Patterns in diversity and species composition in soft-sediment tidepool fishes across topographical types: Implications for conservation with spatial nuances

Fish communities inhabiting soft-sediment areas are representative conservation targets for coastal habitats, but how the ecological function of soft-sediment tidepools drives diversity is still unknown. To tackle this issue, the ecological functions of soft-sediment tidepools for fishes according to topographic types (open and closed habitats) on Okinawa-jima Island, located in subtropical Japan, were examined in diversity, species composition, and lifestyle (resident and transient species). Landward tidepools serve as permanent habitat for specialists, whereas seaward tidepools are more important for transient species as temporal habitats, which shaped the inverse trend in alpha- and beta-diversity between topographic types, depending on the habitat heterogeneity and the biological characteristics of resident and transient species. We propose a strategy for the conservation and management of topographically distinct intertidal habitats, basically as a single set, while also considering the ecological functions with spatial nuances at smaller scales within coastal landscapes.

Automated summary

Research suggests that the ecological functions of soft-sediment tidepools for fish are influenced by topography and biological characteristics of species, with landward tidepools being suitable for resident species and seaward tidepools being important for transient species, resulting in an inverse trend in diversity between different topographic types.