The influence of depth and associated gradients in light, nutrients and plankton on the ecological organization of tropical reef communities was first described over six decades ago but remains untested across broad geographies. During this time humans have become the dominant driver of planetary change, requiring that we revisit historic ecological paradigms to ensure they capture the dynamics of contemporary ecological systems. Analysing >5,500 in-water reef fish surveys between 0 and 30 m depth on reef slopes of 35 islands across the Pacific, we assess whether a depth gradient consistently predicts variation in reef fish biomass.
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Richardson, L.E., Heenan, A., Delargy, A.J. et al. Local human impacts disrupt depth-dependent zonation of tropical reef fish communities. Nat Ecol Evol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02201-x