Pomacentridae) in One Tree Island Lagoon, Great Barrier Reef

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Pomacentridae) in One Tree Island Lagoon, Great Barrier Reef MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 226: 157-164,2002 Mar EcolProg Ser Published January 31 Distribution changes after settlement in six species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) in One Tree Island lagoon, Great Barrier Reef David J. Booth" Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Westbourne Street, Gore Hill NSW 2065, Australia ABSTRACT:While larval supply patterns playa major role in determining the distribution and abun- dance of reef fishes at a range of spatial and temporal scales, events occurring in the weeks after set- tlement may also significantly alter the demography of a juvenile population. I monitored over 2 sum- mers the arrival of new recruits of 6 species of benthic dams elfish onto continuous and patch reef habitat in One Tree Island lagoon. Each species had specific habitat preferences, and most showed some form of patchiness in spatial and temporal distribution at settlement; however, this was most likely a result of group settlement rather than habitat patchiness. Tagged recruits of Pomacentrus amboinensis remained within 1 m of their settlement site for at least the first 36 d on continuous reef, while known individuals of other species also moved little during this period, suggesting that disap- pearances were likely to be due to mortality. Mortality of recruits varied among species, years and habitats (patch vs continuous reef), and consequently spatial distributions of fish changed after set- tlement at the scale of lOs of metres (within-site) and several kilometres (among 8 sites). The spatial patchiness in distributions was not consistent among species, sites or years, suggesting that spatial variation in substrate did not have a major effect on settlement variation at this scale. These results show that the settlement signal may be obscured in the first few weeks post-settlement, and that less- frequent censuses, commonly used as proxies for high-frequency monitoring of settlement, may not accurately hind cast spatial or temporal patterns of settlement. KEY WORDS: Damselfishes· Group settlement . Migration . One Tree lagoon . Post-settlement mortality -----------Resale or republicationnotpermitted withoutwrittenconsentof the publisher----------- INTRODUCTION (Roughgarden et al. 1988). Despite this, in many mod- els of dispersal, larvae are treated as passive particles, While most marine species have a life cycle that leading to the prediction that dispersal follows ocean incorporates a pelagic larval stage and benthic or dem- current patterns (e.g. Roberts 1997). However, more ersal juveniles and adults, little is known of the pelagic recently it has been demonstrated that larvae have phase or processes that occur as individuals arrive at strong behavioural and physiological abilities to orient adult habitat. Some evidence that these stages can independent of currents (Leis & Carson-Ewart 1999). have strong influences on the demography of adults In other marine organisms, swimming behaviour can has been gathered, providing support for a recruit- determine vertical zonation on rocky shores (ascidians: ment-limitation hypothesis for reef fishes (e.g. Grosberg 1982). and the duration of the settling-search Williams 1980, Doherty 1983) and other organisms phase can influence spatial distribution of recruits (Davis & Butler 1989). In coral reef fishes, pre settlement fish are known to •E-mail: [email protected] have considerable swimming abilities (e.g. Stobutski & © Inter-Research 2002 . www.int-res.com 158 Mar Ecol Prog Ser 226: 157-164,2002 Bellwood 1997), and show preferences for certain damselfishes, either preferring or avoiding particular swimming directions around reefs (e.g. Leis & Carson- habitat types or conspecifics. Ewart 1999). Once they arrive in the vicinity of a reef, Habitat hotspots for settlement at larger spatial larvae may detect the reef's lagoonal waters and avoid scales have been identified for coral reef fishes, due entry (e.g. Doherty et al. 1996). Close to the reef, larvae to patchiness of high-quality habitat (Munday et al. may prefer certain habitats, and may be attracted to or 1997), oceanographic features such as currents that actively avoid conspecifics (e.g. Sweatman 1985, Booth direct larvae to certain locations (e.g. Sponaugle & 1992). Holbrook et al. (2000) demonstrated that habitat Cowen 1997) or combinations of habitat and oceano- distribution, not larval supply, accounted for spatial graphic features (e.g. Booth et al. 2000). It is important variation in distribution of newly settled dams elfish to identify such hotspots, as they may indicate patchi- Dascyllus aruanus among widely spaced reefs in French ness of post-settlement predation or settlement prefer- Polynesia, while Srinivasan et al. (1999) showed simi- ences for resources, and be useful identifying manage- lar control of distribution by habitat for species of ment options such as habitat enhancement. anemonefish Amphiprion spp. These taxa are known Understanding the demographic effects of early