Multi-decadal stability of fish productivity despite increasing coral reef degradation

1.     Under current
trajectories, it is unlikely that the coral reefs of the future will
resemble those of the past. As multiple stressors, such as climate change
and coastal development, continue to impact coral reefs, understanding the
changes in ecosystem functioning is imperative to protect key ecosystem
services. 2.     We used a
26-year dataset of benthic reef fishes (including cryptobenthic fishes) to
identify multi-decadal trends in fish biomass production on a degraded
coral reef. We converted fish abundances into estimates of community
productivity to track the long-term trend of fish biomass production
through time.
3.     Following the first
mass coral bleaching event in 1998, the abundance, standing biomass, and
productivity of fish communities remained remarkably constant through
time, despite the occurrence of multiple stressors, including extreme
sedimentation, cyclones, and mass coral bleaching events. Species richness
declined following the 1998 bleaching event, but rebounded to
pre-bleaching levels and also remained relatively stable. 4. 
   Although the species composition of the communities
changed over time, these new community configurations still maintain a
steady level of fish biomass production. While these highly dynamic and
increasingly degraded systems can still provide some critical ecosystem
functions, it is unclear whether these patterns will remain stable over
future decades.