Bays-damselfish

We conducted an observational study on the benthic community of the fringing reefs in the two major bays in Moorea, French Polynesia (Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay) and investigated the relationship between the presence of damselfish (Stegastes nigricans) territories and corals within the territories. We found that corals had significantly greater species richness inside of S. nigricans territories than outside. Our results support a positive effect of S. nigricans on coral diversity, potentially through indirect positive effects on many non-dominant coral species.