to have very specific habitat preferences, and it is not post-settlement processes of predation and migration surprising that habitat largely controls distribution. is also important in justifying the use of late season However, other reef fish species may be less depen- recruitment surveys as proxies for more frequent cen- dent on specific habitat type, and less is known of how suses in determination of larval supply to a reef (e.g. well settlement predicts subsequent post-settlement Williams et al. 1994). These assume that settlement distribution in these species (e.g. Lewis 1997). patterns are not modified between settlement and end- Settlement behaviour has the potential to alter the of-season censuses, but if mortality and/or migration distribution of new settlers, and subsequently older are variable in space and time (e.g. Levin 1998). they fish at a number of spatial and temporal scales (e.g. will obscure settlement patterns. Booth & Wellington 1998). However, little direct evi- In this study, the change in distribution of 6 species dence of such effects of settlement behaviour is avail- of damselfishes (Pomacentridae) over about 6 mo post- able. Breitburg (1991) showed that nearshore aggrega- settlement at a small spatial scale, and between 2 yr, tions of naked gobies on temperate oyster reefs is interpreted in the light of possible migration and influenced settlement distribution, while Sweatman mortality. Specifically, the study asks: (1) Are hotspots (1985) and Booth (1995) demonstrated that settling for settlement temporally persistent? (2) Do spatial Dascyllus spp. selectively chose coral heads already patterns of settlement suggest either habitat associa- supporting conspecifics. Ohman et al. (1998) recorded tions or group settlement? (3) Is persistence in the species-specific habitat choices for late-stage larval weeks post-settlement variable spatially and tempo- rally, and among species? And (4) as a consequence, are patterns of distribution established at settlement obscured over the first months post-settlement, and therefore are censuses made at the end of the settle- ment season (sensu Williams et al. 1994) indicative of actual settlement patterns? MATERIALS AND METHODS Study site and species. One Tree Island lagoon is lo- cated at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, in the Bunker Group (23030' S, 152006' E).The lagoon contains a convoluted series of continuous reef zones, or piecrust, extending from the surface to depths offrom 1to 4 m. Be- tween piecrust areas, deeper patch reefs (2to 7 m below One Tree Island the surface) are surrounded by sand. This study was car- ried out on piecrust and constructed patch reefs in Shark Alley, on the southeastern side of the lagoon, and at 7 Fig. 1. Aerial map of One Tree Island (dark) and One Tree other sites in the lagoon (Fig. 1).Shark Alley is the site of lagoon, showing locations of 8 sites within the first lagoon. SA = Shark Alley, GU = Gutter, EN = Entrance, SF = Sandflat, highest settlement of damselfishes (Pomacentridae) FB = First Bank, CB = Centre Bornmie, MA = Maze, BB = Big within the lagoon, which settle in both patch reef and Bommies piecrust habitats (Booth et al. 2000). Booth: Distribution changes after settlement in damselfishes 159 Spatial and temporal distribution of fish. Visual sur- of tattoo ink and observed during subsequent cen- veys were carried out for settler, recruit, juvenile and suses, including intensive searches of adjacent areas adult damselfishes on pie crust transects at 8 sites and up to 20 m away from transects. Therefore, migration 6 artificial patch reefs in Shark Alley. Transects com- over the scale of several metres could be estimated, prised two 75 m stretches of continuous reef at each and it was assumed that disappearance of these indi- site and were marked off into 1m portions using flag- viduals was tantamount to mortality. Recruit persis- ging tape and underwater buoys. The observer slowly tence was estimated as the ratio of juveniles remaining swam along the transect, which varied from 1 to 2.5 m of each species in April to recruits censused in the pre- in width, depending on piecrust depth and topogra- vious February, while settler persistence was the ratio phy, and noted the identity and location (to the nearest of juveniles to settlers. metre) of each pomacentrid. Fish were categorised as Microhabitat monitoring. Every 5 m along transects settler «15 mm TL with reduced caudal pigmentation in Shark Alley, microhabitat was monitored by placing and of similar length to pre-settlement fish caught a 1 m2 quadrat midway between the upper and lower adjacent to the reefs by light traps, unpubl. data). boundary of the transect. The percentage cover of sev- recruit (15 to 25 mm TL), juvenile (25 to 40 mm TL) or eral broad habitat categories was estimated within the adult (>40 mm TL, or with adult pigmentation). All quadrat. Broad categories used were: dead coral, bran- length estimates were verified by capturing fish ching corals (mainly Porites sp., Stylophora sp., Pocillo- throughout the study, with less than 5 % of estimates pore damicornis) and conspecific density. Multiple leading to incorrect classification (unpubl.
