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Similar trait structure and vulnerability in pelagic fish faunas on two remote island systems

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Abstract

The link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been the topic of considerable research, but it remains unclear how biodiversity decline is compromising ecosystem functionality, particularly in the pelagic realm. Here, we explore how pelagic fish species diversity relates to functional diversity by sampling two locations, which, on the basis of biogeography, environmental conditions and human pressures, were expected to host pronounced differences in species composition and abundances and therefore functionality. Strings of five drifting mid-water Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems were used to survey pelagic vertebrate diversity and abundance in two isolated oceanic island systems, the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary—a large, 25-year-old marine protected area—and an unprotected area in Cape Verde. Functional diversity, which offers insight into a community’s resilience against disturbance, was analysed using six key functional traits of marine fishes. Abundance was recorded as MaxN, the maximum number of individuals of a given species in a single frame during the 2-h deployment time. Cape Verde showed high overall abundance (Total MaxN 873) and low biomass (3559 kg), with a predominance of smaller fishes. Malpelo showed high biomass (7839 kg) but lower abundance (Total MaxN 465), with a predominance of large species. Species and functional diversity were marginally different between locations. Multivariate analysis of species relative abundances showed significant divergence between locations, although community functional traits overlapped strongly, suggesting that both communities share a similar structure and vulnerability. The existence of a common functional ‘backbone’ in diverging species communities across the oceans, under different productivity regimes, and under different protection levels, suggests that although pelagic communities may differ considerably in terms of species composition, this does not translate into a differing functional structure and resilience potential. Whether this vulnerability is a common feature of pelagic communities and how this contrasts with benthic systems warrants further research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Monaco Explorations for supporting the fieldwork and The Bertarelli Foundation for TBL’s time and salary in the field. We are grateful to the Master and Crew of the RV Yersin for supporting sampling activities. We thank Dr. Christophe Eizaguirre for his support as a teacher and adviser to MS.

Funding

Field activities were funded by Monaco Explorations. The Bertarelli Foundation funded TBL’s salary.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, NW1 4RY, UK

    Madeline Steinberg & Tom B. Letessier

  2. School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK

    Madeline Steinberg

  3. MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France

    Jean-Baptiste Juhel, Virginie Marques, Clara Péron, Régis Hocdé, Sébastien Villéger & David Mouillot

  4. CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL Univ., IRD, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Virginie Marques

  5. Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, IRD, SU, CNRS, UA, UCN, 43, rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France

    Clara Péron

  6. Museo de Historia Natural Marina de Colombia (MHNMC), Biodiversity and Marine Ecosystems Program, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras-INVEMAR, Calle 25 No. 2–55 Playa Salguero, Santa Marta, Colombia

    Andréa Polanco Fernández

  7. Landscape Ecology, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Loïc Pellissier

  8. Unit of Land Change Science, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Loïc Pellissier

  9. School of Biological Sciences and the UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia

    Tom B. Letessier

Authors
  1. Madeline Steinberg
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  2. Jean-Baptiste Juhel
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  3. Virginie Marques
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  4. Clara Péron
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  6. Andréa Polanco Fernández
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  7. Loïc Pellissier
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  8. Sébastien Villéger
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  9. David Mouillot
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  10. Tom B. Letessier
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Contributions

MS conceived and conducted the analysis and as part of her MSc thesis. TBL supervised and managed the study and co-wrote the first draft together with MS. TBL and JB coordinated the BRUVS deployment, with assistance from RH, LP, CP, AP and VM. DM and SV advised on the functional analysis. DM is the PI of the Monaco Exploration ‘Megafauna’ team. All authors helped revise the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tom B. Letessier.

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Conflict of interest

We declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

As none of the authors are resident in Cape Verde, research there was conducted under authorization No. 08/GP-CA.AMP/2017.

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Steinberg, M., Juhel, JB., Marques, V. et al. Similar trait structure and vulnerability in pelagic fish faunas on two remote island systems. Mar Biol 169, 15 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03998-6

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