The Population Biology of Coral Reef Fishes

摘要: The development of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) has, in the past few decades, provided population biologists with access to shallow waters sea. availability scuba has also created an enormous sportdiving industry, much attention paid tropical areas. A popular interest spectacular fish faunas coral reefs, analogous that shown birds and butterflies, seems be developing. This will have advantages for professional scientist. Many observations photographs made field aquarium by amateurs, large markets permit publica­ tion what otherwise would been unprofitable literature. For instance, excellent guide common fishes Caribbean designed use, recently appeared (51). Coral reefs provide diving a stunning diversity organisms acces­ sible three dimensions; diver is, sense, able do rough equivalent flying over, through, along edge rain forest. Most hermatypic (reef-building) corals live less than 45 m water (311), depth that, coincidentally, is almost exactly maximum recommended U.S. Navy compressed air. Because their symbiotic zooxanthellae require light, no below 90 (31 1), even occasion­ ally approached divers more courage good sense. occur through warm Indo-Pacific western Atlantic (primarily Caribbean) seas. Associated them one degree or another are perhaps 6000-8000 species subject this review (41, 59). Scientific work on biology reef began relatively recently. Before World War II, pioneering was done biologists, especially William H. Longley, who used helmet, took pictures camera enclosed watertight glass box front rear windows plate glass, notes