COMPOSITION, STRUCTURES AND TROPHIC NETWORKS OF THE FISH COMMUNITIES OF THE WINDWARD COAST OF REUNION ISLAND

This work was carried out on the ichthyofauna of the eastern rocky coa st of Reunion Island, and constitutes the first exploratory study on t his area. The main descriptors of the communities (species richness, d ensity and biomass), their spatial organisation, and the trophic netwo rk that they constitued were described and analysed. Seven stations we re investigated in two sites (St-Benoit and Ste-Rose). Species richnes s, density and biomass of fish communities were all higher in Ste-Rose than in St-Benoit. On both sites, short-living species and sedentary species were the most abundant, although trends were more variable in terms of biomass. Trophic structures were dominated by the abundance o f zooplanktivores, mainly Pseudanthias spp. and Chromis spp. Considera tions on biomass allowed the characterization of trophic networks. At St-Benoit, the main way for the transfert of energy was microalgae --> browsers --> piscivores, whereas at Ste-Rose the main path for this t ransfert was zooplankton --> zooplanktivores --> piscivores.