Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 364, Issue 6446, Pages 1189-+Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.aav3384
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- BNP Paribas Foundation
- Agence National de la Recherche
- National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Australian Research Council
- Smithsonian Institution's TMON
Ask authors/readers for more resources
How coral reefs survive as oases of life in low-productivity oceans has puzzled scientists for centuries. The answer may lie in internal nutrient cycling and/or input from the pelagic zone. Integrating meta-analysis, field data, and population modeling, we show that the ocean's smallest vertebrates, cryptobenthic reef fishes, promote internal reef fish biomass production through extensive larval supply from the pelagic environment. Specifically, cryptobenthics account for two-thirds of reef fish larvae in the near-reef pelagic zone despite limited adult reproductive outputs. This overwhelming abundance of cryptobenthic larvae fuels reef trophodynamics via rapid growth and extreme mortality, producing almost 60% of consumed reef fish biomass. Although cryptobenthics are often overlooked, their distinctive demographic dynamics may make them a cornerstone of ecosystem functioning on modern coral reefs.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available