Small cryptopredators contribute to high predation rates on coral reefs

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• 作者：Christopher H. R. Goatley ; Alonso González-Cabello ; David R. Bellwood
• 关键词：Cryptobenthic reef fish ; Trophic interactions ; Body size ; Gobiidae
• 刊名：Coral Reefs
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：March 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：36
• 期：1
• 页码：207-212
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Earth and Environmental Science
• 刊物主题：Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Oceanography;
• 出版者：Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• ISSN：1432-0975
• 卷排序：36

文摘

Small fishes suffer high mortality rates on coral reefs, primarily due to predation. Although studies have identified the predators of early post-settlement fishes, the predators of small cryptobenthic fishes remain largely unknown. We therefore used a series of mesocosm experiments with natural habitat and cryptobenthic fish communities to identify the impacts of a range of small potential predators, including several invertebrates, on prey fish populations. While there was high variability in predation rates, many members of the cryptobenthic fish community act as facultative cryptopredators, being prey when small and piscivores when larger. Surprisingly, we also found that smashing mantis shrimps may be important fish predators. Our results highlight the diversity of the predatory community on coral reefs and identify previously unknown trophic links in these complex ecosystems.