The Ecology of Temperate Herbivorous Fishes

温带草食性鱼类的生态学

• 批准号: 8900131
• 负责人: Mark Hay
• 金额: $ 24.93万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1989
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1989-05-15 至 1992-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8900131&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Ecology; Temperate; Herbivorous; Fishes

It has been found, contrary to prevailing thought, that herbivorous fishes, particularly two species--Diplodus holbrooki and Lagodon rhomboides--are among the most common fishes of coastal and continental shelf habitats throughout the southeastern United States, and their feeding habits can dramatically affect the structure of hard-substrate benthic communities. These fish are also major prey species for commercially important species such as snapper and grouper, and may be a significant pathway of energy transfer from shallow nearshore waters to deeper offshore reefs. Experimental field studies will be conducted to assess 1) the interactions between different herbivorous fishes, the interactions between fishes and other herbivores, and the effects of these interactions on benthic community structure; and 2) the mechanisms that cause dramatic increases in the abundance of unpalatable brown seaweeds in the presence of herbivorous fishes. These data will then be compared with studies already completed on herbivorous fish in tropical communities.

人们发现，与普遍的想法相反，草食性鱼类，特别是两种——Diplodus holbrooki 和 Lagodon rhomboides——是美国东南部沿海和大陆架栖息地最常见的鱼类，它们的食性可以极大地影响它们的摄食习惯。影响硬底质底栖群落的结构。 这些鱼类也是笛鲷和石斑鱼等商业重要物种的主要猎物，并且可能是从浅海近岸水域到更深的近海珊瑚礁能量转移的重要途径。 将进行实验现场研究，以评估1）不同草食性鱼类之间的相互作用，鱼类与其他食草动物之间的相互作用，以及这些相互作用对底栖群落结构的影响； 2）在草食性鱼类存在的情况下，导致难吃的棕色海藻数量急剧增加的机制。然后将这些数据与已完成的热带群落草食性鱼类研究进行比较。