ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Matley, Jordan Kyle (2017) Investigation of coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) movement patterns and resource use: a multidisciplinary approach using acoustic telemetry and dietary indicators. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.4225/28/5a65b3201da33 The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] Investigation of coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) movement patterns and resource use: a multidisciplinary approach using acoustic telemetry and dietary indicators Thesis submitted by Jordan Kyle Matley B.Sc. (Honours) University of Guelph M.Sc. University of Manitoba For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre of Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture College of Science and Engineering James Cook University February 2017 Acknowledgements I am grateful to numerous people for assisting and encouraging me throughout my thesis. First, I thank all the administrative and support staff for helping me directly and indirectly throughout my time at JCU. They have assisted in the office, in the laboratory, at conferences, and in the field; without this network, my project would not have been possible. I am grateful to my friends and family back home for always being supportive while I am off adventuring. They are always hard to leave, but the same great people when I return. To my mates outside the lab, particularly Emma, Dean, Elien, Carlo, Molly, Mike, and Alexia, it has been wonderful to share our experiences. I thank you for giving me a reprieve from work and reminding me there is a world beyond my laptop. I have been incredibly fortunate to work with caring and bright colleagues who have contributed to my research in so many different ways. It has been an honour to work with you and share so many amazing memories. The list is long - Mario, Vinay, Leanne, John, Sam M, Sam S, Elodie, Stacy, Audrey, Merritt, Fernanda, Steve, Leontine, Richard, Karin, Renae, Nick, Ana, Andrew C, Peter, and Madi - I am glad I met you. Never have I been surrounded by so many people eager to work together to make science better. I am especially grateful to my office mate Elodie Lédée. You have suffered my company for over 3 years, always listening to my confused lamentations but tirelessly pointing me in the right direction with your seemingly infinite depository of knowledge – merci. Next, I would like to thank my advisors, Michelle Heupel, Colin Simpfendorfer, and Andrew Tobin. They have supported me throughout my thesis, always taking the time to discuss and take interest in the work I am doing (or aiming to do). It is because of their work ethic, knowledge, and general human decency that I have improved as a scientist and am prepared for the next step of my career. This modern triumvirate is the ideal advisory team, each contributing to different aspects of my gained knowledge, such as critical thinking, project design and organisation, writing, analysis, field work, fisheries, and animal behaviour. Thank you for putting up with yet another Canadian. Finally, a profound thank you to my parents, Don and Debbie. Half the time you have no idea what I am talking about, but you are twice as supportive because of it, and always have been. i Statement of contribution of others Supervision Prof. Colin Simpfendorfer – Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture & College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia Dr. Michelle Heupel – Australian Institute of Marine Science, Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture & College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia Dr. Andrew Tobin – Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture & College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia Financial support Project funding National Environmental Research Program (awarded to Prof. Colin Simpfendorfer and Dr. Michelle Heupel) Australian Research Council (awarded to Dr Michelle Heupel) James Cook University Graduate Research School, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and College for Marine and Environmental Sciences (research grants) ii Project funding (continued) AIMS@JCU Pilot Research funding Australian Coral Reef Society Research Award Ph.D. stipends James Cook University International Research Scholar Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship Travel and conference funding James Cook University Graduate Research School, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and College for Marine and Environmental Sciences (travel grants) AIMS@JCU Travel Awards iii Travel and conference funding (continued) The Fisheries Society of the British Isles Travel Grant Australian Society for Fish Biology Congress Travel Awards Australian Coral Reef Society Travel Award Data Collection Orpheus Island: Orpheus Island Research Station and staff, IMOS Animal Tracking Facility, Steve Moore, Jacob Eurich, Jonathan Smart, Pasang Tenzing, Vanessa Messmer, Elodie Lédée, Vinay Udyawer, and Audrey Schlaff Townsville Reefs: RV James Kirby and crew, Steve Moore, Fernanda de Faria, Peter Yates, Catalina Aguilar Hurtado, Gemma Molinaro, Samantha Sherman, Franz Fingerlos, Cameron Murchie, Mario Espinoza, and Elodie Lédée Marine Aquaculture Research Facility Unit (MARFU): MARFU and staff, Merritt Adkins, Vanessa Messmer, Leanne Currey, Peter Yates, Nick Hill, Elodie Lédée, and Liana Houston iv Statistical, analytical, and editorial support Colin Simpfendorfer, Michelle Heupel, Andrew Tobin, Aaron Fisk, Elodie Lédée, Leanne Currey, Mario Espinoza, Vinay Udyawer, Murray Logan, Anna Hussey, Katelynn Johnson, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (University of Windsor), and journal editors/reviewers for submitted chapters Administrative and IT support Beth Moore, Glen Connolly, Rebecca Steele, Melissa Crawford, Debbie Berry, Andrew Norton, Malcolm Goon Chew, Courtney MacSween, Glen Ewels, Phillip Osmond, and Jane Webb Cover image Photo credit: Alexia Graba-Landry Copyright and collaboration To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. Permission from external copyright holders and collaborators has been obtained when necessary. Ethics and approvals All research activities were conducted within the confines of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (G12/35236.1 and G14/36624.1) and Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (GFP144482) permits. The research presented and reported in this thesis was conducted in compliance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes, 7th Edition, 2004 and the Qld Animal Care and Protection Act, 2001. The proposed research study received animal ethics approval from the JCU Animal Ethics Committee Approval Number A1933. v Publications arising from this thesis Matley JK, Fisk AT, Tobin AJ, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2016) Diet-tissue discrimination factors and turnover of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in tissues of an adult predatory coral reef fish, Plectropomus leopardus. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 30:29–44 doi:10.1002/rcm.7406 (Chapter 3) Matley JK, Tobin AJ, Simpfendorfer CA, Fisk AT, Heupel MR (2017) Trophic niche and spatio-temporal changes in the feeding ecology of two sympatric species of coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus and P. laevis). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 563:197-210 doi:10.3354/meps11971 (Chapter 4) Matley JK, Tobin AJ, Lédée EJI, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2016) Contrasting patterns of vertical and horizontal space use of two sympatric coral reef fish. Mar Biol 163: 253 doi:10.1007/s00227-016-3023-7 (Chapter 5) Matley JK, Heupel MR, Fisk AT, Simpfendorfer CA, Tobin AJ (2016) Niche overlap between co-occurring Plectropomus spp. using acoustic telemetry and stable isotopes. Mar Freshw Res doi:10.1071/MF16120 (Chapter 6) *For all manuscripts, MR Heupel, CA Simpfendorfer, AJ Tobin, and JK Matley co-developed the research questions and study design. All co-authors contributed to sample collection and processing, data analysis, and manuscript revisions. JK Matley wrote the first drafts and was responsible for co-ordinating journal submission and revisions. vi Associated publications during candidature Matley JK, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2015) Depth and space use of leopard coralgrouper (Plectropomus leopardus) using passive acoustic tracking. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 521: 201-216 doi:10.3354/meps11122 vii Conference and meeting presentations during candidature Matley JK, Simpfendorfer CA, Fisk AT, Tobin AJ, Heupel MR (2016) Using complimentary sampling methods to address similar questions: resource and habitat use of sympatric coral trout. International Coral Reef Symposium, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. (Oral presentation) Matley JK, Simpfendorfer CA, Fisk AT, Tobin AJ, Heupel MR (2015) Niche partitioning of sympatric coral trout indicated by movement and dietary patterns. Australian Society for Fish Biology Congress, Sydney, NSW, Australia (Oral presentation) Matley JK, Simpfendorfer CA, Tobin AJ, Heupel MR (2015) Niche partitioning of sympatric reef fish using passive acoustic telemetry. International Conference