ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6244-1245
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Environmental Science and Management | Conservation and Biodiversity | Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) | Ecological Impacts of Climate Change | Conservation And Biodiversity | Ecology | Population And Ecological Genetics | Environmental Management | Fisheries Management | Marine And Estuarine Ecology (Incl. Marine Ichthyology) | Fisheries Sciences | Environment And Resource Economics | Biological Oceanography | Environmental Management And Rehabilitation | Ecosystem Function | Environmental Chemistry (Incl. Atmospheric Chemistry) | Natural Resource Management | Biogeography |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Protected Conservation Areas in Marine Environments | Ecosystem Adaptation to Climate Change | Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) | Wild Caught Fin Fish (excl. Tuna) | Marine protected areas | Fish not elsewhere classified | Living resources (incl. impacts of fishing on non-target species) | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Marine Environments | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments | Coastal and Marine Management Policy | Climate Change Mitigation Strategies | Integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management | Climate change | Integrated (ecosystem) assessment and management | Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences | Fisheries—commercial | Global climate change adaptation measures | Regional planning
Related Links
Publications
Phylogeography of colour polymorphism in the coral reef fish Pseudochromis fuscus, from Papua New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-07-2005
Increasing suspended sediment reduces foraging, growth and condition of a planktivorous damselfish
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2012
The toxicity of skin secretions from coral-dwelling gobies and their potential role as a predator deterrent
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-2003
From cooperation to combat: adverse effect of thermal stress in a symbiotic coral-crustacean community
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-12-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-013-2858-6
Abstract: Although mutualisms are ubiquitous in nature, our understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on these important ecological interactions is deficient. Here, we report on a thermal stress-related shift from cooperation to antagonism between members of a mutualistic coral-dwelling community. Increased mortality of coral-defending crustacean symbionts Trapezia cymodoce (coral crab) and Alpheus lottini (snapping shrimp) was observed in response to experimentally elevated temperatures and reduced coral-host (Pocillopora damicornis) condition. However, strong differential numerical effects occurred among crustaceans as a function of species and sex, with shrimp (75%), and female crabs (55%), exhibiting the fastest and greatest declines in numbers. These declines were due to forceful eviction from the coral-host by male crabs. Furthermore, surviving female crabs were impacted by a dramatic decline (85%) in egg production, which could have deleterious consequences for population sustainability. Our results suggest that elevated temperature switches the fundamental nature of this interaction from cooperation to competition, leading to asymmetrical effects on species and/or sexes. Our study illustrates the importance of evaluating not only in idual responses to climate change, but also potentially fragile interactions within and among susceptible species.
Permanent Genetic Resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 May 2009–31 July 2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-10-2009
DOI: 10.1111/J.1755-0998.2009.02759.X
Abstract: This article documents the addition of 512 microsatellite marker loci and nine pairs of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Alcippe morrisonia morrisonia, Bashania fangiana, Bashania fargesii, Chaetodon vagabundus, Colletes floralis, Coluber constrictor flaviventris, Coptotermes gestroi, Crotophaga major, Cyprinella lutrensis, Danaus plexippus, Fagus grandifolia, Falco tinnunculus, Fletcherimyia fletcheri, Hydrilla verticillata, Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus, Leavenworthia alabamica, Marmosops incanus, Miichthys miiuy, Nasua nasua, Noturus exilis, Odontesthes bonariensis, Quadrula fragosa, Pinctada maxima, Pseudaletia separata, Pseudoperonospora cubensis, Podocarpus elatus, Portunus trituberculatus, Rhagoletis cerasi, Rhinella schneideri, Sarracenia alata, Skeletonema marinoi, Sminthurus viridis, Syngnathus abaster, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) chinensis, Verticillium dahliae, Wasmannia auropunctata, and Zygochlamys patagonica. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Chaetodon baronessa, Falco columbarius, Falco eleonorae, Falco naumanni, Falco peregrinus, Falco subbuteo, Didelphis aurita, Gracilinanus microtarsus, Marmosops paulensis, Monodelphis Americana, Odontesthes hatcheri, Podocarpus grayi, Podocarpus lawrencei, Podocarpus smithii, Portunus pelagicus, Syngnathus acus, Syngnathus typhle,Uroteuthis (Photololigo) edulis, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvauceli and Verticillium albo-atrum. This article also documents the addition of nine sequencing primer pairs and sixteen allele specific primers or probes for Oncorhynchus mykiss and Oncorhynchus tshawytscha these primers and assays were cross-tested in both species.
Crucial knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes
Publisher: The Company of Biologists
Date: 15-03-2010
DOI: 10.1242/JEB.037895
Abstract: Expert opinion was canvassed to identify crucial knowledge gaps in current understanding of climate change impacts on coral reef fishes. Scientists that had published three or more papers on the effects of climate and environmental factors on reef fishes were invited to submit five questions that, if addressed, would improve our understanding of climate change effects on coral reef fishes. Thirty-three scientists provided 155 questions, and 32 scientists scored these questions in terms of: (i) identifying a knowledge gap, (ii) achievability, (iii) applicability to a broad spectrum of species and reef habitats, and (iv) priority. Forty-two per cent of the questions related to habitat associations and community dynamics of fish, reflecting the established effects and immediate concern relating to climate-induced coral loss and habitat degradation. However, there were also questions on fish demographics, physiology, behaviour and management, all of which could be potentially affected by climate change. Irrespective of their in idual expertise and background, scientists scored questions from different topics similarly, suggesting limited bias and recognition of a need for greater interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Presented here are the 53 highest-scoring unique questions. These questions should act as a guide for future research, providing a basis for better assessment and management of climate change impacts on coral reefs and associated fish communities.
Depth distribution and abundance of a coral-associated reef fish: roles of recruitment and post-recruitment processes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-10-2016
Extra‐pair mating in a socially monogamous and paternal mouth‐brooding cardinalfish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.15103
Abstract: Many vertebrates form monogamous pairs to mate and care for their offspring. However, genetic tools have increasingly shown that offspring often arise from matings outside of the monogamous pair bond. Social monogamy is relatively common in coral reef fishes, but there have been few studies that have confirmed monogamy or extra-pair reproduction, either for males or for females. Here, long-term observations and genetic tools were applied to examine the parentage of embryos in a paternally mouth-brooding cardinalfish, Sphaeramia nematoptera. Paternal care in fishes, such as mouth-brooding, is thought to be associated with a high degree of confidence in paternity. Two years of observations confirmed that S. nematoptera form long-term pair bonds within larger groups. However, genetic parentage revealed extra-pair mating by both sexes. Of 105 broods analysed from 64 males, 30.1% were mothered by a female that was not the partner and 11.5% of broods included eggs from two females. Despite the high paternal investment associated with mouth-brooding, 7.6% of broods were fertilized by two males. Extra-pair matings appeared to be opportunistic encounters with in iduals from outside the immediate group. We argue that while pair formation contributes to group cohesion, both males and females can maximize lifetime reproductive success by taking advantage of extra-pair mating opportunities.
Homing is not for everyone: displaced cardinalfish find a new place to live
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-08-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.13092
Abstract: It was tested whether the pajama cardinalfish Sphaeramia nematoptera (Apogonidae) could home by displacing in iduals up to 250 m within and among isolated reefs. Contrary to expectations, only two of 37 (5·4%) displaced S. nematoptera returned home and another 16 (43·2%) were found to have joined other social groups and did not home after 26 months of observations while over the same period, 94% of control S. nematoptera remained associated with home corals, demonstrating strong site attachment. Hence, while this species has the potential to return home, being able to do so may not be as critical as previously assumed.
Patterns and persistence of larval retention and connectivity in a marine fish metapopulation
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-08-2012
Detrimental effects of host anemone bleaching on anemonefish populations
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-01-2011
Sniffing out the competition? Juvenile coral reef damselfishes use chemical cues to distinguish the presence of conspecific and heterospecific aggregations
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.BEPROC.2016.02.001
Abstract: Aquatic animals commonly rely on chemical cues to provide information regarding their surroundings. They can respond either by being attracted to (potential mates, preferred habitats) or avoiding (predators, competitors) the source of the stimuli. Coral reef fishes use chemical cues to detect habitats, avoid predators and recognise conspecifics. However, the extent to which chemical cues are used to detect and respond to potential competitors, has received little attention. Here we test olfactory preferences for conspecifics and heterospecifics in newly settled juvenile coral reef fishes. Juveniles of 4 common coral-associated damselfish species: Dascyllus melanurus, Dascyllus reticulatus, Chrysiptera arnazae and Pomacentrus moluccensis, were subjected to olfactory choice tests. Three of the 4 species (excluding P. moluccensis) demonstrated preferences for waterborne conspecifics odours. All species exhibited an avoidance towards heterospecific odours this aversion was consistently greatest towards P. moluccensis. A neutral response toward heterospecifics was only evident in two instances (1) between the two congeneric Dascyllus species, with D. melanurus toward D. reticulatus, and (2) with C. arnazae toward D. melanurus. While it is already known that the presence of conspecifics plays a vital role in settlement site selection, we show here that the presence of heterospecifics may also be key in determining the spatial distributions of juveniles across areas of coral reef.
Local extinction of a coral reef fish explained by inflexible prey choice
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-08-2014
Climate change and the performance of larval coral reef fishes: The interaction between temperature and food availability
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-2013
Skin toxins and external parasitism of coral-dwelling gobies
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2003
High rate of prey consumption in a small predatory fish on coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-03-2012
Depth gradients in diversity, distribution and habitat specialisation in coral reef fishes: implications for the depth-refuge hypothesis
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 26-11-2015
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS11523
Coral size, health and structural complexity: effects on the ecology of a coral reef damselfish
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 07-06-2012
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS09687
Identification of seventeen microsatellite markers for conservation genetic studies of the endemic anemonefish, Amphiprion mccullochi
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-09-2012
Experimental confirmation of aggressive mimicry by a coral reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-07-2004
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-004-1637-9
Abstract: A number of potential mimetic relationships between coral reef fishes have been described, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Similarities in colour between species have often been attributed to aggressive mimicry (where predators resemble models in order to deceive prey), however this has not been tested. The fang blenny, Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos is a specialized predator that feeds on tissues of other fishes. Some in iduals appear to mimic the harmless cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus in order to deceive fish visiting cleaning stations, thereby increasing access to food. In this study, the ecological relationship between the mimic and model was examined at Kimbe Bay (Papua New Guinea) and the hypothesis that colour similarities represent facultative aggressive mimicry was experimentally evaluated. Some juveniles exhibited a striking resemblance to the juvenile colouration of the cleaner wrasse, but only when in close proximity to the wrasse and only when similar in size. As predicted for mimics, P. rhinorhynchos co-occurred with L. dimidiatus, but was rare relative to the model. Among site comparisons showed that the abundance of mimetic type blennies was positively correlated with the abundance of juvenile cleaner wrasses. Approximately 50% of all P. rhinorhynchos were found </=1 m from the nearest L. dimidiatus, a distance significantly shorter than expected if they were not associated. A cleaner wrasse removal experiment was carried out to test whether the colour displayed by the blenny and its foraging success were contingent upon the presence of a model. In all cases, removal of the model prompted a rapid colour change to a general non-mimetic colouration in P. rhinorhynchos. Removal of L. dimidiatus also resulted in a approximately 20% reduction in the average foraging success of the blenny compared to controls, supporting the hypothesis that the blenny is a facultative aggressive mimic of the cleaner wrasse.
