Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1996 Community Structure and Habitat Preferences of Intertidal Fishes of the Eastern Canary Islands: Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote, With a Behavioral Description of Mauligobius Maderensis (Osteichthyes: Gobiidae). Richard Patrick Cody Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Cody, Richard Patrick, "Community Structure and Habitat Preferences of Intertidal Fishes of the Eastern Canary Islands: Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote, With a Behavioral Description of Mauligobius Maderensis (Osteichthyes: Gobiidae)." (1996). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6180. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6180 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. 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UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND HABITAT PREFERENCES OF INTERTIDAL FISHES OF THE EASTERN CANARY ISLANDS: FUERTEVENTURA, GRAN CANARIA, AND LANZAROTE, WITH A BEHAVIORAL DESCRIPTION OF MAULIGOB1US MADERENS1S (OSTEICHTHYES: GOBIIDAE) A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty "of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Zoology and Physiology by Richard P. Cody B.S., University College Dublin, 1984 M.S., University of West Florida, 1989 May, 1996 UMI Number: 9637767 Copyright 1996 by Cody, Richard Patrick AH rights reserved. UMI Microform 9637767 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. AH rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 © Copyright 1996 Richard P. Cody All rights reserved DEDICATION This study is dedicated to the memory of Annette Cody (1937 - 1991). The Lake Isle of Innisfree I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow , Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart's core. W.B. Yeats iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my Major Professor, Dr. J.M. Fitzsimons, who steadfastly believed in the completion of this work. My committee members, Dr. J. Geaghan (Minor Professor), Dr. J. Lynn, Dr. H. Silverman, Dr. M.S. Hafner, Dr. R.W. Hastings, and Dr. E. Turner (Graduate School) deserve credit for not allowing me to lose sight of the importance of all fields of research. I would especially like to thank Dr. S.A. Bortone who introduced me to the Canary Islands, and thereby provided the opportunity to learn something about its fishes. My family in Ireland and the U.S. have been supportive throughout with words of encouragement when I most needed them. Sadly, my mother, Annette Cody who was always proud of my accomplishments, even when I had little to show for it, passed away before I completed this work. This work is dedicated to her memory. I could not have completed this study without the support of friends and colleagues. A special thanks is due to Dr. A. Brito, Dr. K.S. Cole, J.W. Demastes, J.M. Falcon, M. Marin, Drs. J.P. and L.A. O'Neill, H.G. Oulton, Dr. S. Southerland, Dr. C.K. Swing, J. Tamplin, T.F. Tomas, J.L. VanTassell, and all the Earthwatch staff and volunteers (1990-1993). Forgive me if I omitted names. The study was completed with support from Earthwatch, U.S.A., Lerner-Grey Marine Science Fund, and the Society of Sigma-Xi. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .......................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES.....................................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................. viii ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................ix INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 1 MATERIAL AND METHODS................................................................................................ 6 SAMPLING PROCEDURE.........................................................................................6 BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS........................................................................... 9 ANALYSES................................................................................................................ 10 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION........................................................................................ 16 INTERTIDAL COMMUNITY STRUCTURE ................................................. 16 SPECIES COMPOSITION........................................................................ 16 SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS..........................................................................20 HABITAT .........................................................................................................37 HABITAT PREFERENCES.........................................................................49 POPULATION STRUCTURE OF MAULIGOBIUS MADERENSIS . 56 HABITAT SELECTION BY MAULIGOBIUS MADERENSIS .............. 59 BEHAVIOR OF MAULIGOBIUS MADERENSIS..........................................69 MALE AND FEMALE COLORATION.................................................. 69 MOVEMENT WITHIN THE INTERTIDAL ZONE ...........................70 TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR.......................................................................75 Behavioral Elements of Territoriality ........................................ 75 T erritory ..............................................................................................82 Territorial defense ......................................................................... 84 REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR..................................................................92 Behavioral Elements of Courtship and Spawning .... 92 N est-S ite..............................................................................................95 Courtship and Spawning .............................................................97 EVOLUTIONARILY STABLE STRATEGY........................................ 105 SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................110 CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................................115 V REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................120 APPEN D IX ES..........................................................................................................................128 A Log-linear Length/weight models used to estimate biomass of tidepool fishes ......................................................................................... 128 B Raw data matrix for all tidepools sampled on the islands of Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote ................................... 129 VITA ..........................................................................................................................................