Behavioural flexibility in reef fishes responding to a rapidly changing wave environment

Heatwole, Siobhan J.; Fulton, Christopher J.

doi:10.1007/s00227-012-2123-2

Cited by 41 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…To determine whether species display intraspecific variation in fin and body shape across a wave energy gradient (question 1), three sites located on reef crest habitats (2-4 m depth) were chosen on the predominantly windward (wave-exposed) and three sites on the predominantly leeward (sheltered) side of the island. Patterns of water motion at these sites have been measured previously with wave height and water flow velocity differing .15-fold between sites of different exposure during windy conditions (Heatwole andFulton 2013, Johansen 2014): wave-exposed sites experience average water flows of ;37 cm/s, whereas sheltered sites experience flows of ;9 cm/s. Detailed wind speed and current information acquired by the Australian Institute of Marine Science's Lizard Island Weather station is available online.…”

Section: Study Sites and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 69%

Water flow and fin shape polymorphism in coral reef fishes

Binning

Roche

2015

Ecology

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Water flow gradients have been linked to phenotypic differences and swimming performance across a variety of fish assemblages. However, the extent to which water motion shapes patterns of phenotypic divergence within species remains unknown. We tested the generality of the functional relationship between swimming morphology and water flow by exploring the extent of fin and body shape polymorphism in 12 widespread species from three families (Acanthuridae, Labridae, Pomacentridae) of pectoral-fin swimming (labriform) fishes living across localized wave exposure gradients. The pectoral fin shape of Labridae and Acanthuridae species was strongly related to wave exposure: individuals with more tapered, higher aspect ratio (AR) fins were found on windward reef crests, whereas individuals with rounder, lower AR fins were found on leeward, sheltered reefs. Three of seven Pomacentridae species showed similar trends, and pectoral fin shape was also strongly related to wave exposure in pomacentrids when fin aspect ratios of three species were compared across flow habitats at very small spatial scales (<100 m) along a reef profile (reef slope, crest, and back lagoon). Unlike fin shape, there were no intraspecific differences in fish body fineless ratio across habitats or depths. Contrary to our predictions, there was no pattern relating species' abundances to polymorphism across habitats (i.e., abundance was not higher at sites where morphology is better adapted to the environment). This suggests that there are behavioral and/or physiological mechanisms enabling some species to persist across flow habitats in the absence of morphological differences. We suggest that functional relationships between swimming morphology and water flow not only structure species assemblages, but are yet another important variable contributing to phenotypic differences within species. The close links between fin shape polymorphism and local water flow conditions appear to be important for understanding species' distributions as well as patterns of diversification across environmental gradients.

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Section: Study Sites and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 69%

Water flow and fin shape polymorphism in coral reef fishes

Binning

Roche

2015

Ecology

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“…Fineness potentially affects many performance traits [4] that contribute to fitness on a coral reef, including the ability to burrow in reef sediment, maneuver among complex coral structure [78], signal to mates and competitors, and avoid predators while responding to rapidly changing hydrodynamic conditions [79]. In order to understand the complexity of how these functional demands shape the evolution of diversity of fish body shapes on a coral reef, we need better models of the functional consequences of body shape variation in combination with empirical data obtained under both laboratory and field conditions that acknowledge the biological and ecological contexts within which species are operating (including aspects such as foraging mode and reproductive status).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Fineness Ratio as a Predictor of Maximum Prolonged-Swimming Speed in Coral Reef Fishes

et al. 2013

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The ability to sustain high swimming speeds is believed to be an important factor affecting resource acquisition in fishes. While we have gained insights into how fin morphology and motion influences swimming performance in coral reef fishes, the role of other traits, such as body shape, remains poorly understood. We explore the ability of two mechanistic models of the causal relationship between body fineness ratio and endurance swimming-performance to predict maximum prolonged-swimming speed (Umax) among 84 fish species from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. A drag model, based on semi-empirical data on the drag of rigid, submerged bodies of revolution, was applied to species that employ pectoral-fin propulsion with a rigid body at U max. An alternative model, based on the results of computer simulations of optimal shape in self-propelled undulating bodies, was applied to the species that swim by body-caudal-fin propulsion at Umax. For pectoral-fin swimmers, Umax increased with fineness, and the rate of increase decreased with fineness, as predicted by the drag model. While the mechanistic and statistical models of the relationship between fineness and Umax were very similar, the mechanistic (and statistical) model explained only a small fraction of the variance in Umax. For body-caudal-fin swimmers, we found a non-linear relationship between fineness and Umax, which was largely negative over most of the range of fineness. This pattern fails to support either predictions from the computational models or standard functional interpretations of body shape variation in fishes. Our results suggest that the widespread hypothesis that a more optimal fineness increases endurance-swimming performance via reduced drag should be limited to fishes that swim with rigid bodies.

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“…The shape of the head characteristic of MCRS individuals, in concert with rheotaxis behavior (a response, in which the fish tend to orient the head into incoming water flow as the speed increases ;Macdonnell 1990), could allow them to minimize the dragging of fast flowing water. This behavior has been reported in coral fishes that occupy habitats with different wave environments (Heatwole and Fulton 2013).…”

Section: Morphological and Environmental Variationmentioning

confidence: 94%

Morphological Differentiation in the Damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis Along the Mexican Atlantic Coast is Associated with Environmental Factors and High Connectivity

et al. 2015

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Coastal regions represent environments with heterogenic ecological conditions and with potential barriers to dispersal, making them ideal systems to study the variation of morphology and genetics of the organisms inhabiting them. Using individuals of the damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis from the three main reef systems along the Mexican Atlantic coast, we examined genetic and environmental variation to evaluate their relative contribution to body and head shape, and body size. We determined if there was a relationship between morphological variation and environmental factors and whether morphological, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite variation were concordant. We found morphological differences among A. saxatilis individuals from the Tuxpan, Veracruz and Mexican Caribbean reef systems. Differences in body and head shape involved positions of pectoral fins and mouth. Individuals from Tuxpan and Veracruz were larger than those from the Mexican Caribbean. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between shape (body and head) and environmental variables (chlorophyll-a, geostrophic velocity and temperature) as well as between body size and chlorophyll-a concentration. Both mtDNA and microsatellite markers detected high levels of genetic diversity and lack of population genetic differentiation among reefs, reef systems and between marine regions. We did not find a correlation between morphological and genetic differentiation. Our results suggest that the phenotypic differences of A. saxatilis along the Mexican Atlantic coast may be determined by environmental factors in the presence of gene flow.

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Behavioural flexibility in reef fishes responding to a rapidly changing wave environment

Cited by 41 publications

References 40 publications

Water flow and fin shape polymorphism in coral reef fishes

Water flow and fin shape polymorphism in coral reef fishes

Body Fineness Ratio as a Predictor of Maximum Prolonged-Swimming Speed in Coral Reef Fishes

Morphological Differentiation in the Damselfish Abudefduf saxatilis Along the Mexican Atlantic Coast is Associated with Environmental Factors and High Connectivity

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