Recommended publications
  • Orientation of Pelagic Larvae of Coral-Reef Fishes in the Ocean
    MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 252: 239–253, 2003 Published April 30 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Orientation of pelagic larvae of coral-reef fishes in the ocean Jeffrey M. Leis*, Brooke M. Carson-Ewart Ichthyology, and Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research, Australian Museum, 6 College St, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia ABSTRACT: During the day, we used settlement-stage reef-fish larvae from light-traps to study in situ orientation, 100 to 1000 m from coral reefs in water 10 to 40 m deep, at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Seven species were observed off leeward Lizard Island, and 4 species off the windward side. All but 1 species swam faster than average ambient currents. Depending on area, time, and spe- cies, 80 to 100% of larvae swam directionally. Two species of butterflyfishes Chaetodon plebeius and Chaetodon aureofasciatus swam away from the island, indicating that they could detect the island’s reefs. Swimming of 4 species of damselfishes Chromis atripectoralis, Chrysiptera rollandi, Neo- pomacentrus cyanomos and Pomacentrus lepidogenys ranged from highly directional to non- directional. Only in N. cyanomos did swimming direction differ between windward and leeward areas. Three species (C. atripectoralis, N. cyanomos and P. lepidogenys) were observed in morning and late afternoon at the leeward area, and all swam in a more westerly direction in the late after- noon. In the afternoon, C. atripectoralis larvae were highly directional in sunny conditions, but non- directional and individually more variable in cloudy conditions. All these observations imply that damselfish larvae utilized a solar compass. Caesio cuning and P.
    [Show full text]
  • Pomacentridae): Structural and Expression Variation in Opsin Genes
    Molecular Ecology (2017) 26, 1323–1342 doi: 10.1111/mec.13968 Why UV vision and red vision are important for damselfish (Pomacentridae): structural and expression variation in opsin genes SARA M. STIEB,*† FABIO CORTESI,*† LORENZ SUEESS,* KAREN L. CARLETON,‡ WALTER SALZBURGER† and N. J. MARSHALL* *Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia, †Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland, ‡Department of Biology, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Abstract Coral reefs belong to the most diverse ecosystems on our planet. The diversity in col- oration and lifestyles of coral reef fishes makes them a particularly promising system to study the role of visual communication and adaptation. Here, we investigated the evolution of visual pigment genes (opsins) in damselfish (Pomacentridae) and exam- ined whether structural and expression variation of opsins can be linked to ecology. Using DNA sequence data of a phylogenetically representative set of 31 damselfish species, we show that all but one visual opsin are evolving under positive selection. In addition, selection on opsin tuning sites, including cases of divergent, parallel, conver- gent and reversed evolution, has been strong throughout the radiation of damselfish, emphasizing the importance of visual tuning for this group. The highest functional variation in opsin protein sequences was observed in the short- followed by the long- wavelength end of the visual spectrum. Comparative gene expression analyses of a subset of the same species revealed that with SWS1, RH2B and RH2A always being expressed, damselfish use an overall short-wavelength shifted expression profile. Inter- estingly, not only did all species express SWS1 – a UV-sensitive opsin – and possess UV-transmitting lenses, most species also feature UV-reflective body parts.
