Population Regulation of Coral Reef Fishes
نویسندگان
چکیده
Populations of reef fish are widely believed to be limited by availability of larval recruits, not by density dependent processes operating during and after settlement of young stages in the reef environment. Our research explores and challenges this thinking. We are utilizing field observations and experiments to determine what factors affect spatial distribution, abundance, and population dynamics of four reef-dwelling damselfish in the Family Pomacentridae: three-spot humbug (Dascyllus trimaculatus), yellow-tail humbug (D. flavicaudus), banded humbug (D. aruanus), and orange-fin anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus). In related research, we explore the relationships between structural reef habitat (types and sizes of corals and other reef substrates) and the abundance and diversity of local assemblages of lagoon fish, and whether depleted populations of reef fish can be restored by attraction of larval stages to reef environments using lights at night. More recently, we have begun to examine in detail the species interactions that occur among species of fish that co-occur on anemones, corals and on patch reefs, their interactions with co-occurring invertebrates (such as crabs), and the costs and benefits to the anemones and corals of hosting various species.
منابع مشابه
Spatial and temporal distribution of larvae of coral reef fishes in northern Red Sea, Egypt
The larval community of coral reef fishes in the Red Sea was studied in coastal and offshore sites to determine the effects of the exposure to waves and currents and the distance from the shore in structuring the larval fish community. Plankton sampling from inshore and offshore sites and the exposed and sheltered sides of the reefs resulted in the collection of 2048 larvae representing 49 diff...
متن کاملSpatial and temporal distribution of larvae of coral reef fishes in northern Red Sea, Egypt
The larval community of coral reef fishes in the Red Sea was studied in coastal and offshore sites to determine the effects of the exposure to waves and currents and the distance from the shore in structuring the larval fish community. Plankton sampling from inshore and offshore sites and the exposed and sheltered sides of the reefs resulted in the collection of 2048 larvae representing 49 diff...
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Coral reefs resemble islands of productive habitats where fishes aggregate, forage, and spawn. Although it has been suggested that some reef fishes use biogenic chemicals as aggregation cues, specific chemicals have not been identified. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a secondary metabolite of many marine algal species, is released during foraging by higher-order consumers. DMSP has been stu...
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Large-bodied reef fishes represent an economically and ecologically important segment of the coral reef fish assemblage. Many of these individuals supply the bulk of the reproductive output for their population and have a disproportionate effect on their environment (e.g. as apex predators or bioeroding herbivores). Large-bodied reef fishes also tend to be at greatest risk of overfishing, and t...
متن کاملPhysiology can contribute to better understanding, management, and conservation of coral reef fishes
Coral reef fishes, like many other marine organisms, are affected by anthropogenic stressors such as fishing and pollution and, owing to climate change, are experiencing increasing water temperatures and ocean acidification. Against the backdrop of these various stressors, a mechanistic understanding of processes governing individual organismal performance is the first step for identifying driv...
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