Patterns of distribution of reef fishes were examined across three spatial scales and related to habitat traits along 25 km of the northern Portuguese coast. Response variables included the multivariate assemblage structure, the total number of taxa and individuals, and the abundance of single groups categorized according to their preference for the benthic, proximo-benthic or pelagic environment, feeding and reproductive behaviour. Habitat traits included topographic elements (small and large ‘drops’ like cracks and crevices) and the extent of dominant morpho-functional types of macroalgae (kelp, large foliose, small erect, turf-forming filamentous, and encrusting). All fish responses were characterized by the largest variance at the smallest scale (among transects tens m apart), followed by that among reefs (hundreds m to 1 km apart) and almost null variance among sites (some km apart). Small and large ‘drops’ of the substratum explained, respectively, considerable variation of assemblage structure and the total abundance of individuals, while the extent of bare rock influenced the richness of taxa and that of benthic fishes, fishes feeding on sessile invertebrates and fishes laying benthic eggs or having nesting behaviour. Combinations of abiotic and biotic structural attributes of reefs influenced proximo-benthic fishes, the predators of mobile animals and fishes releasing pelagic eggs. The here reported associations between patterns of distribution of reef fishes and habitat traits have implications for the design of future protection schemes suitable to guarantee the conservation of reef fish communities and of the processes responsible for their variation. Within the SLOSS (single-large vs. several-small) debate in the design of marine reserves, for example, effective protection to the studied reef fishes would be provided by a set of small reserves, rather than a single large which might be appropriate for fishes having wider home ranges.

中文翻译：

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礁鱼的空间变异以及生物和非生物栖息地特征的相对影响

在葡萄牙北部海岸25公里处的三个空间尺度上检查了礁鱼的分布模式，并与栖息地特征相关。响应变量包括多元组合结构，分类单元和个体总数，以及根据其对底栖，近海底栖或中上层环境，摄食和生殖行为的偏好分类的单个群体的数量。栖息地特征包括地形要素（诸如裂缝和缝隙的大的“滴”）和大型藻类的主要形态功能类型的范围（海带，大叶状，小直立，形成草皮的丝状和包壳）。所有鱼类的反应都以最小尺度上最大的方差为特征（相隔数十m的横断面），其次是礁石间的距离（相距数百米至1公里），而各地点之间的方差几乎为零（相距几公里）。基底的小滴和大滴分别解释了组合结构和个体总丰度的显着变化，而裸露的岩石的程度影响了类群和底栖鱼类，以无脊椎动物为食的鱼类和产卵的丰富度底栖鸡蛋或有筑巢行为。礁石的非生物和生物结构特征的组合影响了近海底鱼类，流动动物的捕食者和释放上层卵的鱼类。此处报道的礁鱼分布模式与栖息地特征之间的关联对未来保护方案的设计具有重要意义，这些保护方案适合于保护礁鱼群落及其变种过程。例如，在海洋保护区设计的SLOSS（大型或小型）的辩论中，将通过一组小型保护区（而不是单个大型保护区）为研究的礁鱼提供有效保护。适用于家庭范围较广的鱼类。