I participated in the 57th Annual Convention of the Federation of Institutions for Marine and Freshwater Sciences (FIMFS), co-hosted by the University of Saint La Salle (USLS) – Bacolod and the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Initially, the conference was scheduled to be held in Bacolod City, but due to the typhoon Uwan, the in-person event was canceled. Consequently, a fully online conference was organized and held on December 3-4, 2025.
Below is the submitted video presentation (~56 MB). The full, unspliced, interactive version (~284 MB) can be viewed via this link (opens in a new tab).
Author Information
Art Russel R. Flandez1,2 and Rene A. Abesamis1
- 1Marine Ecology andConservation Laboratory, The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City
- 2Department of Biological Sciences, Visayas State University, Baybay City
Abstract
Fishes play critical functional roles in maintaining ecosystem processes in coral reefs. However, increasing threats from anthropogenic disturbances and environmental change may lead to biodiversity loss, affecting resilience and the delivery of essential ecosystem services. Assessments and monitoring of reef fishes in the Philippines—the epicenter of shorefish diversity, have traditionally relied on species richness and abundance-based metrics. This classic approach may oversimplify ecological complexity and overlook important trait-based variations. Functional diversity (FD), which considers the range and distribution of species traits, has emerged as a robust alternative for understanding community structure and ecosystem functioning. Despite its increasing utility in the last two decades, there has been no study on reef fish FD in the Philippines. This study assessed reef fish assemblages in selected fringing reefs of the Bohol and Sulu Seas using underwater visual census. A total of 177 non-cryptic, diurnally active reef fishes were recorded across nine reef sites, representing 89 genera and 36 families. Total fish community biomass was consistently higher inside marine protected areas than in open access reefs, while other metrics such as richness, density, and diversity did not differ significantly with protection status. Herbivores contributed a substantial portion of the total biomass in both seas. In contrast, obligate corallivores were nearly absent in the Sulu Sea, while a relatively higher biomass was recorded in the Bohol Sea, possibly reflecting differential responses to the recent global bleaching event. Initial explorations of functional diversity metrics suggest variability in trait distribution, functional richness, and functional redundancy. These preliminary findings suggest that both taxonomic and functional approaches should be considered to provide a more comprehensive understanding of reef fish diversity and identifying resilient reefs.
Keywords
reef fish community, taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, functional redundancy