222
Coral Reef Fish
numbers of species in them differen 1.5-2 times (C.L. Smith 1978). These
results proved the conclusion on a high degree of predictability in reef fish
communities because of the existence of common regularities which
influence their formation and composition. Experiments with local
extermination of reef fauna on particular patch reefs with the aid of
ichthyocide rotenone demonstrated that after their subsequent colonization
by first fauna its composition was almost completely rehabilitated. These
results were used as a proof of a deterministic character of the community
structure of reef fish ("order theory"; Smith and Tyler 1972; Gladfelter et
al. 1980).
But the theory of "order" has its opponents (Sale 1978b, 1980, 1989; Sale
et al. 1984; Talbot et al. 1978), who insist that the structure of communities
of reef fish has stochastic character (theory of "chaos") and therefore it is
far from being predictable. They propose that a high mortality caused by
grazing and other factors permanently renews the living space in reef
biotopes for its recruitment of young fish. This process of recruitment can
have only stochastic character, depending on the availability of accidental
fish larvae. Detailed analysis of both theories, employing data on turnover
in fish populations (Bohnsack 1983), did not prove the "chaos" theory,
which appeared to be "working" only on relatively short time scales (Hunte
and Cote, 1989). The theory of "order" was proved by the results of
long-term observations on community structure and its temporal fluctuations
(Thresher 1977), as well as the re-results of a 20-year observation on the
colonization of the artificial reef constructed among natural reefs off one of
the Virgin Islands in 1960 by J. Randall. Within 2 months at this "reef" a
fish community had been formed which did not change much during the
following years either taxonomically or quantitatively. In 1962 it was
inhabited by 39 species of fish from 14 families, and in 1979 the respective
numbers were: 40 species from the same 14 families, showing the same level
of species diversity and the same number of dominating families (Ogden and
Ebersole 1981).
The deterministic character of the community structure in reef fishes
results from their high degree of specialization in the use of various reef
resources, provided by their fine specific morphological and physiological
adaptations. This factor controls the survival of recruites and thus provides
the relative similarity of succesive ones in similar reef biotopes on a long
time-scale (C.L. Smith 1978; Anderson et al. 1981). The main factors
influencing the species composition of fish communities and .their density
include space and the morphometry of a biotope which make it available for
potential refuges (Thresher 1977; Sale 1978b; Greenfield and Greenfield
1982) and also its trophic resources (Williams and Hatcher 1983). The above
described determinism in the formation of reef fish communities could
surely be influenced by stochastic elements during the formation of fish
fauna in some reef biotopes at in different seasons of the year. This may
cause their fluctuations. One of the causes of these fluctuations could also be
Coral Reef Fish
numbers of species in them differen 1.5-2 times (C.L. Smith 1978). These
results proved the conclusion on a high degree of predictability in reef fish
communities because of the existence of common regularities which
influence their formation and composition. Experiments with local
extermination of reef fauna on particular patch reefs with the aid of
ichthyocide rotenone demonstrated that after their subsequent colonization
by first fauna its composition was almost completely rehabilitated. These
results were used as a proof of a deterministic character of the community
structure of reef fish ("order theory"; Smith and Tyler 1972; Gladfelter et
al. 1980).
But the theory of "order" has its opponents (Sale 1978b, 1980, 1989; Sale
et al. 1984; Talbot et al. 1978), who insist that the structure of communities
of reef fish has stochastic character (theory of "chaos") and therefore it is
far from being predictable. They propose that a high mortality caused by
grazing and other factors permanently renews the living space in reef
biotopes for its recruitment of young fish. This process of recruitment can
have only stochastic character, depending on the availability of accidental
fish larvae. Detailed analysis of both theories, employing data on turnover
in fish populations (Bohnsack 1983), did not prove the "chaos" theory,
which appeared to be "working" only on relatively short time scales (Hunte
and Cote, 1989). The theory of "order" was proved by the results of
long-term observations on community structure and its temporal fluctuations
(Thresher 1977), as well as the re-results of a 20-year observation on the
colonization of the artificial reef constructed among natural reefs off one of
the Virgin Islands in 1960 by J. Randall. Within 2 months at this "reef" a
fish community had been formed which did not change much during the
following years either taxonomically or quantitatively. In 1962 it was
inhabited by 39 species of fish from 14 families, and in 1979 the respective
numbers were: 40 species from the same 14 families, showing the same level
of species diversity and the same number of dominating families (Ogden and
Ebersole 1981).
The deterministic character of the community structure in reef fishes
results from their high degree of specialization in the use of various reef
resources, provided by their fine specific morphological and physiological
adaptations. This factor controls the survival of recruites and thus provides
the relative similarity of succesive ones in similar reef biotopes on a long
time-scale (C.L. Smith 1978; Anderson et al. 1981). The main factors
influencing the species composition of fish communities and .their density
include space and the morphometry of a biotope which make it available for
potential refuges (Thresher 1977; Sale 1978b; Greenfield and Greenfield
1982) and also its trophic resources (Williams and Hatcher 1983). The above
described determinism in the formation of reef fish communities could
surely be influenced by stochastic elements during the formation of fish
fauna in some reef biotopes at in different seasons of the year. This may
cause their fluctuations. One of the causes of these fluctuations could also be