    [Show full text]
  • Trophic Structure of Reef Fishes and Relationship of Corallivore Fishes with Hard Coral in Kepulauan Seribu, Jakarta
    IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science PAPER • OPEN ACCESS Trophic structure of reef fishes and relationship of corallivore fishes with hard coral in Kepulauan Seribu, Jakarta To cite this article: B Prabowo et al 2019 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 278 012059 View the article online for updates and enhancements. This content was downloaded from IP address 170.106.35.76 on 24/09/2021 at 21:15 The 3rd EIW IOP Publishing IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 278 (2019) 012059 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/278/1/012059 Trophic structure of reef fishes and relationship of corallivore fishes with hard coral in Kepulauan Seribu, Jakarta B Prabowo1,2*, K Fahlevy1,2,3, N F D Putra1,2, M Rizqydiani1,2, B M K Rahman1,2, A Habibie1,2, B Subhan1,3 and H Madduppa1,3 1Department of Marine Science and Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia 2Marine Science and Technology Student Organization (HIMITEKA-IPB), Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia 3Fisheries Diving Club, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia *E-mail: [email protected] Abstract. Corallivore became one of the biotic components that relate with coral coverage. The objective of this study was to determine the trophic structure of reef fishes, as well as the relationship between corallivores and hard corals in the northern part of Kepulauan Seribu. Reef fish species and benthic coverage were assessed using underwater visual census (UVCs) and Line Intercept Transect (LIT). The results showed that there were 120 reef fish species belonging to 7 trophic groups and 19 families. Pomacentridae and Labridae are the most abundant fish families.
    [Show full text]
  • The Functioning of Coral Reef Communities Along Environmental Gradients
    The Functioning of Coral Reef Communities Along Environmental Gradients Ph.D. Thesis Jeremiah Grahm Plass-Johnson Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Natuwissenschaften der Universität Bremen, Fachbereich Biologie/Chemie. Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde in der Zeit von Juni 2012 bis Mai 2015 am Leibniz-Zentrum für marine Tropenökologie in Bremen angefertigt. Finanziert wurde die Arbeit über das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Grant no. 03F0643A) im Rahmen des bilateralen Deutsch-Indonesischen Projekts, Science for the Protection of Indonesian Coastal Ecosystems (SPICE III). Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Kai Bischof (Erstgutachter) Prof. Dr. Matthias Wolf (Zweitgutachter) Prüfer: Prof. Dr. Claudio Richter Dr. Mirta Teichberg Weitere Mitglieder des Prüfungsausschusses Jasmin Heiden (Doktorand) Tom Vierus (Student) Datum des Promotionskolloquiums: 21. Juli 2015 Summary One of the primary challenges in ecology is to understand how environmental disturbance affects diversity and community structure, and what are the subsequent consequences on ecosystem functioning. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet resulting in complex sets of interactions between benthic, habitat-forming constituents and mobile fish consumers. However, scleractinian corals, the primary habitat engineers, are dependent on high-light, low- nutrient water conditions and thus are highly responsive when the environment varies from this status. In Southeast Asia, an increase in human coastal populations centred around urban areas has resulted in extensive changes to the coastal environment such as degraded water quality and removal of fish consumers. This has resulted in highly varied abiotic and biotic conditions in relation with distance from the shore. Often, coral reefs closer to shore are much lower in benthic and fish diversity than those further from anthropogenic influences, with direct impacts on ecosystem functioning.
