Mr Tyson Jones1, Professor Graham Edgar1, Associate Professor Rick Stuart-Smith1, Dr Camille Mellin2, Dr Rowan Trebilco3, Associate Professor Scott Ling1
1Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 2The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide., Adelaide, Australia, 3CSIRO, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, Australia
Practical methodologies generally involve limitations and trade-offs that can bias our understanding of natural systems. For underwater surveys, recognition of methodological bias and implications when interpreting results, are critically important for scientific progress. Here, we conduct an extensive analysis of diel ecological changes amongst reef species, including quantification of biases that potentially affect interpretation of visual census (UVC) data. We found large community-level shifts in fauna detectable by UVC surveys conducted day and night along the same 50 m transects on a total of 50 temperate and tropical reefs. Many species were exclusively detected in either day or night surveys. Invertebrates showed a greater affinity for openly occupying reef patches at night on both temperate and tropical reefs. Nocturnal foraging is suggested as a mechanism that reduces predation pressure and/ or competition via niche partitioning. Historical representations of reef biodiversity and biomass are probably systematically biased where only daytime data have been considered. Accounting for diel survey biases is important for improved understanding of marine ecological processes and food web dynamics.
Presentation Slides – Tyson Jones
Biography:
Tyson Jones is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. Tyson’s research focuses on the underlying biases associated with methodological protocols which affect the interpretation of visual census (UVC) data. Extensively exploring the impacts of diver disturbance and sampling period exclusivity on the representation of reef faunal communities, Tyson’s research spans temperate and tropical reefs across day and night.
