Editor: Peter Sale

Elsevier Press

ISBN:9870123736093

Although I read this volume from cover to cover when I received it last year, I neglected to complete the review before I set off on sabbatical, so hence this rather delayed contribution. Nevertheless, on going back to it (on the vigorous prompting of the new AMSA book review editor!), I found that my appreciation of this volume had not diminished at all in the interceding months. However, a warning is necessary -close examination revealed that the 2006 publication date belies that it seems to be a repackaging of the 2002 edition with no apparent updating. Regardless, this book still represents the best synthesis I know of with respect to ecology of coral reef fishes.

In this edited volume, Peter Sale has collated valuable and thought-provoking contributions by the leading lights of coral reef fish ecology into four major sections. The first section on the diversity of adaptations and specializations in reef fishes fittingly commences with a review by Bellwood & Wainwright on the 450 million year history of fishes on coral reefs and their biogeography. They challenge us to look beyond species richness and examine the way fishes and reefs interact to understand the functional abilities and role of fishes on reefs. Appropriately, the next chapters cover ecomorphology of feeding (Wainright & Bellwood), age (Choat & Robertson), reproduction (Petersen & Warner) and rarity (Jones, Cayley & Munday) of coral reef fishes. I found the implications to conservation of reef fishes that were explored in these chapters particularly useful.

The second section deals with replenishment of reef fish populations. The chapter on the sensory world of fishes (Myreberg & Fuiman) reminds us of the complex systems (visual, acoustic, mechano-, electro- and chemico-senory) that fishes use to perceive their world. Larval fish dispersal and retention (Cowen) are explored through scale, pattern and physical processes and some of the implications of the retention/dispersal dichotomy on population connectivity are highlighted. Leis & McCormick’s review of the ubiquitous pelagic larvae of reef fishes emphasizes their behavioural capabilities dispelling the myth that they are ‘biological driftcards’ and challenges larval biologists to extend behavioural studies beyond pomacentrids to a wider range of fishes. Reviews on the use of population genetics to explore biogeography and larval dispersal (Planes) and integrating numerical and energetic processes in the ecology of coral reef fishes (Jones & McCormick) complete this part.

Dynamics of reef fish populations and communities is the focus of the third section and otolith applications (Thorrold & Hare) and energetics and diversity (Harmelin-Vivien) are covered before three somewhat contrasting chapters addressing regulation of population dynamics. Issues such as different scales in space and time (Forrester, Vance & Steele), density dependence (Hickson & Webster) and variable replenishment (Doherty) are covered.

The final section deals with management of coral reef fishes. Sale expounds his thesis that ecology is not well integrated into management and provides some interesting comments with respect to spatial scales, adaptive management and MPAs. Levin & Grimes highlight grouper conservation and management focussing particularly on the reproductive ecology of this important family. The ecological issues of trades in live reef fishes for food and aquaria are addressed by Sadovy & Vincent and, appropriately, they also deal with economic and management issues. The final chapter in the book was the one that particularly grabbed my attention – not only for its provocative title of “Yet another review of marine reserves as reef fishery management tools” but for the incisive way in which Gary Russ cuts to the chase about the surprisingly equivocal empirical evidence with regard to effects inside and outside reserves. Anyone planning research on effects of marine reserves should, as a starting point, read this chapter.

Overall, this is, in my opinion, an excellent compilation of reviews pertaining to various aspects of the ecology of coral reef fishes though I feel that the final management section is somewhat undervalued in the subtitle to the book. I particularly liked the introductory editorials to each section as it is here that the editor reveals how he perceives the pieces of the puzzle. The 80 page bibliography of 2580 references is very comprehensive.

The editor’s stated intention of producing a book that would speak to graduate students, scientists, reef managers and the wider ecological community has been well met.

Reviewed by: Lynnath Beckley, Murdoch University