Streit et al. – Functional distinctions among browsing herbivorous fishes
Electronic Supplementary Material
Fig. S1 Locations of published studies recording macroalgal removal by browsing herbivorous fishes on
underwater-video; (a) globally and (b) on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia; Scaled circles indicate numbers of
studies at each location, smallest circles represent single studies; (c) References per location;
Complete reference list:
Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Hoey AS (2006) Sleeping functional group drives coral-reef recovery.
Current Biology 16:2434-2439
Bennett S, Bellwood DR (2011) Latitudinal variation in macroalgal consumption by fishes on the Great Barrier
Reef. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 426:241-252
Burkepile D, Hay M (2011) Feeding complementarity versus redundancy among herbivorous fishes on a
Caribbean reef. Coral Reefs 30:351-362
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Chong-Seng KM, Nash KL, Bellwood DR, Graham NAJ (2014) Macroalgal herbivory on recovering versus
degrading coral reefs. Coral Reefs doi: 10.1007/s00338-014-1134-5
Cvitanovic C, Bellwood DR (2009) Local variation in herbivore feeding activity on an inshore reef of the Great
Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 28:127-133
Downie RA, Babcock RC, Thomson DP, Vanderklift MA (2013) Density of herbivorous fish and intensity of
herbivory are influenced by proximity to coral reefs. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 482:217-225
Fox RJ, Bellwood DR (2008) Remote video bioassays reveal the potential feeding impact of the rabbitfish
Siganus canaliculatus (f: Siganidae) on an inner-shelf reef of the Great Barrier Reef.
Coral Reefs 27:605-615
Hoey AS (2010) Size matters: macroalgal height influences the feeding response of coral reef herbivores.
Mar Ecol Prog Ser 411:299-302
Hoey AS, Bellwood DR (2009) Limited functional redundancy in a high diversity system: single species
dominates key ecological process on coral reefs. Ecosystems 12:1316-1328
Hoey AS, Bellwood DR (2011) Suppression of herbivory by macroalgal density: a critical feedback on coral
reefs? Ecol Lett 14:267-273
Lefèvre CD, Bellwood DR (2011) Temporal variation in coral reef ecosystem processes: herbivory of
macroalgae by fishes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 422:239-251
Longo GO, Floeter SR (2012) Comparison of remote video and diver's direct observations to quantify reef
fishes feeding on benthos in coral and rocky reefs. J Fish Biol 81:1773-1780
Mantyka CS, Bellwood DR (2007a) Direct evaluation of macroalgal removal by herbivorous coral reef fishes.
Coral Reefs 26:435-442
Mantyka CS, Bellwood DR (2007b) Macroalgal grazing selectivity among herbivorous coral reef fishes.
Mar Ecol Prog Ser 352:177-185
McCauley DJ, Micheli F, Young HS, Tittensor DP, Brumbaugh DR, Madin EMP, Holmes KE, Smith JE, Lotze
HK, DeSalles PA, Arnold SN, Worm B (2010) Acute effects of removing large fish from a nearpristine coral reef. Mar Biol 157:2739-2750
Michael PJ, Hyndes GA, Vanderklift MA, Vergés A (2013) Identity and behaviour of herbivorous fish influence
large-scale spatial patterns of macroalgal herbivory in a coral reef. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 482:227-240
Rasher DB, Hoey AS, Hay ME (2013) Consumer diversity interacts with prey defenses to drive ecosystem
function. Ecology 94:1347-1358
Rizzari JR, Frisch AJ, Hoey AS, McCormick MI (2014) Not worth the risk: apex predators suppress herbivory
on coral reefs. Oikos doi: 10.1111/oik.01318
Verges A, Bennett S, Bellwood DR (2012) Diversity among Macroalgae-Consuming Fishes on Coral Reefs: A
Transcontinental Comparison. PloS one 7:e45543
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Fig.S2 Illustration of selected feedingmorphology parameters; (a) Lateral
view of Siganus canaliculatus after
dissection, jaw bones and articulations
exposed, grey area indicates position of
the adductor mandibulae (AM) muscle
mass, (b) Measurements used for
calculation of closing jaw lever-ratios,
shown on lower jaw of Kyphosus
vaigiensis. (following Wainwright and
Bellwood 2002)
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Fig.S3 Biting selectivity on different algal parts across species. (a) All recorded bites (b) Only bites on
completely intact macroalgae, i.e. only bites by the first fish recorded in each video. Stalks: individual bites on
entire thallus, including algal stalks, Leaves: individual bites include only leaves
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Table S1.
Species
Mean standard length (SL) and size ranges of the three specimen of each species, collected for
morphological measurements
Mean standard length ±SE [mm]
Size range [mm]
Kyphosus vaigiensis
246.0 ± 12.5
232-271
Naso unicornis
260.7 ± 4.3
253-269
Siganus canaliculatus
206.3 ± 0.9
206-208
Siganus doliatus
158.0 ± 7.0
150-172
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