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Reef Fishes Exhibit Strong Responses to a Habitat Boundary
    The following supplement accompanies the article Life on the edge: Coral reef fishes exhibit strong responses to a habitat boundary Katie Sambrook*, Geoffrey P. Jones, Mary C. Bonin *Corresponding author: [email protected] Marine Ecology Progress Series 561: 203–215 (2016) Table S1. Feeding guilds for the 51 fish species from 13 families included in surveys. Species were assigned to one of five feeding guilds based on published information about diet. Carnivores were defined as species that primarily consume macro invertebrates (e.g. crustaceans, echinoderms, gastropods) and/or fish. Omnivores were classified as species that consume both plant and animal material, and the category herbivore included species that primarily eat organic plant matter and/or detritus. Planktivores include species documented feeding primarily on plankton in the water column Family Species Feeding guild Reference Acanthuridae Choat et al. 2002, Wilson et al. 2008, Ctenochaetus striatus Herbivore Green & Bellwood 2009 Zebrasoma scopas Herbivore Choat et al. 2002 Balistidae Balistapus undulatus Omnivore Wilson et al. 2008, Pratchett et al. 2011 Chaetodontidae Berumen et al. 2005, Pratchett 2007, Chaetodon baronessa Corallivore Wilson et al. 2008 Chaetodon kleinii Omnivore Pratchett 2005, Pratchett et al. 2008 Chaetodon lunulatus Corallivore Pratchett 2005, Wilson et al. 2008 Chaetodon vagabundus Omnivore Anderson et al. 1981, Wilson et al. 2008 Wilson et al. 2008, Nagelkerken et al. Heniochus varius Carnivore 2009 Cirrhitidae Paracirrhites forsteri Carnivore Leray et al. 2012 Labridae Elliott & Bellwood 2003, Wilson et al. Halichoeres hortulanus Carnivore 2008, Berkström et al. 2012 Halichoeres melanurus Carnivore Pratchett et al. 2011, Berkström et al. 2012 Labroides spp.
    [Show full text]
  • Spatio-Temporal Patterns in the Coral Reef Communities of The
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 16 February 2018 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00036 Edited by: Angel Borja, Spatio-Temporal Patterns in the Centro Tecnológico Experto en Innovación Marina y Alimentaria (AZTI), Spain Coral Reef Communities of the Reviewed by: Spermonde Archipelago, 2012–2014, José Lino Vieira De Oliveira Costa, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal Maria C. Uyarra, II: Fish Assemblages Display Centro Tecnológico Experto en Innovación Marina y Alimentaria Structured Variation Related to (AZTI), Spain *Correspondence: Benthic Condition Jeremiah G. Plass-Johnson [email protected] Jeremiah G. Plass-Johnson 1,2*†, Mirta Teichberg 1, Vanessa N. Bednarz 1,2†, Astrid Gärdes 3, †Present Address: Jasmin P. Heiden 1,2†, Muhammad Lukman 4, Sara Miñarro 1,2†, Hauke Kegler 2,3, Jeremiah G. Plass-Johnson, Laura Weiand 1,2, Christian Wild 2, Hauke Reuter 2,5 and Sebastian C. A. Ferse 1,2 Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources 1 Ecology Department, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany, 2 Faculty of Biology & (DTU-Aqua), Technical University of Chemistry (FB2), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany, 3 Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz Centre for Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark; Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany, 4 Center for Marine, Coastal and Small Islands Research, Hasanuddin Vanessa N. Bednarz, University, Makassar, Indonesia, 5 Theoretical Ecology and Modelling Department, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Marine Department, Centre Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany Scientifique de Monaco, Principality of Monaco, Monaco, Monaco; Jasmin P. Heiden, The Spermonde Archipelago is a complex of ∼70 mostly populated islands off Southwest Section Biogeoscience, Department Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the center of the Coral Triangle.
    [Show full text]
  • APO REEF NATURAL PARK Rapid Site Assessment Report * April 2014
    APO REEF NATURAL PARK Rapid Site Assessment Report * April 2014 Copyright: © Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. All rights reserved: Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes, in any form or by any means, is prohibited without the express written permission from the publisher. Recommended Citation: Tabaranza,D.G.E, Cielo,K.L.S., Natural Jr,V., Dela Rosa Jr,G., Molina,E.P., Abes,J.L., Capoquian,R., Abes,M.L., Francisco,A.N. and G.C.Diamante(2014). Apo Reef Natural Park Rapid Site Assessment Report. Muntinlupa City. Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. ISBN 978-621-8010-08-6 Published by: Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. Manila Office 22F Asian Star Building, ASEAN Drive Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntilupa City, 1780 Philippines Telephone: +63 2 8502188 Fax: +63 2 8099447 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.mbcfi.org.ph Provincial Office Gozar Street, Barangay Camilmil, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, 5200 Philippines Telephone/Fax: +63 43 2882326 0 APO REEF NATURAL PARK Rapid Site Assessment Report * April 2014 Table of Contents Section Page Acronyms & Abbreviations 2 List of Figures 3 List of Tables 4 List of Appendices 4 1. INTRODUCTION 5 2. RSA OBJECTIVES, SCOPE AND LIMMITATIONS 7 2.1. Objectives 7 2.2. Approach, Scope and Limitations 7 2.3. Data Collection Methods 8 Geo-physical Characteristics Biological Resources Socio-economic Characteristics 3. PROTECTED AREA PROFILE 14 3.1. Geo-Physical Characteristics 14 3.2. Terrestrial Biodiversity 15 Flora Fauna 3.3. Marine Biodiversity 20 Coral Reef Communities Reef Fish Communities 3.4. Socio-Cultural and Economic Profile 23 4.
