SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Appendix S1. Examples of previous research that have investigated the effect that
different environmental variables, both physical and biological, have on patterns of fish
distribution, assemblage composition, and relative abundance.
Environmental Variable
Study
Substrate type
Carr, 1991; Jenkins & Wheatley, 1998; Dean et al.,
2000; Williams & Bax, 2001; Harman et al., 2003
Structure and complexity
Choat & Ayling, 1987; Roberts & Ormond, 1987; Jones,
1988; Hixon & Beets, 1993; Tolimieri, 1995; Caley &
St. John, 1996; Friedlander & Parrish, 1998; Steele,
1999; Holbrook et al., 2000; McClanahan & Arthur,
2001; Harman et al., 2003; Willis & Anderson, 2003;
Pittman et al., 2007
Water depth
Meekan & Choat, 1997; Friedlander & Parrish, 1998;
Connell & Lincoln-Smith, 1999; Hyndes et al., 1999;
Williams & Bax, 2001; Williams et al., 2001; Brook,
2002; Curley et al., 2002
Vegetation and algal cover
Leum & Choat, 1980; Choat & Ayling, 1987; Holbrook
et al., 1990; Levin & Hay, 1996; Dean et al., 2000;
Anderson & Millar, 2004
Oceanographic parameters,
Choat & Ayling, 1987; Ysebaert et al., 2002; Lecchini et
temperature and exposure
al., 2003; Fulton & Bellwood, 2004; Schick et al., 2004
and current velocity
References for Appendix S1
Anderson, M.J. & Millar, R.B. (2004) Spatial variation and effects of habitat on
temperate reef fish assemblages in northeastern New Zealand. Journal of
Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 305,191-221.
Brook, F.J. (2002) Biogeography of near-shore reef fishes in northern New Zealand.
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 32,243-274.
Caley, M.J. & St John, J. (1996) Refuge availability structures assemblages of tropical
reef fishes. Journal of Animal Ecology, 65,414-428.
Carr, M.H. (1991) Habitat selection and recruitment of an assemblage of temperate zone
reef fishes. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 146,113-137.
Choat, J.H. & Ayling, A.M. (1987) The relationship between habitat structure and fish
faunas on New Zealand reefs. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and
Ecology, 110,257-284.
Connell, S.D. & Lincoln-Smith, M.P. (1999) Depth and the structure of assemblages of
demersal fish: experimental trawling along a temperate coast. Estuarine, Coastal
and Shelf Science, 48,483-495.
Curley, B.G., Kingsford M.J. & Gillanders B.M. (2002) Spatial and habitat-related
patterns of temperate reef fish assemblages: implications for the design of
Marine Protected Areas. Marine and Freshwater Research, 53,1197-1210.
Dean T.A., Haldorson, L., Laur, D.R., Jewett, S.C. & Blanchard, A. (2000) The
distribution of nearshore fishes in kelp and eelgrass communities in Prince
William Sound, Alaska: associations with vegetation and physical habitat
characteristics. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 57, 271-287.
Friedlander, A.M. & Parrish, J.D. (1998) Habitat characteristics affecting fish
assemblages on a Hawaiian coral reef. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology
and Ecology, 224, 1-30.
Fulton, C.J. & Bellwood, D.R. (2004) Wave exposure, swimming performance, and the
structure of tropical and temperate reef fish assemblages. Marine Biology, 144,
429-437.
Harman N., Harvey, E.S. & Kendrick, G. A. (2003) Differences in fish assemblages
from different reef habitats at Hamelin Bay, south-western Australia. Marine
and Freshwater Research, 54,177-184.
Hixon, M.A. & Beets, J.P. (1993) Predation, prey refuges, and the structure of coral-reef
fish assemblages. Ecological Monographs, 63, 77-101.
Holbrook, S.J., Forrester G.E. & Schmitt, R.J. (2000) Spatial patterns in abundance of a
damsel fish reflect availability of suitable habitat. Oecologia, 122, 109-120.
Holbrook, S.J., Schmitt, R.J. & Ambrose, R.F. (1990) Biogenic habitat structure and
characteristics of temperate reef fish assemblages. Australian Journal of
Ecology, 15, 489 - 503.
Hyndes, G.A., Platell, M.E., Potter, I.C. & Lenanton, R.C.J. (1999) Does the
composition of the demersal fish assemblages in temperate coastal waters
change with depth and undergo consistent seasonal changes? Marine Biology,
134, 335-352.
Jenkins, G.P. & Wheatley, M.J. (1998) The influence of habitat structure on nearshore
fish assemblages in a southern Australian embayment: comparison of shallow
seagrass, reef-algal and unvegetated sand habitats, with emphasis on their
importance to recruitment. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and
Ecology, 221, 147-172.
Jones, G.P. (1988) Ecology of rocky reef fish of north-eastern New Zealand: a review.
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 22, 445-462.
Lecchini, D., Adjeroud, M., Pratchett, M.S., Cadoret, L. & Galzin, R. (2003) Spatial
structure of coral reef fish communities in the Ryukyu Islands, southern Japan.
Oceanologica Acta, 26, 537-547.
Leum, L.L. & Choat, J.H. (1980) Density and distribution patterns of temperate marine
fish Cheilodactylus spectabilis (Cheiladactylidae) in a reef environment. Marine
Biology, 57, 327-337.
Levin, P.S. & Hay, M.E. (1996) Response of temperate reef fishes to alterations in algal
structure and species composition. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 134, 37-47.
McClanahan, T.R. & Arthur, R. (2001) The effect of marine reserves and habitat on
populations of east African coral reef fishes. Ecological Applications, 11, 559569.
Meekan, M.G. & Choat, J.H. (1997) Latitudinal variation in abundance of herbivorous
fishes: a comparison of temperate and tropical reef fishes. Marine Biology, 128,
373-383.
Pittman, S. J., Christensen, J. D., Caldow, C., Menza, C. & Monaco, M.E. (2007)
Predictive mapping of fish species richness across shallow-water seascapes in
the Caribbean. Ecological Modelling, 204, 9-21.
Roberts, C.M. & Ormond, R.F.G. (1987) Habitat complexity and coral reef fish
diversity and abundance on Red Sea fringing reefs. Marine Ecology Progress
Series, 41, 1-8.
Schick, R.S., Goldstein, J. & Lutcavage, M.E. (2004) Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
distribution in relation to sea surface temperature fronts in the Gulf of Maine
(1994-96). Fisheries Oceanography, 13, 225-238.
Steele, M.A. (1999) Effects of shelter and predators on reef fishes. Journal of
Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 233, 65-79.