Munday et al., 2007:

"Climate change will affect populations and communities of fishes on the GBR through a range of impacts on either the larval, juvenile or adult phases. Dispersal and survival patterns of fish larvae play a key role in the dynamics of adult populations and the ecological and genetic connectivity between populations. The larval stage of reef fishes is highly sensitive to environmental conditions and any changes to the growth, survival, or range of larval dispersal patterns brought about by climate change could have significant consequences for the distribution and abundance of adult populations.

The impact of climate change on the structure of coral reef habitats will also have far-reaching consequences for fish populations and communities. Recent episodes of coral bleaching from elevated sea temperatures have seriously degraded reefs around the world. The loss of coral from bleaching has caused significant declines in the diversity and abundance of reef fishes in some places and this effect will be magnified if the structural complexity of reefs declines as a result of continued degradation. The amount of suitable habitat for reef fishes will be further compromised if the effects of coral bleaching interact with other disturbances that kill live coral, such as outbreaks of crown of thorns starfish or terrestrial pollution. Although the GBR is currently in relatively good condition, it cannot escape the global affects of climate change. The interacting effects of climate change and other stressors have the potential to substantially alter the structure of fish communities on the GBR."

Figure 12.1: Representation of the ways climate change can influence fish populations and communities through a range of direct and indirect effects on different life stages