    [Show full text]
  • NBSREA Design Cvrs V2.Pub
    February 2009 TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No 1/09 Rapid Ecological Assessment Northern Bismarck Sea Papua New Guinea Technical report of survey conducted August 13 to September 7, 2006 Edited by: Richard Hamilton, Alison Green and Jeanine Almany Supported by: AP Anonymous February 2009 TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No 1/09 Rapid Ecological Assessment Northern Bismarck Sea Papua New Guinea Technical report of survey conducted August 13 to September 7, 2006 Edited by: Richard Hamilton, Alison Green and Jeanine Almany Published by: The Nature Conservancy, Indo-Pacific Resource Centre Author Contact Details: Dr. Richard Hamilton, 51 Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane, QLD 4101 Australia Email: [email protected] Suggested Citation: Hamilton, R., A. Green and J. Almany (eds.) 2009. Rapid Ecological Assessment: Northern Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea. Technical report of survey conducted August 13 to September 7, 2006. TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No. 1/09. © 2009, The Nature Conservancy All Rights Reserved. Reproduction for any purpose is prohibited without prior permission. Cover Photo: Manus © Gerald Allen ISBN 9980-9964-9-8 Available from: Indo-Pacific Resource Centre The Nature Conservancy 51 Edmondstone Street South Brisbane, QLD 4101 Australia Or via the worldwide web at: conserveonline.org/workspaces/pacific.island.countries.publications ii Foreword Manus and New Ireland provinces lie north of the Papua New Guinea mainland in the Bismarck Archipelago. More than half of the local communities in our provinces are coastal inhabitants, who for thousands of years have depended on marine resources for their livelihood. For coastal communities survival and prosperity is integrally linked to healthy marine ecosystems.
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Bleaching and the Effect of Disturbances on the Damselfish Community on Lizard Island, Australia Alejandra Munoz SIT Study Abroad
    SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Winter 2017 Coral Bleaching and the Effect of Disturbances on the Damselfish Community on Lizard Island, Australia Alejandra Munoz SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Meteorology Commons, Oceanography Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Munoz, Alejandra, "Coral Bleaching and the Effect of Disturbances on the Damselfish Community on Lizard Island, Australia" (2017). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2639. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2639 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Coral Bleaching and the Effect of Disturbances on the Damselfish Community on Lizard Island, Australia By Alejandra Munoz Project Advisor: Vanessa Messmer, Research Fellow Lizard Island Research Station Queensland, Australia Academic Director: Tony Cummings Home Institution: Tufts University Major: Biology and Environmental Studies Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Australia: Rainforest, Reef, and Cultural Ecology, SIT Study Abroad, Spring 2017 1 ISP Ethics Review (Note: Each AD must complete, sign, and submit this form for every student’s ISP.) The ISP paper by Alejandra Munoz (student) does/does not* conform to the Human Subjects Review approval from the Local Review Board, the ethical standards of the local community, and the ethical and academic standards outlined in the SIT student and faculty handbooks.
