Analysis and Monitoring of Kelp-Bed Fish Communities

We have been studying communities of kelp bed fishes through multivariate analyses of species abundances, morphological traits, and habitat characteristics. "Cinetransectsâ provide samples of fish populations in different habitats. These are underwater movie strips photographed more or less randomly by SCUBA divers at mainland and island localities off Santa Barbara and off Santa Cruz Island some 20 miles across the channel. We have almost completed a general quantitative examination of the mainland and island kelp beds as habitats for fishes, to find out how the species segregate into different habitat groups, how the environment may influence these groups, and how adaptive morphological trends may be used to identify the major categories of fish lifestyles and forager types. We requested funding to extend these studies to encompass more specific objective suggested by the initial representatives of habitat groups and forager types. i.e., to (1) clarify the composition and significance of these groups, (2) understand how their members manage to live together more or less harmoniously, and (3) discover if or how the groups remain stable in structure and composition from year to year.