Coexistence of nine anemonefish species: differential host and habitat utilization, size and recruitment

Elliott, Joel K.; Mariscal, Richard N.

doi:10.1007/s002270000441

Cited by 122 publications

(134 citation statements)

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“…All fieldwork was conducted using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) at depths of up to 15 m. In December 2004, 275 anemones occupied by A. percula were located. At this site, all anemones were occupied, consistent with observations at other sites in Papua New Guinea [38,40]. All anemones were mapped [44] and their depths were measured.…”

Section: (A) Study Populationsupporting

confidence: 85%

Probability of successful larval dispersal declines fivefold over 1 km in a coral reef fish

et al. 2011

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A central question of marine ecology is, how far do larvae disperse? Coupled biophysical models predict that the probability of successful dispersal declines as a function of distance between populations. Estimates of genetic isolation-by-distance and self-recruitment provide indirect support for this prediction. Here, we conduct the first direct test of this prediction, using data from the well-studied system of clown anemonefish (Amphiprion percula) at Kimbe Island, in Papua New Guinea. Amphiprion percula live in small breeding groups that inhabit sea anemones. These groups can be thought of as populations within a metapopulation. We use the x-and y-coordinates of each anemone to determine the expected distribution of dispersal distances (the distribution of distances between each and every population in the metapopulation). We use parentage analyses to trace recruits back to parents and determine the observed distribution of dispersal distances. Then, we employ a logistic model to (i) compare the observed and expected dispersal distance distributions and (ii) determine the relationship between the probability of successful dispersal and the distance between populations. The observed and expected dispersal distance distributions are significantly different (p , 0.0001). Remarkably, the probability of successful dispersal between populations decreases fivefold over 1 km. This study provides a framework for quantitative investigations of larval dispersal that can be applied to other species. Further, the approach facilitates testing biological and physical hypotheses for the factors influencing larval dispersal in unison, which will advance our understanding of marine population connectivity.

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Section: (A) Study Populationsupporting

confidence: 85%

Probability of successful larval dispersal declines fivefold over 1 km in a coral reef fish

et al. 2011

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“…The link between group size and host size has been studied in various species of reef fishes where a correlation between these factors has been attributed to resource limitation or as an indirect consequence of patch size effects, such as through dominance of 1 group member (Elliott & Mariscal 2001, Mitchell & Dill 2005. We found no significant effect of gorgonian host area on the number of resident Hippocampus bargibanti or H. denise.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 49%

“…Polygamy is predicted where one sex is able to monopolise partners, which is possible in pygmy seahorses given that groups are isolated together on a host gorgonian and at a comparatively high density (Emlen & Oring 1977, Ihara 2002, Kokko & Rankin 2006, Hernaman & Munday 2007. Other recent studies of seahorses have shown that the strict social and genetic monogamy observed in early research of seahorse reproductive biology is subject to variation (Kvarnemo et al 2000, Moreau & Vincent 2004, thus the mating systems of pygmy seahorses would be an interesting direction for future research.The link between group size and host size has been studied in various species of reef fishes where a correlation between these factors has been attributed to resource limitation or as an indirect consequence of patch size effects, such as through dominance of 1 group member (Elliott & Mariscal 2001, Mitchell & Dill 2005. We found no significant effect of gorgonian host area on the number of resident Hippocampus bargibanti or H. denise.…”

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confidence: 49%

Extreme habitat specialisation and population structure of two gorgonian-associated pygmy seahorses

