PreprintCC BY-NC 4.0EcoEvoRxiv
Reef fish biodiversity guarantees productivity
Abstract
Biodiversity loss on coral reefs may threaten their functioning and services to humanity. However, the impacts of biodiversity change on reef fish productivity, a key function that sustains millions of humans, are not well understood. Here, we compiled a global dataset of coral reef fish surveys to examine whether assemblage biodiversity promotes productivity, in both space and time. Diversity acts as an insurance policy for productivity: although high levels of reef fish productivity can occur at any level of local species richness, we found no diverse assemblages with low productivity. This triangular relationship reconciles the apparent contradiction of productive monocultures identified in previous studies. Importantly, productivity strongly mirrors species richness trends regardless of initial richness. Implications for conservation and management are clear: reefs that are naturally less diverse can still be productive. Yet human-driven biodiversity declines are likely to translate to productivity declines, impacting ecological productivity and coastal populations.
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BibTeX
@misc{chow2026reef,
title = {{Reef fish biodiversity guarantees productivity}},
author = {Cher F. Y. Chow and Fernando A. Zapata and Laurent Vigliola and Rick D. Stuart-Smith and Lucy K. Southworth and Patrick Smallhorn-West and Daniel Sadd and Laura E. Richardson and Denmark Recamara and Juan Pablo Quimbayo and Hudson T. Pinheiro and Valeriano Parravicini and Mae Angelie Casuyon Paradela and Maria M. Palacios and Cleto Lema Nañola Jr. and Renato A. Morais and Eva Maire and Fleurdeliz Maglangit and Joshua S. Madin and Osmar J. Luiz and Guilherme O. Longo and Mai Lazarus and Timothy A. C. Lamont and Anna Koester and Peter Houk and Erika Gress and Nicholas A. J. Graham and Alan M. Friedlander and Luisa Fontoura and Sergio R. Floeter and Carlos Eduardo Leite Ferreira and Dan A. Exton and Michael J. Emslie and Brisneve Edullantes and Graham J. Edgar and Maarten De Brauwer and Nicole L. Crane and Cesar A. M. M. Cordeiro and Joshua E. Cinner and Joey P. Cabasan and Alexandre C Siquerira and Simon J. Brandl and Eukene O. Bensig and Jonathan Belmaker and Maria Beger and Diego R. Barneche and Jesús Ernesto Arias-González and Adriana Alzate and Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip and Nina M. D. Schiettekatte and Andrew Hoey and Anne E Magurran and Maria Dornelas},
howpublished = {EcoEvoRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.32942/x2mq3k},
url = {https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/15839/},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Reef fish biodiversity guarantees productivity
AU - Cher F. Y. Chow
AU - Fernando A. Zapata
AU - Laurent Vigliola
AU - Rick D. Stuart-Smith
AU - Lucy K. Southworth
AU - Patrick Smallhorn-West
AU - Daniel Sadd
AU - Laura E. Richardson
AU - Denmark Recamara
AU - Juan Pablo Quimbayo
AU - Hudson T. Pinheiro
AU - Valeriano Parravicini
AU - Mae Angelie Casuyon Paradela
AU - Maria M. Palacios
AU - Cleto Lema Nañola Jr.
AU - Renato A. Morais
AU - Eva Maire
AU - Fleurdeliz Maglangit
AU - Joshua S. Madin
AU - Osmar J. Luiz
AU - Guilherme O. Longo
AU - Mai Lazarus
AU - Timothy A. C. Lamont
AU - Anna Koester
AU - Peter Houk
AU - Erika Gress
AU - Nicholas A. J. Graham
AU - Alan M. Friedlander
AU - Luisa Fontoura
AU - Sergio R. Floeter
AU - Carlos Eduardo Leite Ferreira
AU - Dan A. Exton
AU - Michael J. Emslie
AU - Brisneve Edullantes
AU - Graham J. Edgar
AU - Maarten De Brauwer
AU - Nicole L. Crane
AU - Cesar A. M. M. Cordeiro
AU - Joshua E. Cinner
AU - Joey P. Cabasan
AU - Alexandre C Siquerira
AU - Simon J. Brandl
AU - Eukene O. Bensig
AU - Jonathan Belmaker
AU - Maria Beger
AU - Diego R. Barneche
AU - Jesús Ernesto Arias-González
AU - Adriana Alzate
AU - Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
AU - Nina M. D. Schiettekatte
AU - Andrew Hoey
AU - Anne E Magurran
AU - Maria Dornelas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
PB - EcoEvoRxiv
DO - 10.32942/x2mq3k
UR - https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/15839/
AB - Biodiversity loss on coral reefs may threaten their functioning and services to humanity. However, the impacts of biodiversity change on reef fish productivity, a key function that sustains millions of humans, are not well understood. Here, we compiled a global dataset of coral reef fish surveys to examine whether assemblage biodiversity promotes productivity, in both space and time. Diversity acts as an insurance policy for productivity: although high levels of reef fish productivity can occur at any level of local species richness, we found no diverse assemblages with low productivity. This triangular relationship reconciles the apparent contradiction of productive monocultures identified in previous studies. Importantly, productivity strongly mirrors species richness trends regardless of initial richness. Implications for conservation and management are clear: reefs that are naturally less diverse can still be productive. Yet human-driven biodiversity declines are likely to translate to productivity declines, impacting ecological productivity and coastal populations.
ER -