Trait-based approaches reveal that deep reef ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean are functionally distinct

Tropical deep reefs (>30 m) are biologically and ecologically unique ecosystems with a higher geographic reach to shallow (30 m hinders their appreciation and awareness.•We found unique suites of reef taxa (fishes and benthos) and traits across 10–350 m.•Functional metrics painted a complex, dept...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 2023-05, Vol.872, p.162111-162111, Article 162111
Main Authors: Stefanoudis, Paris V., Fassbender, Nico, Samimi-Namin, Kaveh, Adam, Pierre-André, Ebrahim, Ameer, Harlay, Jerome, Koester, Anna, Samoilys, Melita, Sims, Helena, Swanborn, Denise, Talma, Sheena, Winter, Sara, Woodall, Lucy C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anthozoa
Biodiversity
Biomass
Coral Reefs
Ecosystem
Fishes
Functional diversity
Indian Ocean
Mesophotic
Rariphotic
Seychelles
Trait space
Tropical reef benthos
Tropical reef fish
Western Indian Ocean
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Summary:Tropical deep reefs (>30 m) are biologically and ecologically unique ecosystems with a higher geographic reach to shallow (30 m hinders their appreciation and awareness.•We found unique suites of reef taxa (fishes and benthos) and traits across 10–350 m.•Functional metrics painted a complex, depth-dependent picture of reef functioning.•Deep-reef taxa were functionally important and of conservation concern.•Results show the need to explicitly consider deep reefs in conservation plans.
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162111