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January 24, 2026Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological SciencesOpen Access

Fossil otolith assemblages reveal millennial-scale changes in reef fish biomass and trophic structure across the Isthmus of Panama

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Authors

EDErin DillonRARodnyel ArosemenaJCJonathan D. Cybulski

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Overview

Uncovers historical shifts in fish biomass and trophic structure in two oceanic regions, indicating distinctive ecosystem responses to human activities.

Key Points

  • The aim is to reconstruct historical fish biomass and trophic structure using fossilized otoliths to understand the impact of human activities.
  • Reconstructed fish biomass and trophic structure using fossil otoliths from coral reefs.
  • Compared data from modern reefs to mid-Holocene reefs in Pacific and Caribbean Panama.
  • Analyzed differences in fish energetics based on oceanographic conditions.
  • Estimated mean per-capita fish biomass was twofold higher in Pacific reefs than in Caribbean reefs.
  • Pacific reefs had a more top-heavy trophic structure due to increased pelagic subsidies.
  • Caribbean reefs experienced predator loss and declining fish biomass, while Pacific reefs showed increasing fish biomass.

Cite This Study

Dillon et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/697460cebb9d90c67120aa85https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0419
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Fossil isotope evidence for trophic simplification on modern Caribbean reefs2026
  2. 2Fossil otoliths reveal changing predator-prey dynamics and partial resilience in reef fishes2024 · 1 citations
  3. 3Fossil denticles reveal how ocean productivity shapes shark baselines and recovery potential2026 · 1 citations
  4. 4Interplay of management and environmental drivers shifts size structure of reef fish communities2024 · 6 citations
  5. 5Remarkable dominance of myctophid otoliths in Upper Miocene Chagres Formation, Caribbean Panama2025 · 1 citations