Coral Degradation and the Flow-On Effects to Reef Fishes

Abstract

The coral reefs of the world are under threat from over-harvest, pollution and climate change, which has lead 75% of the world’s reefs to be classed as threatened in 2011. For many reefs these threats have led to a mark reduction in hard corals, particularly as a result of coral bleaching through thermal stress. As corals bleach and die, the fish community changes – there are still fishes present, but there just aren’t as many different varieties. While researchers have documented the changes in fish community that occur as habitats degraded and change, the mechanisms that lead to that change are poorly understood.