Patterns of migration between feeding and spawning sites in a coral reef surgeonfish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-09-2012
Validation of microsatellite multiplexes for parentage analysis in a coral reef fish (Lutjanus carponotatus, Lutjanidae)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-05-2014
Species integrity, introgression, and genetic variation across a coral reef fish hybrid zone
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-10-2020
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.6769
Abstract: Hybridization and introgression are evolutionarily significant phenomena breaking down species boundaries. “Hybrid zones” (regions of species overlap and hybridization) enable quantification of hybridization frequency and examination of mechanisms driving and maintaining gene flow. The hybrid anemonefish Amphiprion leucokranos is found where parent species ( A. chrysopterus A. sandaracinos ) distributions overlap. Here, we examine geographic variation in hybridization and introgression, and potential impacts on parent species integrity through assessing relative abundance, social group composition, and genetic structure (mtDNA cytochrome b , 21 microsatellite loci) of taxa at three hybrid zone locations: Kimbe Bay (KB) and Kavieng (KA), Papua New Guinea the Solomon Islands (SO). Relative abundances of and size disparities between parent species apparently drive hybridization frequency, introgression patterns, and genetic composition of taxa. Conspecific groups are most common in KB (65%) where parent species are similarly abundant. Conversely, mixed species groups dominate SO (82%), where A. chrysopterus is more abundant. Hybrids most commonly cohabit with A. sandaracinos in KB (17%), but with A. chrysopterus in KA (22%) and SO (50%). Genetic differentiation (nDNA) analyses indicate that parent species remain distinct, despite ongoing hybridization and hybrids are genetically similar to A. sandaracinos— resulting from persistent backcrossing with this smallest species. This study shows that hybridization outcomes may depend on the social and ecological context in which taxa hybridize, where relative abundance and disparate size of parent species explain the frequency and patterns of hybridization and introgression in the A. leucokranos hybrid zone, reflecting size‐based dominance behaviors of anemonefish social groups.
Prey selection by an obligate coral-feeding wrasse and its response to small-scale disturbance
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 1997
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS155189
Hierarchical behaviour, habitat use and species size differences shape evolutionary outcomes of hybridization in a coral reef fish
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1111/JEB.12557
Abstract: Hybridization is an important evolutionary process, with ecological and behavioural factors influencing gene exchange between hybrids and parent species. Patterns of hybridization in anemonefishes may result from living in highly specialized habitats and breeding status regulated by size-based hierarchal social groups. Here, morphological, ecological and genetic analyses in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, examine the hybrid status of Amphiprion leucokranos, a nominal species and presumed hybrid between Amphiprion sandaracinos and Amphiprion chrysopterus. We test the hypothesis that habitat use and relative size differences of the parent species and hybrids determine the patterns of gene exchange. There is strong evidence that A. leucokranos is a hybrid of smaller A. sandaracinos and larger A. chrysopterus, where A. chrysopterus is exclusively the mother to each hybrid, based on mtDNA cytochrome b and multiple nDNA microsatellite loci. Overlap in habitat, depth and host anemone use was found, with hybrids intermediate to parents and cohabitation in over 25% of anemones s led. Hybrids, intermediate in body size, colour and pattern, were classified 55% of the time as morphologically first-generation hybrids relative to parents, whereas 45% of hybrids were more A. sandaracinos-like, suggesting backcrossing. Unidirectional introgression of A. chrysopterus mtDNA into A. sandaracinos via hybrid backcrosses was found, with larger female hybrids and small male A. sandaracinos mating. Potential nDNA introgression was also evident through distinct intermediate hybrid genotypes penetrating both parent species. Findings support the hypothesis that anemonefish hierarchical behaviour, habitat use and species-specific size differences determine how hybrids form and the evolutionary consequences of hybridization.
Habitat preferences of a corallivorous reef fish: predation risk versus food quality
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-06-2013
Connectivity dominates larval replenishment in a coastal reef fish metapopulation
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 16-02-2011
Abstract: Direct estimates of larval retention and connectivity are essential to understand the structure and dynamics of marine metapopulations, and optimize the size and spacing of reserves within networks of marine-protected areas (MPAs). For coral reef fishes, while there are some empirical estimates of self-recruitment at isolated populations, exchange among sub-populations has been rarely quantified. Here, we used microsatellite DNA markers and a likelihood-based parentage analysis to assess the relative magnitude of self-recruitment and exchange among eight geographically distinct sub-populations of the panda clownfish Amphiprion polymnus along 30 km of coastline near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. In addition, we used an assignment/exclusion test to identify immigrants arriving from genetically distinct sources. Overall, 82 per cent of the juveniles were immigrants while 18 per cent were progeny of parents genotyped in our focal metapopulation. Of the immigrants, only 6 per cent were likely to be genetically distinct from the focal metapopulation, suggesting most of the connectivity is among sub-populations from a rather homogeneous genetic pool. Of the 18 per cent that were progeny of known adults, two-thirds dispersed among the eight sub-populations and only one-third settled back into natal sub-populations. Comparison of our data with previous studies suggested that variation in dispersal distances is likely to be influenced by the geographical setting and spacing of sub-populations.
Terrestrial chemical cues help coral reef fish larvae locate settlement habitat surrounding islands
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-11-2011
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.53
Suspended sediment impairs habitat choice and chemosensory discrimination in two coral reef fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-05-2011
Depth and reef profile: effects on the distribution and abundance of coral reef fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-10-2014
Climate change and the future for coral reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-08-2008
Growth of reef fishes in response to live coral cover
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2009
Predators target rare prey in coral reef fish assemblages
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-03-2007
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-007-0693-3
Abstract: Predation can result in differing patterns of local prey ersity depending on whether predators are selective and, if so, how they select prey. A recent study comparing the ersity of juvenile fish assemblages among coral reefs with and without predators concluded that decreased prey ersity in the presence of predators was most likely caused by predators actively selecting rare prey species. We used several related laboratory experiments to explore this hypothesis by testing: (1) whether predators prefer particular prey species, (2) whether in idual predators consistently select the same prey species, (3) whether predators target rare prey, and (4) whether rare prey are more vulnerable to predation because they differ in appearance/colouration from common prey. Rare prey suffered greater predation than expected and were not more vulnerable to predators because their appearance/colouration differed from common prey. In idual predators did not consistently select the same prey species through time, suggesting that prey selection behaviour was flexible and context dependent rather than fixed. Thus, selection of rare prey was unlikely to be explained by simple preferences for particular prey species. We hypothesize that when faced with multiple prey species predators may initially focus on rare, conspicuous species to overcome the sensory confusion experienced when attacking aggregated prey, thereby minimizing the time required to capture prey. This hypothesis represents a community-level manifestation of two well-documented and related phenomena, the "confusion effect" and the "oddity effect", and may be an important, and often overlooked, mechanism by which predators influence local species ersity.
Characterization and cross-amplification of microsatellite markers in four species of anemonefish (Pomacentridae, Amphiprion spp.)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-04-2015
Strong hydrodynamic drivers of coral reef fish biodiversity on submerged pinnacle coral reefs
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-09-2023
DOI: 10.1002/LNO.12431
Niche shifts and local competition between two coral reef fishes at their geographic boundary
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1071/MF07019
Abstract: Competition theory predicts that, when resources are limiting, interacting species should differ more in resource use where they co-occur, compared with where they do not (resource partitioning). The damselfishes Dascyllus aruanus and D. melanurus provide a useful test of this prediction because they exhibit largely allopatric geographic ranges that overlap near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. To test whether this species pair exhibited responses in resource use that were consistent with competition theory, the depth distributions, coral substrata and diet of each species at allopatric and sympatric locations were compared. Where sympatric, the frequency of co-occurrence was examined and foraging ranges and diet on corals where the species do and do not co-occur were compared. Contrary to expectations, the species were more similar in depth, habitat use and diet in the sympatric region. Within this location, they sometimes co-existed in the same coral shelters, but much less often than would be expected with random assortment. Where they did co-exist, their diets converged. D. melanurus exhibited restricted foraging ranges and consumed smaller prey in the presence of D. aruanus, but not vice versa. It was concluded that niche shifts along different resource axes at the geographic boundary are explained both by large-scale constraints in resource availability and local-scale competitive interactions.
Enteric pathogen infection and consequences for child growth in young Aboriginal Australian children: a cross-sectional study
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-01-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12879-020-05685-1
Abstract: To determine the prevalence of enteric infections in Aboriginal children aged 0–2 years using conventional and molecular diagnostic techniques and to explore associations between the presence of pathogens and child growth. Cross-sectional analysis of Aboriginal children ( n = 62) residing in a remote community in Northern Australia, conducted from July 24th - October 30th 2017. Stool s les were analysed for organisms by microscopy (directly in the field and following fixation and storage in sodium-acetate formalin), and by qualitative PCR for viruses, bacteria and parasites and serology for Strongyloides -specific IgG. Child growth (height and weight) was measured and z scores calculated according to WHO growth standards. Nearly 60% of children had evidence for at least one enteric pathogen in their stool (37/62). The highest burden of infection was with adenovirus/sapovirus (22.9%), followed by astrovirus (9.8%) and Cryptosporidium hominis arvum (8.2%). Non-pathogenic organisms were detected in 22.5% of children. Ten percent of children had diarrhea at the time of stool collection. Infection with two or more pathogens was negatively associated with height for age z scores (− 1.34, 95% CI − 2.61 to − 0.07), as was carriage of the non-pathogen Blastocystis hominis (− 2.05, 95% CI - 3.55 to − 0.54). Infants and toddlers living in this remote Northern Australian Aboriginal community had a high burden of enteric pathogens and non-pathogens. The association between carriage of pathogens/non-pathogens with impaired child growth in the critical first 1000 days of life has implications for healthy child growth and development and warrants further investigation. These findings have relevance for many other First Nations Communities that face many of the same challenges with regard to poverty, infections, and malnutrition.
