Artificial reefs facilitate tropical fish at their range edge

Area of Science:

• Marine ecology
• Conservation biology
• Fisheries science

Background:

• Spatial planning increasingly uses artificial habitats to support species movement beyond established range edges.
• Evidence for artificial habitats facilitating species movement at range margins remains scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if artificial reefs enhance fish abundance and biomass at their poleward range margins compared to natural reefs.
• To investigate the role of feeding guilds in the response of fishes to artificial reefs.

Main Methods:

• Surveys of highly mobile fauna (fishes) were conducted on artificial and natural reefs.
• Data collected included fish abundance and biomass.
• Analyses focused on comparisons between habitat types and across feeding guilds.

Main Results:

• Tropical and subtropical fishes showed higher abundance and biomass on deep artificial reefs (25-35m) than on natural reefs.
• Temperate fishes were more abundant on natural reefs.
• Planktivorous and piscivorous fishes, but not herbivorous fishes, were more abundant on artificial reefs.

Conclusions:

• Artificial habitats can facilitate the movement of highly mobile species at their range edges.
• Artificial reefs may assist poleward species movement by increasing prey availability and structural complexity.
• Findings support the use of artificial habitats in spatial planning for climate change adaptation.