Partitioning of food and space resources by chaetodontid fishes on coral reefs

This study deals with two chaetodontid fish communities from reefs of the indo-pacific region: a reef off the Jordanian coast (Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea) and a reef off Moorea (French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean). The chaetodontid fish communities of Aqaba and Moorea include 7 and 17 species, respectively. Quantitative data on their food habits and on their spatial distribution were used to determine the degree of niche overlap among the species coexisting on the same reef. An examination of the distribution on the reef of species in potential competition for food revealed that the species having a similar diet tended to be localized in different parts of the reef with little overlap in their spatial distribution. This observation applied to the species of both regions, and for the generalists as well as the specialists.