Data from: Exploring the nature of ecological specialization in a coral reef fish community: morphology, diet, and foraging microhabitat use

Patterns of ecological specialization offer invaluable information about ecosystems. Yet, specialization is rarely quantified across several ecological niche axes and variables beyond the link between morphological and dietary specialization have received little attention. Here, we provide a quantitative evaluation of ecological specialization in a coral reef fish assemblage (f. Acanthuridae) along one fundamental and two realized niche axes. Specifically, we examined ecological specialization in ten surgeonfish species with regards to morphology and two realized niche axes associated with diet and foraging microhabitat utilization using a recently developed multidimensional framework. We then investigated the potential relationships between morphological and behavioral specialization. These relationships differed markedly from the traditional ecomorphological paradigm. While morphological specialization showed no relationship with dietary specialization, it exhibited a strong relationship with foraging microhabitat specialization. However, this relationship was inverted: species with specialized morphologies were microhabitat generalists while generalized morphotypes were microhabitat specialists. Interestingly, this mirrors relationships found in plant-pollinator communities and may also be applicable to other ecosystems, highlighting the potential importance of including niche axes beyond dietary specialization into ecomorphological frameworks. On coral reefs, it appears that morphotypes commonly perceived as most generalized may, in fact, be specialized in exploiting flat and easily accessible microhabitats.

生态特化模式可为生态系统研究提供极具价值的信息。然而，目前鲜有研究针对多生态位轴对特化程度进行量化，且除形态特化与食性特化之间的关联外，其他相关变量的研究关注度极低。本研究针对珊瑚礁鱼类类群（刺尾鱼科Acanthuridae），沿1个基础生态位轴与2个现实生态位轴，对其生态特化程度开展定量评估。具体而言，本研究借助新近提出的多维分析框架，针对10种刺尾鱼，从形态特征以及与食性、觅食微生境利用相关的2个现实生态位轴入手，对其生态特化程度展开分析。随后，本研究探究了形态特化与行为特化之间的潜在关联。该关联与传统生态形态学范式存在显著差异：形态特化与食性特化并无关联，但却与觅食微生境特化存在极强的相关性。但该相关性方向与常规认知相反：形态特化的物种实际为微生境泛化种，而形态泛化的类群反而属于微生境特化种。值得注意的是，这一现象与植物-传粉者群落中观察到的关联高度相似，且可能适用于其他生态系统，这凸显了在生态形态学框架中纳入食性特化以外的生态位轴的潜在重要性。在珊瑚礁生态系统中，通常被认为是形态泛化的类群，实际上可能特化于利用平坦且易抵达的微生境。