Delayed recovery and host specialization may spell disaster for coral-fish mutualism.

Mutualisms are prevalent in many ecosystems, yet little is known about how symbioses are affected by ecological pressures. Here, we show delayed recovery for 13 coral-dwelling goby fishes (genus ) compared with their host corals following four consecutive cyclones and heatwaves. While corals became twice as abundant in 3 years postdisturbances, gobies were only half as abundant relative to predisturbances and half of the goby species disappeared.

Searching for seadragons: predicting micro-habitat use for the common (weedy) seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) based on habitat and prey.

Habitat associations can be critical predictors of larger-scale organism distributions and range shifts. Here the authors consider how a critical habitat, kelp (Ecklonia radiata) and prey (mysid crustacean swarms), can influence small- and large-scale distribution on the iconic common (weedy) seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus:Syngnathidae). P.

Space use by the endemic common (weedy) seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus): influence of habitat and prey.

The weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus: Syngnathidae) is an iconic fish endemic to the southern coastal waters of Australia. The authors of this study analysed the habitat preferences and factors influencing microhabitat selection by P. taeniolatus in a population from Kurnell, NSW, Australia.

Uneven declines between corals and cryptobenthic fish symbionts from multiple disturbances.

With the onset and increasing frequency of multiple disturbances, the recovery potential of critical ecosystem-building species and their mutual symbionts is threatened. Similar effects to both hosts and their symbionts following disturbances have been assumed. However, we report unequal declines between hosts and symbionts throughout multiple climate-driven disturbances in reef-building Acropora corals and cryptobenthic coral-dwelling Gobiodon gobies.

Genomic and morphological evidence of distinct populations in the endemic common (weedy) seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Syngnathidae) along the east coast of Australia.

The common or weedy seadragon, Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, is an iconic and endemic fish found across temperate reefs of southern Australia. Despite its charismatic nature, few studies have been published, and the extent of population sub-structuring remains poorly resolved. Here we used 7462 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify the extent of population structure in the weedy seadragon along the temperate southeast coast of Australia.