Comment On "Demographic Dynamics Of The Smallest Marine Vertebrates Fuel Coral Reef Ecosystem Functioning"

Brandl et al. (Reports, 21 June 2019, p. 1189) report that cryptobenthic fishes underpin coral reef ecosystem function by contributing similar to 60% of "consumed fish" biomass and similar to 20% of production. These results are artifacts of their simulation. Using their data and model, we show that cryptobenthic species contribute less than 4% to fish production, calling into question the extent to which they contribute to the high productivity of coral reefs.