Validation of microsatellite multiplexes for parentage analysis and species discrimination in two hybridizing species of coral reef fish (P lectropomus spp., S erranidae)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-04-2014
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.1002
Rising CO2 concentrations affect settlement behaviour of larval damselfishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-11-2012
Prey selectivity affects reproductive success of a corallivorous reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-11-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-012-2521-7
Abstract: Most animals consume a narrower range of food resources than is potentially available in the environment, but the underlying basis for these preferences is often poorly understood. Foraging theory predicts that prey selection should represent a trade-off between prey preferences based on nutritional value and prey availability. That is, species should consume preferred prey when available, but select less preferred prey when preferred prey is rare. We employed both field observation and laboratory experiments to examine the relationship between prey selection and preferences in the obligate coral-feeding filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris. To determine the drivers of prey selection, we experimentally established prey preferences in choice arenas and tested the consequences of prey preferences for key fitness-related parameters. Field studies showed that in iduals fed almost exclusively on live corals from the genus Acropora. While diet was dominated by the most abundant species, Acropora nobilis, fish appeared to preferentially select rarer acroporids, such as A. millepora and A. hyacinthus. Prey choice experiments confirmed strong preferences for these corals, suggesting that field consumption is constrained by availability. In a longer-term feeding experiment, reproductive pairs fed on non-preferred corals exhibited dramatic reductions to body weight, and in hepatic and gonad condition, compared with those fed preferred corals. The majority of pairs fed preferred corals spawned frequently, while no spawning was observed for any pairs fed a non-preferred species of coral. These experiments suggest that fish distinguish between available corals based on their intrinsic value as prey, that reproductive success is dependent on the presence of particular coral species, and that differential loss of preferred corals could have serious consequences for the population success of these dietary specialists.
Coral reef fish smell leaves to find island homes
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 26-08-2008
Abstract: Recent studies have shown that some coral reef fish larvae return to natal reefs, while others disperse to distant reefs. However, the sensory mechanisms used to find settlement sites are poorly understood. One hypothesis is that larvae use olfactory cues to navigate home or find other suitable reef habitats. Here we show a strong association between the clownfish Amphiprion percula and coral reefs surrounding offshore islands in Papua New Guinea. Host anemones and A. percula are particularly abundant in shallow water beneath overhanging rainforest vegetation. A series of experiments were carried out using paired-choice flumes to evaluate the potential role of water-borne olfactory cues in finding islands. Recently settled A. percula exhibited strong preferences for: (i) water from reefs with islands over water from reefs without islands (ii) water collected near islands over water collected offshore and (iii) water treated with either anemones or leaves from rainforest vegetation. Laboratory reared-juveniles exhibited the same positive response to anemones and rainforest vegetation, suggesting that olfactory preferences are innate rather than learned. We hypothesize that A. percula use a suite of olfactory stimuli to locate vegetated islands, which may explain the high levels of self-recruitment on island reefs. This previously unrecognized link between coral reefs and island vegetation argues for the integrated management of these pristine tropical habitats.
Habitat selection and aggression as determinants of spatial segregation among damselfish on a coral reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2001
Planning marine reserve networks for both feature representation and demographic persistence using connectivity patterns
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 11-05-2016
Effects of territorial damselfish on an algal-dominated coastal coral reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-10-2005
Extinction Risk in Endemic Marine Fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-06-2011
Effects of sedimentation, eutrophication, and chemical pollution on coral reef fishes
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 31-03-2015
Coral reef fish populations can persist without immigration
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-11-2015
Abstract: Determining the conditions under which populations may persist requires accurate estimates of demographic parameters, including immigration, local reproductive success, and mortality rates. In marine populations, empirical estimates of these parameters are rare, due at least in part to the pelagic dispersal stage common to most marine organisms. Here, we evaluate population persistence and turnover for a population of orange clownfish, Amphiprion percula , at Kimbe Island in Papua New Guinea. All fish in the population were s led and genotyped on five occasions at 2-year intervals spanning eight years. The genetic data enabled estimates of reproductive success retained in the same population (reproductive success to self-recruitment), reproductive success exported to other subpopulations (reproductive success to local connectivity), and immigration and mortality rates of sub-adults and adults. Approximately 50% of the recruits were assigned to parents from the Kimbe Island population and this was stable through the s ling period. Stability in the proportion of local and immigrant settlers is likely due to: low annual mortality rates and stable egg production rates, and the short larval stages and sensory capacities of reef fish larvae. Biannual mortality rates ranged from 0.09 to 0.55 and varied significantly spatially. We used these data to parametrize a model that estimated the probability of the Kimbe Island population persisting in the absence of immigration. The Kimbe Island population was found to persist without significant immigration. Model results suggest the island population persists because the largest of the subpopulations are maintained due to having low mortality and high self-recruitment rates. Our results enable managers to appropriately target and scale actions to maximize persistence likelihood as disturbance frequencies increase.
A critique of claims for negative impacts of Marine Protected Areas on fisheries
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1890/15-0457
Coral-dwelling fishes resistant to bleaching but not to mortality of host corals
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 18-11-2009
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS08294
Critical research needs for managing coral reef marine protected areas: Perspectives of academics and managers
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2012.10.051
Abstract: Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a primary policy instrument for managing and protecting coral reefs. Successful MPAs ultimately depend on knowledge-based decision making, where scientific research is integrated into management actions. Fourteen coral reef MPA managers and sixteen academics from eleven research, state and federal government institutions each outlined at least five pertinent research needs for improving the management of MPAs situated in Australian coral reefs. From this list of 173 key questions, we asked members of each group to rank questions in order of urgency, redundancy and importance, which allowed us to explore the extent of perceptional mismatch and overlap among the two groups. Our results suggest the mismatch among MPA managers and academics is small, with no significant difference among the groups in terms of their respective research interests, or the type of questions they pose. However, managers prioritised spatial management and monitoring as research themes, whilst academics identified climate change, resilience, spatial management, fishing and connectivity as the most important topics. Ranking of the posed questions by the two groups was also similar, although managers were less confident about the achievability of the posed research questions and whether questions represented a knowledge gap. We conclude that improved collaboration and knowledge transfer among management and academic groups can be used to achieve similar objectives and enhance the knowledge-based management of MPAs.
Biogeography and the structure of coral reef fish communities on isolated islands
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-08-2012
Ecological versatility and its importance for the distribution and abundance of coral reef wrasses
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 08-08-2012
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS09788
Bi-directional sex change in a coral-dwelling goby
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-09-1998
Homing ability of adult cardinalfish is affected by elevated carbon dioxide
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-07-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-011-2081-2
Abstract: The levels of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) predicted for the oceans by the end of this century have recently been shown to impair olfactory discrimination in larval fishes. However, whether this disruption extends to olfactory-mediated behaviour in adult fishes is unknown. In many fishes, adult survival and reproduction can be critically dependent upon navigation to home sites. We tested the effects that near-future levels of CO(2) (550, 700 or 950 ppm) have on the ability of adult five-lined cardinalfish, Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus, to home to their diurnal resting sites after nocturnal feeding. Cardinalfish exposed to elevated CO(2) exhibited impaired ability to distinguish between odours of home- versus foreign-site conspecifics in pair-wise choice experiments. A displacement experiment demonstrated that fish from all CO(2) treatments displayed a 22-31% reduction in homing success compared with control fish when released at 200 m from home sites. While CO(2)-exposed cardinalfish released directly back onto home sites exhibited similar site fidelity to control subjects, behaviour at home sites was affected, with CO(2)-exposed fish exhibiting increased activity levels and venturing further from shelter. This study demonstrates that the potential disruption of chemosensory mechanisms in fishes due to rising CO(2) levels in the ocean extend to critical adult behaviours.
Evaluating the effects of marine reserves on diet, prey availability and prey selection by juvenile predatory fishes
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 26-11-2012
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS09949
Coral reef annihilation, persistence and recovery at Earth’s youngest volcanic island
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-12-2020
Different responses of coral and rubble-dwelling coral reef damselfishes (Family: Pomacentridae) to chemosensory cues from coral reef microhabitats
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-05-2020
An experimental evaluation of transgenerational isotope labelling in a coral reef grouper
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2009
The kinetics and mechanism of MgO dissolution
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-1999
Specialization in habitat use by coral reef damselfishes and their susceptibility to habitat loss
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-07-2012
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.321
Strong intraspecific competition and habitat selectivity influence abundance of a coral-dwelling damselfish
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
Coral-feeding fishes slow progression of black-band disease
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-06-2009
Patterns of recruitment and microhabitat associations for three predatory coral reef fishes on the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2013
Mothers matter: contribution to local replenishment is linked to female size, mate replacement and fecundity in a fish metapopulation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-11-2015
Fishery consequences of marine reserves: short‐term pain for longer‐term gain
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2016
DOI: 10.1890/15-0348
Abstract: Marine reserves are often established in areas that support fisheries. Larval export from reserves is argued to help compensate for the loss of fishable habitat however, previous modeling studies have focused on long-term equilibrium outcomes. We examined the transient consequences of reserve establishment for fished metapopulations, considering both a well-mixed larval pool and a spatially explicit model based on a coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) metapopulation. When fishing pressure was reallocated relative to the area protected, yields decreased initially, then recovered, and ultimately exceeded pre-reserve levels. However, recovery time was on the order of several years to decades. If fishing pressure intensified to maintain pre-reserve yields, reserves were sometimes unable to support the increased mortality and the metapopulation collapsed. This was more likely when reserves were small, or located peripherally within the metapopulation. Overall, reserves can achieve positive conservation and fishery benefits, but fisheries management complementary to reserve implementation is essential.
Habitat biodiversity as a determinant of fish community structure on coral reefs
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2011
DOI: 10.1890/11-0037.1
Abstract: Increased habitat ersity is often predicted to promote the ersity of animal communities because a greater variety of habitats increases the opportunities for species to specialize on different resources and coexist. Although positive correlations between the ersities of habitat and associated animals are often observed, the underlying mechanisms are only now starting to emerge, and none have been tested specifically in the marine environment. Scleractinian corals constitute the primary habitat-forming organisms on coral reefs and, as such, play an important role in structuring associated reef fish communities. Using the same field experimental design in two geographic localities differing in regional fish species composition, we tested the effects of coral species richness and composition on the ersity, abundance, and structure of the local fish community. Richness of coral species overall had a positive effect on fish species richness but had no effect on total fish abundance or evenness. At both localities, certain in idual coral species supported similar levels of fish ersity and abundance as the high coral richness treatments, suggesting that particular coral species are disproportionately important in promoting high local fish ersity. Furthermore, in both localities, different microhabitats (coral species) supported very different fish communities, indicating that most reef fish species distinguish habitat at the level of coral species. Fish communities colonizing treatments of higher coral species richness represented a combination of those inhabiting the constituent coral species. These findings suggest that mechanisms underlying habitat-animal interaction in the terrestrial environment also apply to marine systems and highlight the importance of coral ersity to local fish ersity. The loss of particular key coral species is likely to have a disproportionate impact on the bio ersity of associated fish communities.
