Fish and Coral Community Structure Are Related on Shallow Water Patch Reefs near San Salvador, Bahamas

Abstract

We measured abundance and diversity of fishes and corals at three patch reef complexes near San Salvador, Bahamas, and examined relationships among species and ecological measures of fish and coral community structure. Generalized Discriminant Analyses indicated which ecological variables distinguished reefs and which fish and coral species accounted for observed differences among reefs. Canonical Correlation Analysis revealed relationships between fish and coral species at each reef. Reefs with the greatest coral cover had the highest abundance and species richness of fishes. These results add to studies describing relationships between reef fishes and corals, and establish a benchmark for fish and coral community structures and relationships near San Salvador in the Bahamas during a time of region-wide declines of Caribbean corals.