Waves and Eddies: Effects on Fish Behavior and Habitat Distribution

Webb, Paul W.; Cotel, Aline; Meadows, Lorelle A.

doi:10.1201/b10190-1

Cited by 23 publications

(33 citation statements)

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“…The inverse correlation we detected between the abundance of A. vulpes and ambient flow intensity is consistent with relationships documented among juveniles of other bottom‐associated fishes (Maxwell et al ; Trimoreau et al ; Druon et al ) and can be attributed to several possible mechanisms through which hydrodynamic stress acts to influence the habitat use of aquatic organisms (Hart and Finelli ; Denny ; Webb et al ). Most directly, this negative relationship may reflect limitations of A. vulpes’ swimming performance, a key determinant of the flow environments that fish are able to accommodate (Bellwood and Wainwright ; Fulton et al , ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Most directly, this negative relationship may reflect limitations of A. vulpes’ swimming performance, a key determinant of the flow environments that fish are able to accommodate (Bellwood and Wainwright ; Fulton et al , ). The oscillatory nature of wave‐driven flows makes them intrinsically unsteady, and this irregularity is amplified by turbulent eddies associated with wave‐breaking in the shallow littoral zones where A. vulpes juveniles reside (Webb et al ; Denny ). Likewise, in the near‐bed depth strata occupied by A. vulpes , even relatively unidirectional (e.g., tidal) flows can be complex and turbulent due to benthic boundary layer effects (Hart et al ; Carlson and Lauder ; Meyers and Belk ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ambient flow is likely to have even greater ramifications for the distribution of small‐bodied fishes such as juveniles, for whom habitat use is already constrained by relatively strict ecological requirements and low mobility compared to more advanced ontogenetic stages (Wilson ; Nash et al ; Welsh et al ). Small fishes achieve lower absolute swimming speeds than larger‐bodied individuals, limiting the water velocities they are capable of negotiating (Brett ; Beamish ), and are subject to disturbance by a broader range of turbulence scales, increasing their susceptibility to the destabilizing effects of unsteady flows (Lupandin ; Webb et al ). It is not surprising then that juvenile fishes exposed to elevated flow velocities exhibit comparatively large reductions in prey capture success (Flore and Keckeis ), greater rates of flow refuging (Fulton and Bellwood ; Johansen et al ), and can be disproportionately affected by extreme flow events (Lassig ; Del Signore et al ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During their early ontogenetic stages, many species of tropical fish are associated with relatively unstructured shallow littoral habitats (Dahlgren and Marr 2004;Dominici-Arosemena and Wolff 2006). Littoral zone waters are hydrodynamically heterogeneous, subject to flows driven by remote swell, local wind forcing, and tidal fluctuations (Dean and Dalrymple 2004;Lowe et al 2009), and the depth-limited shorelines that juvenile fishes often exploit as predation refugia (Paterson and Whitfield 2000) can be subject to some of the greatest waverelated stresses (Denny 2006;Webb et al 2010). Yet, compared to coral reefs, the surf zones, tidal flats, and lagoons that make up much of tropical nearshore systems are characterized by low topographic complexity and homogeneous water depths, providing little in the way of shelter from wave-or current-induced flow.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Wave and tide‐driven flow act on multiple scales to shape the distribution of a juvenile fish (Albula vulpes) in shallow nearshore habitats

Haak

Cowles

Danylchuk

2018

Limnology & Oceanography

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Environmental stress associated with incident flow is among the most fundamental physical factors structuring fish distributions. In shallow marine habitats, flow‐related stress arises through several distinct processes, yet their combined ramifications for habitat utilization by fishes are rarely evaluated concurrently. We used hydrodynamic models to resolve spatial and temporal variability in wave‐ and tide‐driven water velocities across the littoral zone of a subtropical island, and related these, along with other environmental predictors, to patterns in the abundance of a juvenile fish (Albula vulpes) as determined by 785 beach‐seine samples. Exerting universally negative effects on abundance, flow‐related predictors were among the most influential drivers of habitat use, particularly at landscape scales where contrasts were most apparent. Spatial gradients in the strength of wave‐induced and tide‐driven flow were pronounced and varied inversely across the study area, applying contradictory constraints on A. vulpes distributions and limiting juveniles to the small subset of habitats where near‐maximal wave and tide‐driven water velocities were mutually depressed over the long term. Meanwhile, within the few embayments where A. vulpes occurred with regularity, abundance was inversely related to short‐term fluctuations in wave‐driven water velocity, evidencing fine‐scale movements as fish presumably sought reduced rates of flow. Juveniles were consistently absent from the remaining majority of stations regardless of temporal variability, indicating that they were unable to exploit these areas even during periods of calm. Collectively, these observations are consistent with the hypothesis that spatial and temporal variability in incident flow act simultaneously at distinct scales to structure motile fish distributions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wave and tide‐driven flow act on multiple scales to shape the distribution of a juvenile fish (Albula vulpes) in shallow nearshore habitats