High genetic diversity in geographically remote populations of endemic and widespread coral reef angelfishes (genus: Centropyge)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 04-02-2013
DOI: 10.3390/D5010039
Habitat specialisation and the distribution and abundance of coral-dwelling gobies
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 1997
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS152227
Persistence of self-recruitment and patterns of larval connectivity in a marine protected area network
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2012
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.208
Abstract: The use of marine protected area (MPA) networks to sustain fisheries and conserve bio ersity is predicated on two critical yet rarely tested assumptions. In idual MPAs must produce sufficient larvae that settle within that reserve's boundaries to maintain local populations while simultaneously supplying larvae to other MPA nodes in the network that might otherwise suffer local extinction. Here, we use genetic parentage analysis to demonstrate that patterns of self‐recruitment of two reef fishes ( Amphiprion percula and Chaetodon vagabundus ) in an MPA in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, were remarkably consistent over several years. However, dispersal from this reserve to two other nodes in an MPA network varied between species and through time. The stability of our estimates of self‐recruitment suggests that even small MPAs may be self‐sustaining. However, our results caution against applying optimization strategies to MPA network design without accounting for variable connectivity among species and over time.
Synergistic effects of habitat preference and gregarious behaviour on habitat use in coral reef cardinalfish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-06-2010
Substratum selection in coral reef sponges and their interactions with other benthic organisms
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-02-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-023-02350-2
Abstract: Substratum preferences and contact interactions among sessile organisms can be a major determinant of biotic gradients in the structure of benthic communities on coral reefs. Sponges are a substantial component of these communities, but their substratum requirements and interactions with other benthic taxa are poorly understood. Here, we quantified sponge substratum preferences and interactions from 838 randomly selected photo-quadrats across different depths (5, 10 and 15 m), exposure (sheltered and exposed), and substratum topography (horizontal, inclined and vertical surfaces) on coastal coral reefs in Kimbe Bay. A high proportion (55%) of sponge colonies were associated with dead coral, unconsolidated coral rubble (7%) and calcium carbonate rock (CaCO 3 rock) (7%), even though they represented only 10%, 4% and 1% of the available substratum, respectively. Sponges interacted most frequently with algae (~ 34%), corals (~ 30%) and crustose coralline algae (CCA ~ 19%) that represented ~ 46%, ~ 18% and ~ 14% of the substratum cover, respectively. The microhabitat preferences of sponges and frequency of interactions with other taxa were mostly consistent across various exposure, depth and substratum topography conditions. Most interactions appeared to be “stand-offs” (71%) which are interactions with no clear winner or loser. However, when overgrowth occurred, sponges were usually winners, overgrowing corals (92%), CCA (81%) and macroalgae (65%). Three sponge species Dysidea sp1, Lamellodysidea cf. chlorea and Lamellodysidea chlorea accounted for 51% to 96% of the overgrowth of sponges over algae, corals and CCA, but there was no one species found to always win or lose. Our results suggest that sponges avoid other biological substrata by preferentially settling on dead coral, coral rubble and CaCO 3 rock, but when they do come into contact with algae and corals, they frequently overgrow their spacial competitors.
The threat of punishment enforces peaceful cooperation and stabilizes queues in a coral-reef fish
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 13-02-2007
Abstract: Social queues, in which subordinates wait for their turn to inherit dominant breeding status, are a familiar feature of many animal societies. However, little is known about the mechanisms stabilizing social queues given the inevitable conflict over rank between group members. Here, we report the role of punishment and cooperation in promoting the stability of size-based queues in a coral-dwelling goby, Paragobiodon xanthosomus (Gobiidae). Quantitative analysis of the size-structure of queues revealed that in iduals of adjacent rank differ in size by a specific size ratio, and comparisons of in idual growth rates within queues demonstrated that specific size ratios are maintained over time via the regulation of subordinate growth rates. Furthermore, contest experiments demonstrated that the specific size ratio represents a threshold above which the subordinates become a threat to their immediate dominant, and as a result, dominants evict subordinates that exceed this size ratio from the group. We propose that threshold size ratios are maintained by subordinates as a form of peaceful cooperation whereby they avoid inflicting costs on dominants, and that such cooperation arises in response to the threat of punishment in the form of eviction by dominants. Societal stability is therefore achieved through the effects of punishment and cooperation acting in concert to promote the resolution of conflict over rank between group members.
Coral obligate filefish masquerades as branching coral
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-06-2011
Predicting impact to assess the efficacy of community‐based marine reserve design
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-09-2018
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12602
Rarity and extinction risk in coral reef angelfishes on isolated islands: interrelationships among abundance, geographic range size and specialisation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-12-2010
Relationships between pair formation, site fidelity and sex in a coral reef cardinalfish
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.BEPROC.2014.07.015
Abstract: Coral reef fishes are characterised by extreme site fidelity and are often socially monogamous, forming pair bonds within larger social groups. Despite this, the strong link between reproductive behaviour and site fidelity in such social species is poorly understood. We examine these relationships in the cardinalfish Ostorhinchus cyanosoma on the central Great Barrier Reef. We tagged and followed over 100 in iduals for 5 weeks to investigate pair fidelity, and behavioural differences between pairs and singles and between sexes, and we experimentally tested the strength of site and mate fidelity. Tagged pairs were typically highly site attached, and lasted throughout the study period. Sex had very little effect on pairing behaviour or habitat use. Paired in iduals showed three times higher site fidelity than single ones, with singles frequently relocating. There was a two-fold increase in the movement of in iduals that had their partners experimentally removed. Paired in iduals exhibited greater homing success, and homed regardless of whether their mate had been displaced with them or was left on the home site. These results suggest that in iduals of this species form at least seasonally stable monogamous pair bonds within larger groups, and that pair formation is closely associated with site fidelity.
Local Replenishment of Coral Reef Fish Populations in a Marine Reserve
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 04-05-2007
Abstract: The scale of larval dispersal of marine organisms is important for the design of networks of marine protected areas. We examined the fate of coral reef fish larvae produced at a small island reserve, using a mass-marking method based on maternal transmission of stable isotopes to offspring. Approximately 60% of settled juveniles were spawned at the island, for species with both short ( weeks) and long ( month) pelagic larval durations. If natal homing of larvae is a common life-history strategy, the appropriate spatial scales for the management and conservation of coral reefs are likely to be much smaller than previously assumed.
Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 18-05-2004
Abstract: The worldwide decline in coral cover has serious implications for the health of coral reefs. But what is the future of reef fish assemblages? Marine reserves can protect fish from exploitation, but do they protect fish bio ersity in degrading environments? The answer appears to be no, as indicated by our 8-year study in Papua New Guinea. A devastating decline in coral cover caused a parallel decline in fish bio ersity, both in marine reserves and in areas open to fishing. Over 75% of reef fish species declined in abundance, and 50% declined to less than half of their original numbers. The greater the dependence species have on living coral as juvenile recruitment sites, the greater the observed decline in abundance. Several rare coral-specialists became locally extinct. We suggest that fish bio ersity is threatened wherever permanent reef degradation occurs and warn that marine reserves will not always be sufficient to ensure their survival.
Suspended sediment prolongs larval development in a coral reef fish
Publisher: The Company of Biologists
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1242/JEB.094409
Abstract: Increasing sediment input into coastal environments is having a profound influence on shallow marine habitats and associated species. Coral reef ecosystems appear to be particularly sensitive, with increased sediment deposition and re-suspension being associated with declines in the abundance and ersity of coral reef fishes. While recent research has demonstrated that suspended sediment can have negative impacts on post-settlement coral reef fishes, its effect on larval development has not been investigated. In this study, we tested the effects of different levels of suspended sediment on larval growth and development time in Amphiprion percula, a coral reef damselfish. Larvae were subjected to four experimental concentrations of suspended sediment spanning the range found around coastal coral reefs (0-45 mg L-1). Larval duration was significantly longer in all sediment treatments (~12.5d) compared to the average larval duration in the control treatment (11d). Approximately three quarters of the fish in the control had settled by day 11, compared to only 40-46% among the sediment treatments. In the highest sediment treatment, some in iduals had a larval duration twice that of the mean median duration in the control treatment. Unexpectedly, in the low sediment treatment, fish at settlement were significantly were longer and heavier compared to the other treatments, suggesting delayed development was independent of in idual condition. A sediment-induced extension of the pelagic larval stage could significantly reduce numbers of larvae competent to settle, and in turn, have major effects on adult population dynamics.
The role of marine reserves in the replenishment of a locally impacted population of anemonefish on the Great Barrier Reef
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.13484
Abstract: The development of parentage analysis to track the dispersal of juvenile offspring has given us unprecedented insight into the population dynamics of coral reef fishes. These tools now have the potential to inform fisheries management and species conservation, particularly for small fragmented populations under threat from exploitation and disturbance. In this study, we resolve patterns of larval dispersal for a population of the anemonefish Amphiprion melanopus in the Keppel Islands (southern Great Barrier Reef). Habitat loss and fishing appear to have impacted this population and a network of no-take marine reserves currently protects 75% of the potential breeders. Using parentage analysis, we estimate that 21% of recruitment in the island group was generated locally and that breeding adults living in reserves were responsible for 79% (31 of 39) of these of locally produced juveniles. Overall, the network of reserves was fully connected via larval dispersal however, one reserve was identified as a critical source of larvae for the island group. The population in the Keppel Islands also appears to be well-connected to other source populations at least 60 km away, given that 79% (145 of 184) of the juveniles s led remained unassigned in the parentage analysis. We estimated the effective size of the A. melanopus metapopulation to be 745 (582-993 95% CI) and recommend continued monitoring of its genetic status. Maintaining connectivity with populations beyond the Keppel Islands and recovery of local recruitment habitat, potentially through active restoration of host anemone populations, will be important for its long-term persistence.
