Habitat selection and the colonization of new territories by <i>Chromis viridis</i>

Abelson, Avigdor; Polak, Omer; Kiflawi, Moshe

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02003.x

Cited by 17 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The temporal consistency in the response to specific colonies (see also Ben-Tzvi et al 2008), as well as its apparent generality among fish species and geographic location, suggests that the information conveyed by the cue(s) may relate to future prospects and not just immediate conditions. However, juvenile and adult C. viridis are known, at times, to emigrate away from their initial settlement sites and occupy SH-colonies (Ben-Tzvi et al 2008). This would seem to suggest a short-term benefit to microhabitat selection and/or the loss of sensitivity to the chemical cue.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a previous study (Ben-Tzvi et al 2008), we have shown that settling Chromis viridis (Cuvier) prefer to settle with conspecific adults within Acropora spp. colonies (see also Lecchini et al 2005b).…”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The present study was conducted on a sparse reef (~15 to 20% hard coral live cover) located in the northwestern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) and composed mainly of several species of branching corals. Schools of Chromis viridis are abundant at the study site at depths of 1 to 10 m, and are found mainly in 2 Acropora species: A. eurystoma and A. hyacintus, with a preference for the former (Ben-Tzvi et al 2008). Settlement of C. viridis in the northern Gulf may occur from late May to February, in discrete events of different durations (10 to 45 d) separated by periods of similarly varying durations (Ben-Tzvi et al 2007.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Settlement of C. viridis in the northern Gulf may occur from late May to February, in discrete events of different durations (10 to 45 d) separated by periods of similarly varying durations (Ben-Tzvi et al 2007. Although some C. viridis settle directly to their final habitat and should be considered recruits (McCormick & Makey 1997), we will use the term settlement since some of the settlers migrate a few weeks after settlement to another habitat that might become their final habitat (Ben-Tzvi et al 2008).Site history. During 2007 we monitored (3 times per week) the number of Chromis viridis that settled onto 70 tagged colonies of Acropora eurystoma and A.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These observations indicate that such discrimination between corals of the same species is widespread even though it is not known whether the cue is a repellent or an attractant in other species. The temporal consistency in the response to specific colonies (see also Ben-Tzvi et al 2008), as well as its apparent generality among fish species and geographic location, suggests that the information conveyed by the cue(s) may relate to future prospects and not just immediate conditions. However, juvenile and adult C. viridis are known, at times, to emigrate away from their initial settlement sites and occupy SH-colonies (Ben-Tzvi et al 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Role of coral-derived chemical cues in microhabitat selection by settling Chromis viridis

Ben-Tzvi¹,

Tchernov²,

Kiflawi³

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Insight into the mechanisms that underlie settlement and recruitment is important for our understanding of the demography and ecology of coral reef fish and the biology of their coral host. Current knowledge of larval behaviour leading up to settlement is rather meager, and is mostly derived from controlled experiments under artificial conditions. However, it has been shown that presettlement juvenile fishes use acoustic and olfactory cues to locate the reef and, together with visual cues, to choose their first habitat in the reef. Chromis viridis (Pomacentridae) also use chemical and physical cues to locate the coral colonies on which they settle. Moreover, they appear to consistently and preferentially utilize some, but not other, conspecific colonies. To further evaluate the cues involved in microhabitat choice at settlement, we used in situ manipulation in which water from Acropora spp. coral colonies with positive settlement histories (SH+) was transferred to colonies with negative settlement histories (SH-) and vice versa. By closely monitoring settlement to manipulated and non-manipulated colonies, we found that at least 2 different water-borne cues are informing micro-habitat selection by C. viridis. Water transferred from SH-to SH+ A. hyacintus colonies was found to discourage settlement in the SH+ colonies. On the other hand, water transferred from SH+ to SH-A. eurystoma colonies encouraged settlement in the SH-colonies. These findings show that dissolved coral-derived cues dictate the fishes' settlement decisions, which raises an intriguing question as to the information content of these cues and their evolutionary context. KEY WORDS: Settlement · Coral reef fish · Odour Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 409: [181][182][183][184][185][186][187] 2010 aid in identifying and locating conspecifics (Sweatman 1988, Lecchini et al. 2005a.In a previous study (Ben-Tzvi et al. 2008), we have shown that settling Chromis viridis (Cuvier) prefer to settle with conspecific adults within Acropora spp. colonies (see also Lecchini et al. 2005b). However, not all colonies housing adults received settlers, whereas some colonies that were not inhabited by adults did receive settlers. This may not be surprising if it was not for the fact that the same colonies were consistently selected or rejected over 2 major settling events in 2004 and 2005. Although these data suggest that settling with conspecifics may not be as important as originally thought, it is not clear what drives C. viridis settlers to prefer specific colonies (whether inhabited by conspecifics or not) over others.Scleractinian corals are known to be a critical settlement habitat for many coral reef fishes, of which many are not strictly coral-dependent as adults (Jones et al. 2004, Wilson et al. 2006, Pratchett et al. 2008). Thus it is important to understand why fish select specific coral colonies and not others. Since no physical parameters were found to explain the pattern of col...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 91%