Tuesday January 30, 2024
PhysOrg —
Floating macroalgae acts as a raft that provides habitat for a diverse array of juvenile oceanic fish a new Griffith University-led study has found.
Published in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, the study conducted in the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area, Western Australia, revealed that fish were more abundant around macroalgal rafts than in open water, with eleven species of juvenile fishes associated with Sargassum rafts, and one species of both juveniles and adults.
“Floating macroalgal rafts form extensive habitat in coastal waters, supporting abundant and diverse communities of juvenile fishes in the open ocean where structure and food can be sparse,” said lead author Samuel Mazoudier, an Honors candidate at the Coastal & Marine Research Center and the Australian Rivers Institute.