Haak

Cowles

Danylchuk

2018

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…It has also been postulated that dynamic wave‐swept water movements may restrict reef flat access to species that either hide in flow refuges (Johansen, Bellwood, & Fulton, ; Johansen, Fulton, & Bellwood, ) or use specialized fins (Bejarano et al., ; Bellwood & Wainwright, ; Fulton, Wainwright, Hoey, & Bellwood, ). High‐aspect‐ratio pectoral fins and the capacity to use adaptive shifts in swimming behavior (e.g., increased use of stabilizing median fins, changing body posture to minimize flow‐induced drag) appear to be particularly important for fishes to move with efficiency and stability in these rapidly changing and often extreme flow environments (Fulton, Johansen, & Steffensen, ; Heatwole & Fulton, ; Webb, Cotel, & Meadows, ). Finally, although direct evidence of predation on adult fishes is limited, there appears to be a high risk of predation in this zone, with several studies identifying high predation rates as a possible explanation for the low fish abundance of some fish groups on the reef flat (e.g., Fox & Bellwood, ; Hay, ; Khan, Welsh, & Bellwood, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the reef flat in coral reef trophodynamics: Past, present, and future

Bellwood

Tebbett

Bellwood

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The reef flat is one of the largest and most distinctive habitats on coral reefs, yet its role in reef trophodynamics is poorly understood. Evolutionary evidence suggests that reef flat colonization by grazing fishes was a major innovation that permitted the exploitation of new space and trophic resources. However, the reef flat is hydrodynamically challenging, subject to high predation risks and covered with sediments that inhibit feeding by grazers. To explore these opposing influences, we examine the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as a model system. We focus on grazing herbivores that directly access algal primary productivity in the epilithic algal matrix (EAM). By assessing abundance, biomass, and potential fish productivity, we explore the potential of the reef flat to support key ecosystem processes and its ability to maintain fisheries yields. On the GBR, the reef flat is, by far, the most important habitat for turf‐grazing fishes, supporting an estimated 79% of individuals and 58% of the total biomass of grazing surgeonfishes, parrotfishes, and rabbitfishes. Approximately 59% of all (reef‐wide) turf algal productivity is removed by reef flat grazers. The flat also supports approximately 75% of all grazer biomass growth. Our results highlight the evolutionary and ecological benefits of occupying shallow‐water habitats (permitting a ninefold population increase). The acquisition of key locomotor and feeding traits has enabled fishes to access the trophic benefits of the reef flat, outweighing the costs imposed by water movement, predation, and sediments. Benthic assemblages on reefs in the future may increasingly resemble those seen on reef flats today, with low coral cover, limited topographic complexity, and extensive EAM. Reef flat grazing fishes may therefore play an increasingly important role in key ecosystem processes and in sustaining future fisheries yields.

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The Ipos Framework: Linking Fish Swimming Performance in Altered Flows From Laboratory Experiments to Rivers

Lacey

Neary

Liao

et al. 2011

River Research & Apps

166

168

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The current understanding of the effects of turbulence on the swimming performance of fish is primarily derived from laboratory experiments under pressurised flow swim tunnels and open-channel flow facilities. These studies have produced valuable information on the swimming mechanics and behaviour of fish in turbulent flow. However, laboratory studies have limited representation of the flows fish experience in nature. The flow structure in rivers is imparted primarily by the highly heterogeneous nonuniform bed, and the flow is generally much more complex than in laboratory experiments. The goal of the current work is to direct future laboratory and field studies to adopt a common framework that will shape the integration of both approaches. This article outlines four characteristics of turbulent flow, which we suggest should be evaluated when generalising results from fish turbulent studies in both the laboratory and the field. The framework is based on four turbulence characteristics that are summarised under the acronym IPOS: intensity, periodicity, orientation and scale. Figure 3. (A) Mean longitudinal velocity profiles. (B) Longitudinal turbulence intensity profiles. The dashed horizontal line indicates z = 0.5 m (borrowed with permission from Neary and Sale, 2010).

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Waves and Eddies: Effects on Fish Behavior and Habitat Distribution

Cited by 23 publications

References 1 publication

Wave and tide‐driven flow act on multiple scales to shape the distribution of a juvenile fish (Albula vulpes) in shallow nearshore habitats

Wave and tide‐driven flow act on multiple scales to shape the distribution of a juvenile fish (Albula vulpes) in shallow nearshore habitats

The role of the reef flat in coral reef trophodynamics: Past, present, and future

The Ipos Framework: Linking Fish Swimming Performance in Altered Flows From Laboratory Experiments to Rivers

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