Spatial Patterns of Reef Fishes Relative to Coral Reef Conditions in Morowali Marine Protected Area, Indonesia | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||
| Volume 29, Issue 5, September and October 2025, Pages 2217-2239 PDF (798.49 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2025.424858.6601 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Ana Faricha* 1; Subhan Subhan2; Fione Yukita Yalindua1; Ayuningtyas Indrawati1; Moh Arif Latjuba3; Fonni Helmince4; Sahril Syam5 | ||
| 1Research Center for Biota Systems, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong, Indonesia | ||
| 2Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Halu Oleo, Indonesia | ||
| 3Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Central Sulawesi Province, Palu, Indonesia | ||
| 4Fisheries Port and Coastal–Small Islands Conservation Technical Unit, Region VII Morowali, Indonesia | ||
| 5Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Fishery and Marine Science, Halu Oleo University, Kendari, Indonesia | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The global environmental crisis has led to biodiversity loss and degradation of marine ecosystems. In response, conserving biodiversity and marine resources through the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) is recognized as one of the most effective tools to address environmental pressures. However, the effectiveness of Indonesia's MPA management remains weak, therefore, better coordination, monitoring, and improved governance are needed to achieve conservation goals. This study aimed to assess how variations in coral reef condition influence reef fishes in terms of diversity, structure, distribution, and biomass at Morowali MPA, Central Sulawesi, to enhance the effective management. The results reveal that the fish assemblages in Morowali MPA are characterized by high species richness and strong spatial structuring driven by species turnover. Families of Acanthuridae, Chaetodontidae, Labridae, Pomacentridae, Serranidae, and Siganidae form the most commonly reef fishes found in Morowali MPA, beyond that the small fish were dominant and larger species were herbivorous and carnivorous groups. Fish diversity and abundance might be driven by variation in benthic substrates. Moreover, the patterns of species dominance illustrate interplay between reef geomorphology, seasonal oceanographic processes, and life-history traits in shaping community structure. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Betadiversity; Conservation; Fish community; Species distribution | ||
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