern Australia may affect foraging success and persistence.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/136049