    [Show full text]
  • Parasites and Cleaning Behaviour in Damselfishes Derek
    Parasites and cleaning behaviour in damselfishes Derek Sun BMarSt, Honours I A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2015 School of Biological Sciences i Abstract Pomacentrids (damselfishes) are one of the most common and diverse group of marine fishes found on coral reefs. However, their digenean fauna and cleaning interactions with the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, are poorly studied. This thesis explores the digenean trematode fauna in damselfishes from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia and examines several aspects of the role of L. dimidiatus in the recruitment of young damselfishes. My first study aimed to expand our current knowledge of the digenean trematode fauna of damselfishes by examining this group of fishes from Lizard Island on the northern GBR. In a comprehensive study of the digenean trematodes of damselfishes, 358 individuals from 32 species of damselfishes were examined. I found 19 species of digeneans, 54 host/parasite combinations, 18 were new host records, and three were new species (Fellodistomidae n. sp., Gyliauchenidae n. sp. and Pseudobacciger cheneyae). Combined molecular and morphological analyses show that Hysterolecitha nahaensis, the single most common trematode, comprises a complex of cryptic species rather than just one species. This work highlights the importance of using both techniques in conjunction in order to identify digenean species. The host-specificity of digeneans within this group of fishes is relatively low. Most of the species possess either euryxenic (infecting multiple related species) or stenoxenic (infecting a diverse range of hosts) specificity, with only a handful of species being convincingly oioxenic (only found in one host species).
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Reef Degradation Alters the Isotopic Niche of Reef Fishes Yves Letourneur
    1 2 Coral reef degradation alters the isotopic niche of reef fishes 3 4 Yves Letourneur (1 *), Marine J. Briand (1, 2), Nicholas A.J. Graham (3) 5 6 7 (1) Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie, Institut ISEA (EA 7484) and LabEx 8 « Corail », BP R4, 98851 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia 9 (2) Aix-Marseille Université, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, UM 110, 10 Campus de Luminy, 13288 Marseille cedex 09, France 11 (3) Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, 12 United Kingdom 13 14 15 * Corresponding author: [email protected] Tel: (+687) 290 385 16 ORCID : 0000-0003-3157-1976 17 18 19 Abstract 20 The degradation of coral reefs is widely reported, yet there is a poor 21 understanding of the adaptability of reef fishes to cope with benthic change. We tested 22 the effects of coral reef degradation on the feeding plasticity of four reef fish species. We 23 used isotopic niche sizes and mean δ15N and δ13C values of each species in two coral 24 reefs that differed in benthic condition. The species chosen have contrasting feeding 25 strategies; Chaetodon lunulatus (corallivore), Chrysiptera rollandi (zooplanktivore), 26 Halichoeres melannurus (invertivore) and Zebrasoma velifer (herbivore). We predicted 27 that the corallivore would have a lower mean δ15N value and a smaller isotopic niche 28 size in the degraded reef, that the herbivore and the invertivore might have a larger 29 isotopic niche size and/or a different mean δ13C value, whereas the zooplanktivore 30 might be indifferent since the species is not linked to coral degradation.
    [Show full text]
  • A Lexicographical Introduction and Inventory of Pendau Fish Names*
    A Lexicographical Introduction and Inventory of Pendau * Fish Names Phil Quick SIL International [email protected] ABSTRACT This paper introduces the first inventory of fish names in Pendau (Tolitoli language group in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia). Among other purposes this paper provides a documentation of about 290 Pendau fish names (in an appended dictionary format), provides other Sulawesi specialists with comparative data, provides field linguists with an outline of some of the issues involved in descriptive documentation of flora and fauna, and provides new data for historical and comparative linguists. Topics covered in this paper are presented in such a way as to help researchers evaluate either the entire inventory of fish names or particular entries of interest. 1. INTRODUCTION This paper introduces the first inventory of fish names in Pendau (Tomini-Tolitoli language group in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia). The purpose of this portion of the paper is to focus on identifying fish names and the total number of fish names possible in a language, understanding the syntax used for binomial names, understanding some of the innovations and folk taxonomy employed, highlight those fish names that begin with one of the two formatives si and ’ali, as in sinobulung ‘various parrotfish species’ and ’alibambang ‘various butterflyfish species’, various bannerfish species, and various angelfish species’, and finally discuss the potential for discovering new species. The identification of fish names and other flora and fauna in a language is not a simple task. This paper also reviews the problems and challenges involved in providing a quality inventory that can be used by other researchers.
    [Show full text]