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February 12, 2026NatureOpen Access

Fossil isotope evidence for trophic simplification on modern Caribbean reefs

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Authors

JLJessica Lueders-DumontAOAaron O’DeaEDErin Dillon

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Overview

This analysis shows trophic simplification in Caribbean reefs, indicating changes in coral and fish dynamics over time.

Key Points

  • The aim is to understand how human-driven changes have affected the trophic structure of Caribbean reefs.
  • Analyzed fossil-bound nitrogen isotopes in fish otoliths and corals from modern and prehistoric reefs.
  • Compared trophic positions of low to middle trophic level fishes from 7,000-year-old samples.
  • Assessed dietary variation across different trophic groups.
  • Modern food chains are 60–70% shorter than prehistoric ones in both Panama and the Dominican Republic.
  • Low-trophic-level fishes show increased or stable trophic levels, while high-trophic-level fishes have declined.
  • Observed a 20–70% reduction in dietary variation in modern reefs compared to prehistoric reefs.

Cite This Study

Lueders-Dumont et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/698d6f0d5be6419ac0d55113https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10077-z
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