Marine Science in the News: Loss of reef top predator changes fish body shape
- Feb 5, 2018
- 1 min read
A new study led by the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science suggests that shark declines can lead to changes in reef fish body shapes. The research team examined neighboring reefs off the coast of northwestern Australia. The reefs are nearly identical biologically and physically, but have one major difference: one reef is protected from fishing and the other reef has been subjected to commercial shark fishing for centuries. Scientists collected hundreds of fish across seven species from the two reef systems. They measured body length, body width, eye area and tail area of each fish.
Conclusions of the study:
At the reef where shark populations have declined, the eyes of fishes are up to 46% smaller compared to the same size of fish at the reef with healthy shark populations.
At the reef where shark populations have declined, the tail fin size of fishes are up to 40% smaller compared to the same size of fish at the reef with healthy shark populations.
These patterns were seen in all seven fish species they examined
Studies examining the cascade effects of depleting an ecosystem of its top predator are well documented, but this study provides the first field evidence of changing body shapes of fish caused by shark overfishing. Watch the video below to learn why these changes may have occurred!
Journal reference:
Hammerschlag, N., S.C. Barley, D.J. Irschick, J.J. Meeuwig, E.R. Nelson, M.G. Meekan. 2018. Predator declines and morphological changes in prey: evidence from coral reefs depleted of sharks. Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 586:127-139. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12426.
It’s fascinating (and a bit scary) how removing one top predator can literally reshape an entire community of fish. Smaller eyes and tails must change how they hunt, flee, and even interact with each other. It reminds me how subtle mechanics in sports or games can have big outcomes—kind of like how players evolve in strategy games such as Football Bros over time.
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That’s fascinating — I never realized shark populations could directly impact the shape of reef fish. Nature really adapts when top predators are removed, kind of like how in Drift Boss Unblocked, the whole strategy shifts when one obstacle is gone. It’s a good reminder that even small changes in the ecosystem can have a big ripple effect.
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