Habitat patch size and mating system as determinants of social group size in coral-dwelling fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-11-2007
Development and characterization of eight new microsatellite markers for the haremic sandperch, Parapercis cylindrica (family Pinguipedidae)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2006
Contrasting effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on coral-associated reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2011
DOI: 10.1890/10-0627.1
Abstract: Disturbance can result in the fragmentation and/or loss of suitable habitat, both of which can have important consequences for survival, species interactions, and resulting patterns of local ersity. However, effects of habitat loss and fragmentation are typically confounded during disturbance events, and previous attempts to determine their relative significance have proved ineffective. Here we experimentally manipulated live coral habitats to examine the potential independent and interactive effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on survival, abundance, and species richness of recruitment-stage, coral-associated reef fishes. Loss of 75% of live coral from experimental reefs resulted in low survival of a coral-associated damselfish and low abundance and richness of other recruits 16 weeks after habitat manipulations. In contrast, fragmentation had positive effects on damselfish survival and resulted in greater abundance and species richness of other recruits. We hypothesize that spacing of habitat through fragmentation weakens competition within and among species. Comparison of effect sizes over the course of the study period revealed that, in the first six weeks following habitat manipulations, the positive effects of fragmentation were at least four times stronger than the effects of habitat loss. This initial positive effect of fragmentation attenuated considerably after 16 weeks, whereas the negative effects of habitat loss increased in strength over time. There was little indication that the amount of habitat influenced the magnitude of the habitat fragmentation effect. Numerous studies have reported dramatic declines in coral reef fish abundance and ersity in response to disturbances that cause the loss and fragmentation of coral habitats. Our results suggest that these declines occur as a result of habitat loss, not habitat fragmentation. Positive fragmentation effects may actually buffer against the negative effects of habitat loss and contribute to the resistance of reef fish populations to declines in coral cover.
Synergistic Effects of Marine Reserves and Harvest Controls on the Abundance and Catch Dynamics of a Coral Reef Fishery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.CUB.2016.04.022
Abstract: Marine no-take reserves, where fishing and other extractive activities are prohibited, have well-established conservation benefits [1], yet their impacts on fisheries remains contentious [2-4]. For fishery species, reserves are often implemented alongside more conventional harvest strategies, including catch and size limits [2, 5]. However, catch and fish abundances observed post-intervention are often attributed to reserves, without explicitly estimating the potential contribution of concurrent management interventions [2, 3, 6-9]. Here we test a metapopulation model against observed fishery [10] and population [11] data for an important coral reef fishery (coral trout Plectropomus spp.) in Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) to evaluate how the combined increase in reserve area [12] and reduction in fishing effort [13, 14] in 2004 influenced changes in fish stocks and the commercial fishery. We found that declines in catch, increases in catch rates, and increases in biomass since 2004 were substantially attributable to the integration of direct effort controls with the rezoning, rather than the rezoning alone. The combined management approach was estimated to have been more productive for fish and fisheries than if the rezoning had occurred alone and comparable to what would have been obtained with effort controls alone. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the direct effort controls prevented initial decreases in catch per unit effort that would have otherwise occurred with the rezoning. Our findings demonstrate that by concurrently restructuring the fishery, the conservation benefits of reserves were enhanced and the fishery cost of rezoning the reserve network was socialized, mitigating negative impacts on in idual fishers.
Interspecific competition and coexistence in a guild of coral-dwelling fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2001
Experimental evaluation of the roles of habitat selection and interspecific competition in determining patterns of host use by two anemonefishes
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 1999
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS186283
A connectivity portfolio effect stabilizes marine reserve performance
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 28-09-2020
Abstract: Networks of no-take marine reserves support local fisheries by ensuring a consistent supply of juvenile fish. We measured larval dispersal patterns for a highly exploited coral grouper and quantified temporal fluctuations in the recruitment contribution from a network of no-take marine reserves on the Great Barrier Reef. Although recruitment contributions from in idual reserves are extremely variable, the reserve network generates a connectivity portfolio effect that successfully d ens the volatility of larval supply to nearby coral reefs. Our findings demonstrate that effective reserve networks can yield previously unrecognized stabilizing benefits that ensure a consistent replenishment of exploited fish stocks.
Ecological mechanisms for coexistence of colour polymorphism in a coral-reef fish: an experimental evaluation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2003
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-003-1356-7
Abstract: The evolution of different colour morphs and how they are maintained in animal populations is poorly understood. We investigated the mechanisms maintaining yellow and brown morphs of a coral-reef fish, Pseudochromis fuscus, at Lizard Island, on the Great Barrier Reef. Histological examination of the gonads revealed that colour morphs were not sex-limited, therefore sexual selection does not appear to promote dichromatism in this species. The field distributions of the two colour morphs were spatially segregated, limiting the opportunity for negative frequency-dependent selection to operate. Our results support another ecological mechanism of coexistence. The yellow morph occurred in deeper areas, usually close to the reef edge, where there was a proportionally high cover of live branching corals. In contrast, the brown morph occurred in shallower areas, more distant from the reef edge, that were proportionally low in live branching corals. Within these habitats, each colour morph of P. fuscus displayed a close association with similar coloured damselfishes from the genus Pomacentrus. The yellow morph was associated with predominantly yellow damselfishes (P. moluccensis and P. amboinensis) and the brown morph with darker coloured species (P. adelus and P. chrysurus). Multiple-choice experiments in the laboratory revealed that: (1) each colour morph of P. fuscus preferentially selected habitat patches occupied by damselfishes with the same colouration and (2) differences in microhabitat use between the two colour morphs of P. fuscus were due to the presence of different coloured damselfishes in these microhabitats. P. fuscus is a predator of newly recruited damselfishes and the striking resemblance between each morph of P. fuscus and the damselfish with which it was associated, suggests that aggressive mimicry may promote coexistence of P. fuscus colour morphs.
Successful validation of a larval dispersal model using genetic parentage data
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 12-07-2019
Coral degradation and the structure of tropical reef fish communities
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 12-03-2007
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS333243
Erratum to: Patterns of recruitment and microhabitat associations for three predatory coral reef fishes on the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Coral Reefs, 10.1007/s00338-012-0985-x)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-02-2013
Adaptive management of the Great Barrier Reef: A globally significant demonstration of the benefits of networks of marine reserves
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 22-02-2010
Abstract: The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) provides a globally significant demonstration of the effectiveness of large-scale networks of marine reserves in contributing to integrated, adaptive management. Comprehensive review of available evidence shows major, rapid benefits of no-take areas for targeted fish and sharks, in both reef and nonreef habitats, with potential benefits for fisheries as well as bio ersity conservation. Large, mobile species like sharks benefit less than smaller, site-attached fish. Critically, reserves also appear to benefit overall ecosystem health and resilience: outbreaks of coral-eating, crown-of-thorns starfish appear less frequent on no-take reefs, which consequently have higher abundance of coral, the very foundation of reef ecosystems. Effective marine reserves require regular review of compliance: fish abundances in no-entry zones suggest that even no-take zones may be significantly depleted due to poaching. Spatial analyses comparing zoning with seabed bio ersity or dugong distributions illustrate significant benefits from application of best-practice conservation principles in data-poor situations. Increases in the marine reserve network in 2004 affected fishers, but preliminary economic analysis suggests considerable net benefits, in terms of protecting environmental and tourism values. Relative to the revenue generated by reef tourism, current expenditure on protection is minor. Recent implementation of an Outlook Report provides regular, formal review of environmental condition and management and links to policy responses, key aspects of adaptive management. Given the major threat posed by climate change, the expanded network of marine reserves provides a critical and cost-effective contribution to enhancing the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef.
Multispecies spawning sites for fishes on a low‐latitude coral reef: spatial and temporal patterns
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/JFB.12355
Abstract: Spawning sites used by one or more species were located by intensively searching nearshore coral reefs of Kimbe Bay (New Britain, Papua New Guinea). Once identified, the spawning sites were surveyed repeatedly within fixed 5 m radius circular areas, for > 2000 h of observations ranging from before dawn to after dusk spanning 190 days between July 2001 and May 2004. A total of 38 spawning sites were identified on the seven study reefs distributed at an average of one site every 60 m of reef edge. Pelagic spawning was observed in 41 fish species from six families. On three intensively studied reefs, all 17 spawning sites identified were used by at least three species, with a maximum of 30 different species observed spawning at a single site. Spawning was observed during every month of the study, on all days of the lunar month, at all states of the tide and at most hours of the day studied. Nevertheless, the majority of species were observed spawning on proportionately more days from December to April, on more days around the new moon and in association with higher tides. The strongest temporal association, however, was with species-specific diel spawning times spanning < 3 h for most species. While dawn spawning, afternoon spawning and dusk spawning species were differentiated, the time of spawning for the striated surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus also differed significantly among sites. The large number of species spawning at the same restricted locations during predictable times suggests that these sites are extremely important on this low-latitude coral reef.
Isolation promotes abundance and species richness of fishes recruiting to coral reef patches
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-10-2020
Experimental evaluation of imprinting and the role innate preference plays in habitat selection in a coral reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-08-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-013-2755-Z
Abstract: When facing decisions about where to live, juveniles have a strong tendency to choose habitats similar to where their parents successfully bred. Developing larval fishes can imprint on the chemical cues from their natal habitat. However, to demonstrate that imprinting is ecologically important, it must be shown that settlers respond and distinguish among different imprinted cues, and use imprinting for decisions in natural environments. In addition, the potential role innate preferences play compared to imprinted choices also needs to be examined. As environmental variability increases due to anthropogenic causes these two recognition mechanisms, innate and imprinting, could provide conflicting information. Here we used laboratory rearing and chemical choice experiments to test imprinting in larval anemonefish (Amphiprion percula). In iduals exposed to a variety of benthic habitat or novel olfactory cues as larvae either developed a preference for (spent >50% of their time in the cue) or increased their attraction to (increased preference but did not spend >50% of their time in the cue) the cue when re-exposed as settlers. Results indicate not only the capacity for imprinting but also the ability to adjust innate preferences after early exposure to a chemical cue. To test ecological relevance in the natural system, recruits were collected from anemones and related to their parents, using genetic parentage analysis, providing information on the natal anemone species and the species chosen at settlement. Results demonstrated that recruits did not preferentially return to their natal species, conflicting with laboratory results indicating the importance imprinting might have in habitat recognition.
Resource use and impact of three herbivorous damselfishes on coral reef communities
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 20-12-2006
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS328215
Relative Importance of Coral Cover, Habitat Complexity and Diversity in Determining the Structure of Reef Fish Communities
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 13-12-2013
Minimum size limits and the reproductive value of numerous, young, mature female fish
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-03-2021
Abstract: Fisheries management relies on various catch and effort controls to preserve spawning stock biomass and maximize sustainable yields while limiting fishery impacts on marine ecosystems. These include species-specific minimum or maximum size limits to protect either small non-reproductive subadults, a portion of reproductively mature adults, or large highly fecund in iduals. Protecting size classes of mature fish is expected to yield a viable source of larvae for replenishing populations and reduce the risk of recruitment overfishing, yet size-specific recruitment contributions have rarely been assessed empirically. Here, we apply genetic parentage analysis to measure the reproductive success of a size-structured population of a commercially important species of coral grouper ( Plectropomus maculatus —Serranidae) in no-take marine reserves (NTMRs) in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia. Although the per capita reproductive success of in idual fish increases rapidly with body length, the numerous young mature female fish, below the minimum size limit (MSL) (38 cm total length), were responsible for generating disproportionately large contributions (36%) towards larval replenishment of both fished and reserve reefs. Our findings indicate that MSLs are an effective harvest control measure to safeguard a portion of the spawning stock biomass for coral grouper and supplement recruitment subsidies assured from NTMRs.