Smith

Grutter²,

Tibbetts³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Pygmy seahorses are a group of little-known miniature hippocampid fish that differ considerably in biology and ecology from their larger congeners. We estimated the population density, sex ratio and habitat of 2 sympatric, obligate gorgonian-associated pygmy seahorses, Hippocampus bargibanti and H. denise, in a 20 km long coastal marine protected area in southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Belt transects covering 200 m 2 each were surveyed at 7 sites and 5 depth contours to record the density of seahorses and their host gorgonians. The population density (± SE) was 1.17 (± 0.27) per 200 m 2 for H. denise and 0.34 (± 0.20) per 200 m 2 for H. bargibanti, some of the lowest densities for unexploited seahorse populations studied thus far. Male−female pairs (43.9%) were the most common group composition for H. denise, with single, 3 or 4 individuals found on 19.5, 7.3 and 29.3% of inhabited gorgonians, respectively. H. denise inhabited 7.8% of Annella reticulata gorgonians within the survey area but were recorded from a total of 8 gorgonian genera during extensive opportunistic ad hoc searches. Annella spp. density was 10.7 times higher than that of Muricella spp. (the sole host of H. bargibanti), of which 20.0% were inhabited. The small population size, occurrence of pygmy seahorses in groups on their hosts with the resulting skew in sex ratios, and habitat specialisation likely all impact the species' population dynamics, and hence these need to be considered in conservation management strategies.KEY WORDS: Habitat specialist · Miniature species · Abundance · Rare species · Hippocampus · Syngnathidae · Pygmy seahorse · Gorgonian 444: 195-206, 2012 Many organisms that live on coral reefs rely directly on architectural species for their existence (Jones et al. 2004). An association with gorgonians can be beneficial to other organisms due to the gorgonians' temporal stability as hosts, their unpalatability, thus acting as a chemical refuge, and their provision of access to rich food resources via their position in high water flow (Goh et al. 1999, Puglisi et al. 2000, Kumagai 2008. Two of the 7 described species of pygmy seahorses are obligate associates of gorgonian corals and form small groups of individuals that appear to spend their entire post-pelagic life on a single host (Smith 2011). The associations of these miniature seahorses with gorgonian hosts have been documented for Hippocampus bargibanti, which lives exclusively with Muricella plectana and M. paraplectana (Gomon 1997), and H. denise, which has a wider range of hosts including Annella reticulata, Muricella sp. and unconfirmed associations with Echinogorgia sp. and Acanthogorgia sp. (Gomon 1997, Lourie & Randall 2003, Lourie & Kuiter 2008. Despite a paucity of knowledge regarding the biology and ecology of gorgonian-associated pygmy seahorses, their host specialisation is a factor potentially placing them at an increased risk due to habitat disturbance , Munday 2004, Feary 2007. Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of th...

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“…The pathway that these fishes follow to come to occupy their adult reef niches is well known for many generalists (e.g., Williams and Sale 1981;Wellington 1992;Ö hman et al 1998) and some conspicuous specialists (e.g., anemone fishes, see Elliott et al 1995;Elliott and Mariscal 2001;Buston 2003). The ontogenetic shift from planktonic larvae to juvenile nurseries to adult niches, that many reef fishes undertake, is partly dictated by changing environmental interactions that they experience during a severalfold increase in size from larvae to adults (Leis 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogeny of microhabitat use and two-step recruitment in a specialist reef fish, the Browncheek Blenny (Chaenopsidae)

Hastings

Galland

2009

Coral Reefs

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Ecological specialization is common on coral reefs and almost certainly contributes to the high diversity of fishes and invertebrates associated with reefs. Here, the recruitment pathway of an endemic Gulf of California fish, the Browncheek Blenny, Acanthemblemaria crockeri (Teleostei: Chaenopsidae), which specializes as an adult on vacant invertebrate tests or tubes, is reported. Like most reef fishes, Browncheek Blennies have a planktonic larval stage that leaves the reef and later settles on suitable habitat as a fully developed juvenile. These blennies follow a clear, ''two-step'' recruitment pathway, however, and do not reside in invertebrate tests until reaching an adult body size. Individual juveniles and adults were observed for 3 min intervals in order to develop average time budgets for this species. Members of both sexes and all post-settlement life-history stages were included in the analysis. The difference in habitat use by post-settlement juveniles and adults is striking; the average juvenile spends none of its time inside a test, and the average large adult spends all of its time inside a test. Using data on intermediate-sized individuals, the behavioral change associated with invading a test was determined to be size-cued, and it occurs between 20 and 30 mm standard length. Changes in feeding and predator avoidance behaviors are also associated with the ontogenetic shift from life in the open to life in a shelter. Addition of artificial shelters demonstrated the essential role of access to this specialized resource in the population regulation of adults but not juveniles of these blennies.

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Coexistence of nine anemonefish species: differential host and habitat utilization, size and recruitment

Cited by 122 publications

References 0 publications

Probability of successful larval dispersal declines fivefold over 1 km in a coral reef fish

Probability of successful larval dispersal declines fivefold over 1 km in a coral reef fish

Extreme habitat specialisation and population structure of two gorgonian-associated pygmy seahorses

Ontogeny of microhabitat use and two-step recruitment in a specialist reef fish, the Browncheek Blenny (Chaenopsidae)

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