Description
Data Records
The data in this checklist resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 96 records.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Alemu, J.B. 2014. Fish Assemblages on Fringing Reefs in the Southern Caribbean: biodiversity, biomass and feeding types. Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 62 (Suppl. 3): 169-181. https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442014000700027
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Institute of Marine Affairs. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 0f2b7a33-5c9c-4ca2-af92-07552d6d75c0. Institute of Marine Affairs publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Participant Node Managers Committee.
Keywords
Checklist; Derivedfromoccurrence
Contacts
- Originator
- Research Officer
- Point Of Contact
- Data Officer
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6221-4600
Geographic Coverage
Trinidad and Tobago
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [-90, -180], North East [90, -180] |
|---|
Taxonomic Coverage
No Description available
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Teleostei |
| Order | Acanthuriformes, Ovalentaria incertae sedis, Syngnathiformes, Perciformes, Carangiformes, Acanthuriformes, Eupercaria incertae sedis, Centrarchiformes, Mulliformes, Aulopiformes, Pleuronectiformes, Clupeiformes, Tetraodontiformes, Carangaria incertae sedis, Beryciformes, Holocentriformes |
| Family | Sciaenidae, Holocentridae, Haemulidae, Synodontidae, Pomacanthidae, Mullidae, Kyphosidae, Sphyraenidae, Aulostomidae, Serranidae, Acanthuridae, Carangidae, Engraulidae, Labridae, Chaetodontidae, Epinephelidae, Bothidae, Diodontidae, Lutjanidae, Priacanthidae, Ostraciidae, Pomacentridae, Scaridae, Tetraodontidae, Monacanthidae, Balistidae |
Temporal Coverage
| Start Date | 2014-07-31 |
|---|
Project Data
Reef fish assemblages in the Caribbean are under increasing pressure from human activities. Inadequate enforcement of legislation, coupled with unreliable and data-poor landings in Tobago, has led to the unregulated exploitation of reef fish for decades. This study addresses the lack of data on major reefs. Visual observations of fish fauna were conducted from November 2011 to May 2013 at open-access reef sites (Speyside, Charlotteville, Culloden, Arnos Vale, Mt. Irvine, La Guira, Kilgwyn, Plymouth, and Black Rock) and one protected area (Buccoo Reef Marine Park). Belt transect surveys were used to determine fish density, species diversity, and abundance at the 10-15m depth contour.
| Title | Fish Assemblages on Fringing Reefs in the Southern Caribbean: biodiversity, biomass and feeding types |
|---|---|
| Identifier | BID-CA2020-004-INS |
| Funding | Institute of Marine Affairs, Government Agency, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Study Area Description | This study was conducted over an eighteen-month period October 2011 to March 2013 on the reefs surrounding Tobago located 7km east off the Paria Peninsula. Study reefs (n=23) were of comparable size(~4ha) and represented the variability of the major reef systems. Tobago’s underwater topography is characterized by two distinct topographic regimes, a shallow limestone gently sloping shelf on the southwest side of the island, and a narrow, rocky, steeply sloping shelf on the northeastern side, upon which a variety of coral have been established. The southwest reefs are considered true coral reef (CR) formations consisting of corals colonies built upon a carbonate substrate with distinct reef zonation. The northeast reefs are considered coral associations (CA) consisting of coral-sponge co-dominated reefs established on rocky non-carbonate-based substrata. |
| Design Description | Reef fish communities around Tobago exist on the margin of coral reefs in the southern Caribbean, and play a critical role in maintaining reef integrity. However, declining reef fish (abundance and biomass) as told in the oral history of Tobago, threatens the mainstay of the local diet and dependent economies. Further, the recent invasion of the lionfish onto Tobago’s reefs poses a real threat to juvenile and small reef fish communities. The purpose of this study is to a) establish some baseline data on the abundance and species richness of reef fishes around Tobago and b) assess any spatial variation in these assemblages. |
The personnel involved in the project:
- Author
Sampling Methods
Reef fish surveys were conducted to estimate abundance, richness and to determine spatial distribution. Surveys were conducted along three 25x5m belt transects along the outer reef slope between 10-15m depth. Along each transect the number of individuals of each species was estimated and the total length of each fish was visually estimated and classified into 10cm classes (<10cm, 10–20cm, >20–30cm, >30–40cm and>40cm).
| Study Extent | Visual observations of fish fauna were conducted from November 2011-May 2013 at open access reef sites (Speyside, Charlotteville, Culloden, Arnos Vale, Mt. Irvine, La Guira, Kilgwyn, Plymouth and Black Rock) and one protected area (Buccoo Reef Marine Park). Tobago’s underwater topography is characterized by two distinct topographic regimes, a shallow limestone gently sloping shelf on the southwest side of the island, and a narrow, rocky, steeply sloping shelf on the northeastern side, upon which a variety of coral have been established Reefs along the northeast of Tobago are more exposed to the northeast trade winds and occur in a high energy environment due to the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea |
|---|---|
| Quality Control | The biodiversity data from this project is entered into excel using the Darwin Core Method and during this transcription and the species names are checked in WoRMS. GBIF validator and Open Refine software was used to check for errors and the errors are corrected in excel. |
Method step description:
- The biodiversity data from this project is entered into excel using the Darwin Core Method and during this transcription and the species names are checked in WoRMS. GBIF validator and Open Refine software was used to check for errors and the errors are corrected in excel. IMAs GIS unit does the georeferenced checks for the locations of the sites where the study was conducted. If no coordinate information is provided the GIS unit will provide coordinates with site details.
Additional Metadata
| Purpose | The purpose of this study is to a) establish some baseline data on the abundance and species richness of reef fishes around Tobago and b) assess any spatial variation in these assemblages. This historical data can add to other datasets for fish assemblages in Tobago and combined can tell a story about the status of the coral reef fish populations. |
|---|---|
| Maintenance Description | This dataset will be updated as new data is collected and/or discovered. |
| Alternative Identifiers | https://cloud.gbif.org/lac/resource?r=fishassemblagesouthcarib |