Ecology of fishes on coral reefs

As a budding ichthyologist at James Cook University in 1998, I revered my copy of The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs (Sale 1991) for helping me understand how the study of coral reef fishes had advanced key ecological theories (e.g. trophodynamics, recruitment, evolutionary ecology); and for inspiring the questions that still needed answers in this active and exciting field of research. Since then, both Sale (1991) and Sale (2006, often given the moniker ‘Son of Sale’) have become essential reference books for students, researchers and managers of coral reef fishes worldwide. Almost 25 years later, we find in Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs a book that builds on this scholarly heritage and delivers a collection of expert reviews from some of the world leaders in this discipline.

Covering a wide range of topics across 36 chapters (almost double the 19–20 chapters of Sale 1991 and 2006), Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs is divided into five main parts: (I) Basic Ecology, (II) Patterns and Processes, (III) Human Fingerprints, (IV) Conservation and (V) Debates and Paradigm Shifts. After failing to convince Peter Sale to skipper a third book (the ‘grandson of Sale’, perhaps?), it is clear Mora set out to produce a volume that summarized the entire field of coral reef fish ecology to date. While this may be a bit much to ask of one book (with ∼6000 papers on ‘coral reef fish(es)’ in the Scopus database at the time of writing), the breadth of expertise among the 58 authors has been brought to bear in summarizing both old and new literature on their respective topics. Beautifully illustrated with photographs, colourful infographics and other high-quality data presentations, this book is a credit to the many photographers and researchers who strive to understand and articulate the stunning diversity of coral reefs and their fishes.

In comparison to the previous Sale books on coral reef fish ecology, Part V of the current book emerges as a particularly interesting and valuable collection of chapters on hot topics (e.g. shifting baselines; Sala 2015) and paradigm shifts (e.g. active larval dispersal; Leis 2015) that have emerged in research to date. In combination with the parts on human impacts and conservation efforts (Parts III and IV), the latest book speaks loudly of rising concerns for the future of coral reef fishes in a changing world. Culminating in two capstone chapters from Sale and Mora at the end of the book, the threats of climate change, overfishing, habitat degradation and imperfect governance emerge as major issues facing the resistance and resilience of coral reefs and their fishes worldwide. In exploring these concepts, we see dedicated treatments of how our understanding of reef fishes has evolved in new and important directions over the past decade, such as the role and response of coral reef fishes to coral–algal phase shifts (Graham 2015) and the importance of recognizing social–ecological linkages among coral reefs, fishes and people (Cinner & Kittinger 2015). Similarly, the relatively nascent field of seascape ecology is given some attention, with Pittman & Olds (2015) highlighting the potential for concepts from landscape ecology to help us comprehend how spatial context can affect key processes that shape coral reef fish communities. Many of these concepts are highly relevant to management, such as the development of Marine Protected Areas that continue to be improved by breakthroughs in coral reef fish ecology (e.g. larval dispersal and recruitment spillover effects; Harrison et al. 2012; Jones 2015). In that context, a notable omission is a chapter on the movement ecology of reef-associated fishes, which has seen much attention over the past decade via studies of behavioural ecology, physiology and in situ tagging and tracking of adult coral reef fishes (e.g. Welsh et al. 2013; Nash et al. 2014).

Collectively, the suite of chapters spanning The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs (Sale 1991) to the new Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs provide an essential set of references not only for coral reef fish ecologists, but readers concerned with broader issues around marine conservation, ecosystem science and management. In exploring the newest additions to this corpus, I agree with Peter Sale that it is best if you can read Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs at a remote marine field station (my copy has already travelled on several trips around coastal Australia), where you may be best placed to reflect on your next steps towards understanding and preserving these complex marine ecosystems that support the well-being and survival of millions of fishes and people.