Management under uncertainty: guide-lines for incorporating connectivity into the protection of coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-02-2009
Experimental evaluation of diversity–productivity relationships in a coral reef fish assemblage
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-06-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-014-2992-9
Abstract: The global decline in bio ersity is causing increasing concern about the effects of bio ersity loss on ecosystem services such as productivity. Bio ersity has been hypothesised to be important in maintaining productivity of biological assemblages because niche complementarity and facilitation among the constituent species can result in more efficient use of resources. However, these conclusions are primarily based on studies with plant communities, and the relationship between ersity and productivity at higher trophic levels is largely unknown, especially in the marine environment. Here, we used a manipulative field experiment to test the effects of species richness and species identity on biomass accumulation in coral reef fish assemblages at Lizard Island. Small patch reefs were stocked with a total of 30 juveniles belonging to three planktivorous damselfish (genus Pomacentrus) according to three different levels of fish species richness (one, two and three species) and seven different combinations of fish species. Species richness had no effect on the relative growth in this assemblage after 18 days, but relative growth differed among in idual fish species and the different combinations of species. Patterns of increase in biomass were best explained by species-specific differences and variable effects of intra- and interspecific competition on growth. These results suggest that niche complementarity and facilitation are not the most influential drivers of total productivity within this guild of planktivorous fishes. Total productivity may be resilient to declining reef fish bio ersity, but this will depend on which species are lost and on the life-history traits of remaining species.
Monogamy when there is potential for polygyny: tests of multiple hypotheses in a group-living fish
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-01-2008
Larval Export from Marine Reserves and the Recruitment Benefit for Fish and Fisheries
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.CUB.2012.04.008
Abstract: Marine reserves, areas closed to all forms of fishing, continue to be advocated and implemented to supplement fisheries and conserve populations. However, although the reproductive potential of important fishery species can dramatically increase inside reserves, the extent to which larval offspring are exported and the relative contribution of reserves to recruitment in fished and protected populations are unknown. Using genetic parentage analyses, we resolve patterns of larval dispersal for two species of exploited coral reef fish within a network of marine reserves on the Great Barrier Reef. In a 1,000 km(2) study area, populations resident in three reserves exported 83% (coral trout, Plectropomus maculatus) and 55% (stripey snapper, Lutjanus carponotatus) of assigned offspring to fished reefs, with the remainder having recruited to natal reserves or other reserves in the region. We estimate that reserves, which account for just 28% of the local reef area, produced approximately half of all juvenile recruitment to both reserve and fished reefs within 30 km. Our results provide compelling evidence that adequately protected reserve networks can make a significant contribution to the replenishment of populations on both reserve and fished reefs at a scale that benefits local stakeholders.
Alternative functional strategies and altered carbon pathways facilitate broad depth ranges in coral‐obligate reef fishes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-07-2019
Tongan socio-environmental spatial layers for marine ecosystem management
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1071/PC19032
Abstract: Environmental conditions and anthropogenic impacts are key influences on ecological processes and associated ecosystem services. Effective management of Tonga’s marine ecosystems therefore depends on accurate and up-to-date knowledge of environmental and anthropogenic variables. Although many types of environmental and anthropogenic data are now available in global layers, they are often inaccessible to end users, particularly in developing countries with limited accessibility and analytical training. Furthermore, the resolution of many global layers might not be sufficient to make informed local decisions. Although the near-shore marine ecosystem of Tonga is extensive, the resources available for its management are limited, and little is known about its current ecological state. Here we provide a marine socio-environmental dataset covering Tonga’s near-shore marine ecosystem as compiled from various global layers, remote sensing projects, local ministries, and the 2016 national census. The dataset consists of 11 environmental and 6 anthropogenic variables summarised in ecologically relevant ways, spatially overlaid across the near-shore marine ecosystem of Tonga. The environmental variables selected include bathymetry, coral reef density, distance from deep water, distance from land, distance from major terrestrial inputs, habitat, land area, net primary productivity, salinity, sea surface temperature and wave energy. The anthropogenic variables selected include fishing pressure, management status, distance to fish markets, distance from villages, population pressure and a socioeconomic development index based on population density, growth, mean age, mean education level and unemployment. We hope this extensive and accessible dataset will be a useful tool for future assessment and management of marine ecosystems in Tonga.
Influence of seasonal and latitudinal temperature variation on early life-history traits of a coral reef fish
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/MF11278
Abstract: Temporal and latitudinal gradients in ocean temperature may be useful for predicting the likely responses of marine species to accelerating global warming. Here, we examined seasonal variations in early life-history traits of the reef fish Pomacentrus moluccensis at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Latitudinal variations were then compared among three locations from Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea to the southern GBR (18° latitude). At Lizard Island, a 4°C temperature rise from spring to summer was correlated with a 0.13 mm day−1 increase in pre-settlement growth rates and a 3.28-day decrease in pelagic larval duration (PLD). The latitudinal comparison revealed a non-linear relationship where growth rate and settlement size declined and PLD increased at Kimbe Bay where temperature was the highest of all the study sites. Furthermore, the slopes of latitudinal variations in life-history traits as a function of temperature within the GBR were significantly steeper than those in the temporal analysis. These latitudinal patterns were likely to be shaped by (1) the species thermal reaction norm, (2) local adaptation or (3) location-specific environmental and demographic characteristics. The significant correlations of early life-history traits with natural temperature gradients emphasise the potential sensitivity of reef fish larvae to global warming.
The Prevalence and Importance of Competition Among Coral Reef Fishes
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Date: 04-12-2015
DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV-ECOLSYS-112414-054413
Abstract: Although competition is recognized as a core ecological process, its prevalence and importance in coral reef fish communities have been debated. Here we compile and synthesize the results of 173 experimental tests of competition from 72 publications. We show that evidence for competition is pervasive both within and between species, with 72% of intraspecific tests and 56% of interspecific tests demonstrating a demographically significant consequence of competition (e.g., a decrease in recruitment, survival, growth, or fecundity). We highlight several factors that can interact with the effects of competition and make it more difficult to detect in field experiments. In light of this evidence, we discuss the role of competition in shaping coral reef fish communities and competition's status as one of several processes that contribute to species coexistence. Finally, we consider some of the complex ways that climate change may influence competition, and we provide suggestions for future research.
Methods matter in repeating ocean acidification studies.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-10-2020
Olfactory responses of coral-reef fishes to coral degradation and crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/MF14424
Abstract: Coral degradation is a major threat towards the bio ersity of coral-reef ecosystems, either through the physical effects of environmental change, or biological agents such as crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci). Coral loss is leading to significant declines in reef-fish assemblages, particularly those dependent on live coral as settlement sites. Most reef fishes use olfactory stimuli at settlement however, their ability to detect chemical stimuli from degraded corals or A. planci is unknown. Here, olfactory responses of juvenile reef fishes to the presence of stressed corals and A. planci were tested. Juveniles of eight common coral-associated species were subjected to a series of pair-wise choice tests, where the period of time spent in two differing water sources was noted. All species demonstrated a significant attraction towards healthy coral (≥76%), avoiding cues emitted by stressed coral colonies. When given the choice between a control water (untreated reef water) and water containing chemical cues from A. planci, most species elicited no response. Finally, when given the choice between chemical cues derived from feeding A. planci or the control, all species avoided A. planci (≥70%). Our results indicated that juvenile reef fish are capable of distinguishing the state of coral health, but not directly from disturbance agents.
Fasting or feasting in a fish social hierarchy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2008
Effects of coral bleaching on the obligate coral-dwelling crab Trapezia cymodoce
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-04-2011
Resolving genealogical relationships in the Pyjama cardinalfish, Sphaeramia nematoptera (Apogonidae) with 23 novel microsatellite markers
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-03-2015
CONCORDANCE BETWEEN GENETIC AND SPECIES DIVERSITY IN CORAL REEF FISHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN BIODIVERSITY GRADIENT
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-08-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1558-5646.2012.01725.X
Abstract: The relationship between genetic ersity and species ersity provides insights into biogeography and historic patterns of evolution and is critical for developing contemporary strategies for bio ersity conservation. Although concordant large-scale clines in genetic and species ersity have been described for terrestrial organisms, whether these parameters co-vary in marine species remains largely unknown. We examined patterns of genetic ersity for 11 coral reef fish species s led at three locations across the Pacific Ocean species ersity gradient (Australia: ∼1600 species New Caledonia: ∼1400 species French Polynesia: ∼800 species). Combined genetic ersity for all 11 species paralleled the decline in species ersity from West to East, with French Polynesia exhibiting lowest total haplotype and nucleotide ersities. Haplotype ersity consistently declined toward French Polynesia in all and nucleotide ersity in the majority of species. The French Polynesian population of most species also exhibited significant genetic differentiation from populations in the West Pacific. A number of factors may have contributed to the general positive correlation between genetic and species ersity, including location and time of species origin, vicariance events, reduced gene flow with increasing isolation, and decreasing habitat area from West to East. However, isolation and habitat area, resulting in reduced population size, are likely to be the most influential.
Role of prey availability in microhabitat preferences of juvenile coral trout (Plectropomus: Serranidae)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2013
Olfactory discrimination in juvenile coral reef fishes: Response to conspecifics and corals
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2013
Habitat specialisation and overlap in a guild of coral reef cardinalfishes (Apogonidae)
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS305163
Research partnerships with local communities: two case studies from Papua New Guinea and Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-05-2010
Genetic and Ecological Characterisation of Colour Dimorphism in a Coral Reef Fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2005
Genetic Connectivity among and Self-Replenishment within Island Populations of a Restricted Range Subtropical Reef Fish
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 21-11-2012
Social induction of maturation and sex determination in a coral reef fish
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-10-2004
Trade-offs in the ecological versatility of juvenile wrasses: An experimental evaluation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
Vital demographic statistics and management of the baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens) from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1071/MF05187
Abstract: In order to evaluate appropriate management strategies, the life history and demography of the baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens) was examined from speared s les and commercial catches at the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia. Ages were estimated from sections of sagittal otoliths, validated by oxytetracycline labelling of fish recaptured after a minimum of 12 months at liberty. Male C. rubescens (n = 147 373–639 mm) ranged from ages 5 to 20 years, and females (n = 354 226–610 mm) ranged from 2 to 13 years. The population underwent a transition in dominance from females to males at age 11–12 years and 500–550 mm total length. Gonad development was seasonal and spawning was evident from spring to summer (September–January), with evidence of aggregation behaviour. Indirect estimates of the annual instantaneous rate of natural mortality (M) ranged from 0.05 to 0.58 and total mortality (Z), ranged from 0.21 to 0.56, rendering stock assessment highly uncertain. The limited geographic range, slow growth, long potential life span, protogynous sex change, aggregative spawning and high discard mortality rates render C. rubescens susceptible to overfishing. In order to manage this mobile species successfully, marine protected areas must continue to be supplemented by strict catch controls in fished areas.
