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1. Length-weight relationships for abundant coral reef fish species from eight islands in French Polynesia

   French, Beverly J. ; Zgliczynski, Brian J. ; Bonito, Lindsay ; Sullivan, Chris J. ; Wood, Chelsea L. ; Haupt, Alison J. ; Siu, Gilles ; Taiarui, Marguerite ; Planes, Serge ; and Sandin, Stuart A. ( September 2023 , Cybium)

   R. Causse (Ed.)

   Here we present length-weight relationships (LWR) for 11 reef fish species from eight islands in French Polynesia. A total of 1,930 fish were collected from five islands in the Society Archipelago (Moorea, Tahiti, Raiatea, Huahine, Tetiaroa) and in three atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago (Takapoto, Tikehau, and Rangiroa). These fishes span trophic levels, including planktivores, herbivores, and carnivores, and are among the most abundant species for the region. Estimates include LWRs for species never previously published or available in the literature or accessible databases. Measurements of total length (TL: 0.1 cm precision) and total weight (W: 0.01 g precision) were taken. These estimates increase the number of available and robust LWRs for coral reef fishes, providing a better understanding of patterns of growth for these species. With a particular focus on small-bodied species, among the most abundant observed in underwater visual censuses, these estimates will allow marine resource managers and local scientists to characterize fish biomass in French Polynesia with greater precision. 

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2. Shore fishes of French Polynesia

   Siu, G. ; Bacchet, P. ; Bernardi, G. ; Brooks, A. J. ; Carlot, J. ; Causse, R. ; Claudet, J. ; Clua, E. ; Delrieu-Trottin, E. ; Espiau, B. ; et al ( July 2017 , Cybium)

   On the occasion of the 10th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference (http://ipfc10.criobe.pf/) to be held in Tahiti in October 2017, it seemed timely to update Randall’s 1985 list of the fishes known from French Polynesia. Many studies focusing on fishes in this area have been published since 1985, but Randall’s list remains the authoritative source. Herein we present an expanded species list of 1,301 fishes now known to occur in French Polynesia and we review the expeditions and information sources responsible for the over 60% increase in the number of known species since the publication of Randall’s checklist in 1985. Our list of the fishes known from French Polynesia includes only those species with a reliably verifiable presence in these waters. In cases where there was any doubt about the identity of a species, or of the reliability of a reported sighting, the species was not included in our list. 

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3. Fish feces reveal diverse nutrient sources for coral reefs

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4119  

   Van_Wert, Jacey_C ; Ezzat, Leïla ; Munsterman, Katrina_S ; Landfield, Kaitlyn ; Schiettekatte, Nina_M_D ; Parravicini, Valeriano ; Casey, Jordan_M ; Brandl, Simon_J ; Burkepile, Deron_E ; Eliason, Erika_J ( June 2023 , Ecology)

   Consumers mediate nutrient cycling through excretion and egestion across most ecosystems. In nutrient‐poor tropical waters such as coral reefs, nutrient cycling is critical for maintaining productivity. While the cycling of fish‐derived inorganic nutrients via excretion has been extensively investigated, the role of egestion for nutrient cycling has remained poorly explored. We sampled the fecal contents of 570 individual fishes across 40 species, representing six dominant trophic guilds of coral reef fishes in Moorea, French Polynesia. We measured fecal macro‐ (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids) and micro‐ (calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc) nutrients and compared the fecal nutrient quantity and quality across trophic guilds, taxa, and body size. Macro‐ and micronutrient concentrations in fish feces varied markedly across species. Genera and trophic guild best predicted fecal nutrient concentrations. In addition, nutrient composition in feces was unique among species within both trophic guilds (herbivores and corallivores) and genera (AcanthurusandChaetodon). Particularly, certain coral reef fishes (e.g.,Thalassoma hardwicke,Chromis xanthura,Chaetodon pelewensisandAcanthurus pyroferus) harbored relatively high concentrations of micronutrients (e.g., Mn, Mg, Zn and Fe, respectively) that are known to contribute to ocean productivity and positively impact coral physiological performances. Given the nutrient‐rich profiles across reef fish feces, conserving holistic reef fish communities ensures the availability of nutritional pools on coral reefs. We therefore suggest that better integration of consumer egestion dynamics into food web models and ecosystem‐scale processes will facilitate an improved understanding of coral reef functioning.

    

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4. Limited similarity in microbial composition among coral reef fishes from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

   https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaf016  

   Costa, Vincenzo_A ; Bellwood, David_R ; Mifsud, Jonathon_C_O ; Geoghegan, Jemma_L ; Harvey, Erin ; Holmes, Edward_C ( February 2025 , FEMS Microbiology Ecology)

   Reef fishes exhibit enormous biodiversity within a highly interactive ecosystem. Relatively little is known about the diversity and evolution of microbial species associated with reef fish, even though this may provide valuable insights into the factors that shape microbial communities. Through metatranscriptomic sequencing, we characterized the viruses, bacteria, and single-celled eukaryotes from 126 reef fish species inhabiting Lizard Island and Orpheus Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. We assessed whether microbial communities differed between islands that are separated by 450 km, and to what extent fish viruses emerge in new hosts. Despite strong ecological interactions within the species-rich reef environment, and the presence of the same families of viruses on both islands, there was minimal evidence for the presence of individual viruses shared among fish species, reflecting low levels of cross-species transmission. Among bacteria, we identified the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Photobacterium damselae in apparently healthy cardinalfish species from both islands, indicating that these fish species are natural reservoirs. These data suggest that reef fishes have microbial–host associations that arose prior to the formation of the Great Barrier Reef, likely leading to strong host barriers to cross-species transmission and hence infectious disease emergence.

    

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5. Epifaunal invertebrate assemblages associated with branching Pocilloporids in Moorea, French Polynesia

   https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9364  

   Pisapia, Chiara ; Stella, Jessica ; Silbiger, Nyssa J. ; Carpenter, Robert ( January 2020 , PeerJ)

   null (Ed.)

   Reef-building corals can harbour high abundances of diverse invertebrate epifauna. Coral characteristics and environmental conditions are important drivers of community structure of coral-associated invertebrates; however, our current understanding of drivers of epifaunal distributions is still unclear. This study tests the relative importance of the physical environment (current flow speed) and host quality (e.g., colony height, surface area, distance between branches, penetration depth among branches, and background partial mortality) in structuring epifaunal communities living within branching Pocillopora colonies on a back reef in Moorea, French Polynesia. A total of 470 individuals belonging to four phyla, 16 families and 39 genera were extracted from 36 Pocillopora spp. colonies. Decapods were the most abundant epifaunal organisms (accounting for 84% of individuals) found living in Pocillopora spp. While coral host characteristics and flow regime are very important, these parameters were not correlated with epifaunal assemblages at the time of the study. Epifaunal assemblages associated with Pocillopora spp. were consistent and minimally affected by differences in host characteristics and flow regime. The consistency in abundance and taxon richness among colonies (regardless of habitat characteristics) highlighted the importance of total habitat availability. With escalating effects of climate change and other localized disturbances, it is critical to preserve branching corals to support epifaunal communities. 

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