Population-level habitat breadth varies with richness in reef fishes

Aim: It has been hypothesized that niche-breadth should decrease with richness, due to interactions such as competition, forcing species to specialize. This hypothesis has been tested at the community-level using species-level niche breadth estimates. However, evidence for changes in niche-breath among populations of the same species are scant. Examining this relationship among populations is crucial for understanding the role of interactions, as opposed to large-scale climate, in altering realized niche breadth.
Location: The Pacific Ocean
Time period: 1996-2010
Methods: We focus on reef fishes along a large-scale richness gradient that is not accompanied by marked environmental changes. Fishes in each site were surveyed in four distinct habitats which allow to estimate the habitat-breadth for each population. We calculated the habitat-breadth of distinct populations of 154 fish species and tested how habitat-breadth varied with richness, while controlling for the effect of abundance. ..., Underwater visual fish census survey data collected by Michel Kulbicki and Laurent Vigliola.
Data columns are very informative.
'Density' refers to the number of individuals per 100 squared meters., , # Data from: Population-level habitat breadth varies with richness in reef fishes

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mcvdnck8q](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mcvdnck8q)

## Description of the data and file structure

Reef fish census survey data collected by a single surveyor (Michel Kulbicki) from 1988 to 2015, from dozens of locations across the globe.

The sampling unit is a belt transect (Search area indicated in the data).

### Files and variables

#### File: gaspar\_for\_dryad.csv

**Description:** 

##### Variables

* Subregion: 
* Location: A location usually encompasses a few sites, up to a distance of a few tens of km.
* Site: A site is typically a few hundred m to a few km in size.
* ReefType: six distinct reef types: Lagoon facing barrier reef and Ocean facing barrier reef, Lagoon facing patch reef and Ocean facing patch reef, Lagoon facing fringing reef and Ocean facing fringing reef.
* Date: Date.
* Sample_ID_2: The sample unit unique ID.
* Search_Area: In squared meters
* S...