Long-Term Outcomes in Patients on Life-Long Antibiotics: A Five-Year Cohort Study
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 05-01-2022
DOI: 10.3390/ANTIBIOTICS11010062
Abstract: Background: Little is known about the impacts at an in idual level of long-term antibiotic consumption. We explored health outcomes of long-term antibiotic therapy prescribed to a cohort of patients to suppress infections deemed incurable. Methods: We conducted a 5-year longitudinal study of patients on long-term antibiotics at Monash Health, a metropolitan tertiary-level hospital network in Australia. Adults prescribed antibiotics for months to suppress chronic infection or prevent recurrent infection were included. A retrospective review of medical records and a descriptive analysis was conducted. Results: Twenty-seven patients were followed up during the study period, from 29 patients originally identified in Monash Health in 2014. Seven of the 27 patients (26%) died from causes unrelated to the suppressed infection, six (22%) ceased long-term antibiotic therapy and two (7%) required treatment modification. Fifteen (56%) were colonised with multiresistant microorganisms, including vancomycin resistant Enterococci, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaciae. Conclusions: This work highlights the potential pitfalls of long-term antibiotic therapy, and the frailty of this cohort, who are often ineligible for definitive curative therapy.
Natal philopatry increases relatedness within groups of coral reef cardinalfish
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 08-07-2020
Abstract: A central issue in evolutionary ecology is how patterns of dispersal influence patterns of relatedness in populations. In terrestrial organisms, limited dispersal of offspring leads to groups of related in iduals. By contrast, for most marine organisms, larval dispersal in open waters is thought to minimize kin associations within populations. However, recent molecular evidence and theoretical approaches have shown that limited dispersal, sibling cohesion and/or differential reproductive success can lead to kin association and elevated relatedness. Here, we tested the hypothesis that limited dispersal explains small-scale patterns of relatedness in the pajama cardinalfish Sphaeramia nematoptera . We used 19 microsatellite markers to assess parentage of 233 juveniles and pairwise relatedness among 527 in iduals from 41 groups in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Our findings support three predictions of the limited dispersal hypothesis: (i) elevated relatedness within groups, compared with among groups and elevated relatedness within reefs compared with among reefs (ii) a weak negative correlation of relatedness with distance (iii) more juveniles than would be expected by chance in the same group and the same reef as their parents. We provide the first ex le for natal philopatry at the group level causing small-scale patterns of genetic relatedness in a marine fish.
Ontogenetic changes in responses to settlement cues by Anemonefish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-06-2011
Incentivizing co‐management for impact: mechanisms driving the successful national expansion of Tonga's Special Management Area program
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-06-2020
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12742
Historic hybridization and introgression between two iconic Australian anemonefish and contemporary patterns of population connectivity
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-06-2012
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.251
Transgenerational marking of marine fish larvae: stable‐isotope retention, physiological effects and health issues
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2009
DOI: 10.1111/J.1095-8649.2008.02176.X
Abstract: This study examined the toxicological and physiological responses of a commercially important coral-reef grouper, Plectropomus leopardus (Serranidae), to injection of enriched stable-isotope barium chloride (BaCl(2)) solution. Thirty adult P. leopardus were subject to one of two (138)BaCl(2) injection treatment groups (corresponding to dosage rates of 2 and 4 mg (138)Ba kg(-1) body mass), and a control group in which fish were injected with 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution. Fish from each group were s led at post-injection intervals of 48 h and 1, 3, 5 and 8 weeks, at which time blood and tissue s les were removed from each fish. Residual concentrations of Ba and (138)Ba:(137)Ba ratios were measured in muscle, gonad, liver and bone tissues of each experimental fish. Elevated Ba concentrations were detected in all treatment fish tissue s les within 48 h post injection. Residual Ba concentrations decreased throughout the remainder of the 8 week experimental period in all tissues except bone. The BaCl(2) injection had no significant effects on measured whole blood variables or on the plasma concentrations of steroid hormones. Enriched Ba stable isotopes can therefore be used at low dosages to mark larvae of commercially important marine fishes, without adverse effects on the health of the fishes or on humans who may consume them.
Dietary shift in juvenile coral trout (Plectropomus maculatus) following coral reef degradation from a flood plume disturbance
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-01-2016
Ageing of juvenile coral grouper ( Plectropomus maculatus ) reveals year-round spawning and recruitment: implications for seasonal closures
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 21-06-2023
Abstract: Temporal patterns in spawning and juvenile recruitment can have major effects on population size and the demographic structure of coral reef fishes. For harvested species, these patterns are crucial in determining stock size and optimizing management strategies such as seasonal closures. For the commercially important coral grouper ( Plectropomus spp.) on the Great Barrier Reef, histological studies indicate peak spawning around the summer new moons. Here we examine the timing of spawning activity for P. maculatus in the southern Great Barrier Reef by deriving age in days for 761 juvenile fish collected between 2007 and 2022, and back-calculating settlement and spawning dates. Age-length relationships were used to estimate spawning and settlement times for a further 1002 juveniles collected over this period. Unexpectedly, our findings indicate year-round spawning activity generates distinct recruitment cohorts that span several weeks to months. Peak spawning varied between years with no clear association with environmental cues, and little to no alignment with existing seasonal fisheries closures around the new moon. Given the variability and uncertainty in peak spawning times, this fishery may benefit from additional and longer seasonal closures, or alternative fisheries management strategies, to maximize the recruitment contribution from periods of greatest reproductive success.
Extended breeding and recruitment periods of fishes on a low latitude coral reef
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-09-2006
Ocean acidification impairs olfactory discrimination and homing ability of a marine fish
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 10-02-2009
Abstract: The persistence of most coastal marine species depends on larvae finding suitable adult habitat at the end of an offshore dispersive stage that can last weeks or months. We tested the effects that ocean acidification from elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) could have on the ability of larvae to detect olfactory cues from adult habitats. Larval clownfish reared in control seawater (pH 8.15) discriminated between a range of cues that could help them locate reef habitat and suitable settlement sites. This discriminatory ability was disrupted when larvae were reared in conditions simulating CO 2 -induced ocean acidification. Larvae became strongly attracted to olfactory stimuli they normally avoided when reared at levels of ocean pH that could occur ca. 2100 (pH 7.8) and they no longer responded to any olfactory cues when reared at pH levels (pH 7.6) that might be attained later next century on a business-as-usual carbon-dioxide emissions trajectory. If acidification continues unabated, the impairment of sensory ability will reduce population sustainability of many marine species, with potentially profound consequences for marine ersity.
Suspended sediment alters predator-prey interactions between two coral reef fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-12-2013
Reproductive control via the threat of eviction in the clown anemonefish
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 21-11-2018
Abstract: In social groups, high reproductive skew is predicted to arise when the reproductive output of a group is limited, and dominant in iduals can suppress subordinate reproductive efforts. Reproductive suppression is often assumed to occur via overt aggression or the threat of eviction. It is unclear, however, whether the threat of eviction alone is sufficient to induce reproductive restraint by subordinates. Here, we test two assumptions of the restraint model of reproductive skew by investigating whether resource limitation generates reproductive competition and whether the threat of eviction leads to reproductive restraint in the clown anemonefish Amphiprion percula . First, we use a feeding experiment to test whether reproduction is resource limited, which would create an incentive for the dominant pair to suppress subordinate reproduction. We show that the number of eggs laid increased in the population over the study period, but the per cent increase in fed groups was more than twice that in unfed groups (205% and 78%, respectively). Second, we use an eviction experiment to test whether the dominant pair evicts mature subordinates, which would create an incentive for the subordinates to forgo reproduction. We show that mature subordinates are seven times more likely to be evicted than immature subordinates of the same size. In summary, we provide experimental support for the assumptions of the restraint model by showing that resource limitation creates reproductive competition and a credible threat of eviction helps explain why subordinates forego reproduction. Transactional models of reproductive skew may apply well to this and other simple systems.
Habitat Patch Size, Facultative Monogamy and Sex Change in a Coral-dwelling Fish, Caracanthus unipinna
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2005
Conservation of coral reef biodiversity: a comparison of reserve selection procedures for corals and fishes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2003
The influence of habitat complexity on postrecruitment processes in a temperate reef fish population
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-1991
Relative accuracy of three common methods of parentage analysis in natural populations
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-12-2013
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.12138
Abstract: Parentage studies and family reconstructions have become increasingly popular for investigating a range of evolutionary, ecological and behavioural processes in natural populations. However, a number of different assignment methods have emerged in common use and the accuracy of each may differ in relation to the number of loci examined, allelic ersity, incomplete s ling of all candidate parents and the presence of genotyping errors. Here, we examine how these factors affect the accuracy of three popular parentage inference methods (colony, famoz and an exclusion-Bayes' theorem approach by Christie (Molecular Ecology Resources, 2010a, 10, 115) to resolve true parent-offspring pairs using simulated data. Our findings demonstrate that accuracy increases with the number and ersity of loci. These were clearly the most important factors in obtaining accurate assignments explaining 75-90% of variance in overall accuracy across 60 simulated scenarios. Furthermore, the proportion of candidate parents s led had a small but significant impact on the susceptibility of each method to either false-positive or false-negative assignments. Within the range of values simulated, colony outperformed FaMoz, which outperformed the exclusion-Bayes' theorem method. However, with 20 or more highly polymorphic loci, all methods could be applied with confidence. Our results show that for parentage inference in natural populations, careful consideration of the number and quality of markers will increase the accuracy of assignments and mitigate the effects of incomplete s ling of parental populations.
Estimating dispersal kernels using genetic parentage data
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-11-2018
Within‐colony feeding selectivity by a corallivorous reef fish: foraging to maximize reward?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-09-2013
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.778
Habitat dynamics, marine reserve status, and the decline and recovery of coral reef fish communities
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-01-2014
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.934
Multiple disturbances and the global degradation of coral reefs: are reef fishes at risk or resilient?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-09-2006
Seascape and life-history traits do not predict self-recruitment in a coral reef fish
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 08-2016
Abstract: The persistence and resilience of many coral reef species are dependent on rates of connectivity among sub-populations. However, despite increasing research efforts, the spatial scale of larval dispersal remains unpredictable for most marine metapopulations. Here, we assess patterns of larval dispersal in the angelfish Centropyge bicolor in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, using parentage and sibling reconstruction analyses based on 23 microsatellite DNA loci. We found that, contrary to previous findings in this system, self-recruitment (SR) was virtually absent at both the reef (0.4–0.5% at 0.15 km 2 ) and the lagoon scale (0.6–0.8% at approx. 700 km 2 ). While approximately 25% of the collected juveniles were identified as potential siblings, the majority of sibling pairs were s led from separate reefs. Integrating our findings with earlier research from the same system suggests that geographical setting and life-history traits alone are not suitable predictors of SR and that high levels of localized recruitment are not universal in coral reef fishes.
Interactive effects of interspecific competition and microhabitat on early post-settlement survival in a coral reef fish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-12-2008
Estimating connectivity in marine populations: An empirical evaluation of assignment tests and parentage analysis under different gene flow scenarios
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2009
Genetic tools link long-term demographic and life-history traits of anemonefish to their anemone hosts
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-07-2016
Habitat choice, recruitment and the response of coral reef fishes to coral degradation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-06-2007
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-007-0773-4
Abstract: The global degradation of coral reefs is having profound effects on the structure and species richness of associated reef fish assemblages. Historically, variation in the composition of fish communities has largely been attributed to factors affecting settlement of reef fish larvae. However, the mechanisms that determine how fish settlers respond to different stages of coral stress and the extent of coral loss on fish settlement are poorly understood. Here, we examined the effects of habitat degradation on fish settlement using a two-stage experimental approach. First, we employed laboratory choice experiments to test how settlers responded to early and terminal stages of coral degradation. We then quantified the settlement response of the whole reef fish assemblage in a field perturbation experiment. The laboratory choice experiments tested how juveniles from nine common Indo-Pacific fishes chose among live colonies, partially degraded colonies, and dead colonies with recent algal growth. Many species did not distinguish between live and partially degraded colonies, suggesting settlement patterns are resilient to the early stages of declining coral health. Several species preferred live or degraded corals, and none preferred to associate with dead, algal-covered colonies. In the field experiment, fish recruitment to coral colonies was monitored before and after the introduction of a coral predator (the crown-of-thorns starfish) and compared with undisturbed control colonies. Starfish reduced live coral cover by 95-100%, causing persistent negative effects on the recruitment of coral-associated fishes. Rapid reductions in new recruit abundance, greater numbers of unoccupied colonies and a shift in the recruit community structure from one dominated by coral-associated fishes before degradation to one predominantly composed of algal-associated fish species were observed. Our results suggest that while resistant to coral stress, coral death alters the process of replenishment of coral reef fish communities.
Community management yields positive impacts for coastal fisheries resources and biodiversity conservation
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-09-2020
DOI: 10.1111/CONL.12755
Reef Fishes in Biodiversity Hotspots Are at Greatest Risk from Loss of Coral Species
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 13-05-2015
Significance of fish–sponge interactions in coral reef ecosystems
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-04-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00338-022-02253-8
Abstract: Sponges (Porifera) are a key component of many coral reef ecosystems. In some biogeographic regions, they are considered the dominant benthic fauna and they have the capacity to fulfil many similar roles to reef-building scleractinians. Certainly, sponges predominate at depth, below the critical thresholds of most coral species. The biological and physical attributes of these biogenic communities contribute essential resources for many reef-associated fishes. However, while fish–sponge interactions have been widely documented, there is no global synthesis of the literature on these interrelationships from the perspective of fish ecology. Here we evaluate coral reef fish–sponge relationships, including the role of sponges in providing food and shelter for fishes, the influence fishes have on sponge distribution and abundance and possible outcomes of climate change on fish–sponge interactions. To date, 16 fish families have been shown to associate with 56 different sponge genera, using them as either a source of shelter ( n = 17) or a food source ( n = 50), although methodologies for the latter currently lack consistency. We demonstrate that a more comprehensive understanding of fish–sponge interactions has been garnered from tropical Atlantic coral reefs, which has resulted in a strong biogeographic bias. While it is evident that in some areas of the Caribbean fish are key in shaping the distribution and abundance of sponges, it is not yet known whether this conclusion applies to the Indo-Pacific. With increasing stresses such as bleaching events impacting coral reef ecosystems, further work is needed to evaluate whether sponges can fulfil similar functional roles to those previously provided by reef-building scleractinians. Similarly, determining whether sponge expansion will compensate for the negative effects of reef degradation, or contribute to their decline, is vital.
Dispersal of grouper larvae drives local resource sharing in a coral reef fishery
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.CUB.2013.03.006
Abstract: In many tropical nations, fisheries management requires a community-based approach because small customary marine tenure areas define the spatial scale of management [1]. However, the fate of larvae originating from a community's tenure is unknown, and thus the degree to which a community can expect their management actions to replenish the fisheries within their tenure is unclear [2, 3]. Furthermore, whether and how much larval dispersal links tenure areas can provide a strong basis for cooperative management [4, 5]. Using genetic parentage analysis, we measured larval dispersal from a single, managed spawning aggregation of squaretail coral grouper (Plectropomus areolatus) and determined its contribution to fisheries replenishment within five community tenure areas up to 33 km from the aggregation at Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Within the community tenure area containing the aggregation, 17%-25% of juveniles were produced by the aggregation. In four adjacent tenure areas, 6%-17% of juveniles were from the aggregation. Larval dispersal kernels predict that 50% of larvae settled within 14 km of the aggregation. These results strongly suggest that both local and cooperative management actions can provide fisheries benefits to communities over small spatial scales.
Settlement strategies and distribution patterns of coral-reef fishes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-1998
Interannual variation in the larval development of a coral reef fish in response to temperature and associated environmental factors
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-10-2015
You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-01-2015
Abstract: The vast majority of research into the mechanisms of camouflage has focused on forms that confound visual perception. However, many organisms primarily interact with their surroundings using chemosensory systems and may have evolved mechanisms to ‘blend in’ with chemical components of their habitat. One potential mechanism is ‘chemical crypsis' via the sequestration of dietary elements, causing a consumer's odour to chemically match that of its prey. Here, we test the potential for chemical crypsis in the coral-feeding filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris , by examining olfactory discrimination in obligate coral-dwelling crabs and a predatory cod. The crabs, which inhabit the corals consumed by O. longirostris , were used as a bioassay to determine the effect of coral diet on fish odour. Crabs preferred the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral over the odour of filefish fed a non-preferred coral, suggesting coral-specific dietary elements that influence odour are sequestered. Crabs also exhibited a similar preference for the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral and odour directly from that coral, suggesting a close chemical match. In behavioural trials, predatory cod were less attracted to filefish odour when presented alongside the coral it had been fed on, suggesting diet can reduce detectability. This is, we believe, the first evidence of diet-induced chemical crypsis in a vertebrate.
On minimizing assignment errors and the trade-off between false positives and negatives in parentage analysis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2013
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.12527
Abstract: Genetic parentage analyses provide a practical means with which to identify parent-offspring relationships in the wild. In Harrison et al.'s study (2013a), we compare three methods of parentage analysis and showed that the number and ersity of microsatellite loci were the most important factors defining the accuracy of assignments. Our simulations revealed that an exclusion-Bayes theorem method was more susceptible to false-positive and false-negative assignments than other methods tested. Here, we analyse and discuss the trade-off between type I and type II errors in parentage analyses. We show that controlling for false-positive assignments, without reporting type II errors, can be misleading. Our findings illustrate the need to estimate and report both the rate of false-positive and false-negative assignments in parentage analyses.
Erratum: Estimating connectivity in marine populations: An empirical evaluation of assignment tests and parentage analysis under different gene flow scenarios (Molecular Ecology (2009) 18 (1765 1776))
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-05-2009
Recruitment hotspots boost the effectiveness of no-take marine reserves
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2013
Otolith geochemistry does not reflect dispersal history of clownfish larvae
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2010
First genealogy for a wild marine fish population reveals multigenerational philopatry
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 31-10-2016
Abstract: Evidence for natal philopatry, the return of in iduals to their natal location for reproduction, is scarce in marine fish populations despite being common in anadromous fishes. The proportion of in iduals returning to natal sites is an important metric for estimating the effects of inbreeding and the potential for local adaptation to generate resilience to climate change. Here, we present the first multigenerational pedigree for a wild marine fish. We resolved the genealogical tree of families of orange clownfish Amphiprion percula spanning up to five generations, using data from a 10-year genetic survey of a population at Kimbe Island, Papua New Guinea. We found that longitudinal philopatry plays a significant role in driving population renewal of the orange clownfish.
Latitudinal variation in larval development of coral reef fishes: Implications of a warming ocean
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 17-02-2015
DOI: 10.3354/MEPS11136
Rank change and growth within social hierarchies of the orange clownfish, Amphiprion percula
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00227-022-04117-9
Abstract: Social hierarchies within groups define the distribution of resources and provide benefits that support the collective group or favor dominant members. The progression of in iduals through social hierarchies is a valuable characteristic for quantifying population dynamics. On coral reefs, some clownfish maintain size-based hierarchical communities where in iduals queue through social ranks. The cost of waiting in a lower-ranked position is outweighed by the reduced risk of eviction and mortality. The orange clownfish, Amphiprion percula , maintains stable social groups with subordinate in iduals queuing to be part of the dominant breeding pair. Strong association with their host anemone, complex social interactions, and relatively low predation rates make them ideal model organisms to assess changes in group dynamics through time in their natural environment. Here, we investigate the rank changes and isometric growth rates of A. percula from 247 naturally occurring social groups in Kimbe Island, Papua New Guinea (5° 12′ 13.54″ S, 150° 22′ 32.69″ E). We used DNA profiling to assign and track in iduals over eight years between 2011 and 2019. Over half of the in iduals survived alongside two or three members of their original social group, with twelve breeding pairs persisting over the study period. Half of the surviving in iduals increased in rank and experienced double the growth rate of those that maintained their rank. Examining rank change in a wild fish population provides new insights into the complex social hierarchies of reef fishes and their role in social evolution.
Connectivity, biodiversity conservation and the design of marine reserve networks for coral reefs
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-03-2009
Related Organisations
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