Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-hgkh8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T03:53:34.128Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Patterns of variation in behaviour within and among reef fish species on an isolated tropical island: influence of exposure and substratum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2010

João Paulo Krajewski*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
Sergio R. Floeter
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, CCB, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88010-970, Brazil
Geoffrey P. Jones
Affiliation:
School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
Fosca P.P. Leite
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: J.P. Krajewski, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil email: jpaulokra@yahoo.com.br

Abstract

Here we studied the activity budgets of nine common reef fish in the oceanic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, off north-east Brazil. Species were variable in their behaviour between different sites and similarities in their activity budgets were not necessarily associated with their trophic group. For four species we investigated the relationship of their activity budgets to wave exposure and substratum composition. Staying close to the substratum was positively correlated to wave exposure for most species and foraging was negatively correlated to exposure for two species. By behaving this way, these fish may save energy by avoiding swimming in higher water flux. In contrast to relationships with wave exposure, the responses to substratum composition were species specific. Our results highlight that the activity budgets of fish living in oceanic rocky reefs can be variable and influenced by the local and temporal variation in environmental variables.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bellwood, D.R. and Choat, J.H. (1990) A functional analysis of grazing in parrotfishes (family Scaridae): the ecological implications. Environmental Biology of Fishes 28, 189214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellwood, D.R., Hoey, A.S. and Choat, J.H. (2003) Limited functional redundancy in high diversity systems: resilience and ecosystem function on coral reefs. Ecology Letters 6, 281285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellwood, D.R. and Wainwright, P.C. (2001) Locomotion in labrid fishes: implications for habitat use and cross-shelf biogeography in the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 20, 139150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellwood, D.R. and Wainwright, P.C. (2002) The history and biogeography of fishes on coral reefs. In Sale, P.F. (ed.) Coral reef fishes: dynamics and diversity on a complex ecosystem. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. pp. 532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonaldo, R.M. and Bellwood, D.R. (2008) Size dependent variation in the functional role of the parrotfish Scarus rivulatus on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 360, 237244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonaldo, R.M. and Krajewski, J.P. (2007) Differences in interspecific associations of initial and terminal phase parrotfish in north-eastern Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association 2: Biodiversity Records. doi:10.1017/S1755267207008913Google Scholar
Bonaldo, R.M., Krajewski, J.P., Sazima, C. and Sazima, I. (2006) Foraging activity and resource use by three parrotfish species at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, tropical West Atlantic. Marine Biology 149, 423433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouchon-Navarro, Y. and Bouchon, C. (1989) Correlations between chaetodontid fishes and coral communities of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea). Environmental Biology of Fishes 25, 4760.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bray, R.N., Miller, A.C. and Geesey, G.G. (1981) The fish connection: a link between planktonic and rocky reef communities? Science 214, 204205.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooks, D.R. and McLennan, D.A. (1991) Phylogeny, ecology, and behavior: a research program in comparative biology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Cartar, R.V. and Real, L.A. (1997) Habitat structure and animal movement: the behaviour of bumble bees in uniform and random spatial resource distributions. Oecologia 112, 430434.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choat, J.H. (1982) Fish feeding and the structure of benthic communities of temperate waters. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 13, 423449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collette, B.B. and Talbot, J.H. (1972) Activity patterns of coral reef fishes with emphasis on nocturnal-diurnal changeover. In Collette, B.B and Earle, S.S. (eds) Results of the Tektite program: ecology of coral reef fishes. Los Angeles: Bulletin of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, pp. 98124.Google Scholar
Cuthill, I.C. and Houston, A.I. (1997) Managing time and energy. In Krebs, J.R. and Davies, N.B. (eds) Behavioural ecology: an evolutionary approach. Oxford: Blackwell Science, pp. 97120.Google Scholar
Dagosto, M. and Yamashita, N. (1998) Effect of habitat structure on positional behavior and support use in three species of lemur. Primates 39, 459472.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Floeter, S.R., Krohling, W., Gasparini, J.L., Ferreira, C.E.L. and Zalmon, I.R. (2007) Reef fish community structure on coastal islands of southeastern Brazil: the influence of exposure and benthic cover. Environmental Biology of Fishes 78, 147160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Floeter, S.R., Rocha, L.A., Robertson, D.R., Joyeux, J.C., Smith-Vaniz, W.F., Edwards, A.J., Barreiros, J.P., Ferreira, C.E.L., Gasparini, J.L., Brito, A., Falcón, J.M., Bowen, B.W. and Bernardi, G. (2008) Atlantic reef fish biogeography and evolution. Journal of Biogeography 35, 2247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forsgren, E. and Magnhagen, C. (1993) Conflicting demands in sand gobies: predators influence reproductive behaviour. Behaviour 126, 125135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, C.J., Bellwood, D.R. and Wainwright, P.C. (2001) The relationship between swimming ability and habitat use in wrasses. Marine Biology 139, 2533.Google Scholar
Fulton, C.J. and Bellwood, D.R. (2002a) Ontogenetic habitat use in labrid fshes: an ecomorphological perspective. Marine Ecology Progress Series 236, 255262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, C.J. and Bellwood, D.R. (2002b) Patterns of foraging in labrid fishes. Marine Ecology Progress Series 226, 135142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, C.J. and Bellwood, D.R. (2004) Wave exposure, swimming performance, and the structure of tropical and temperate reef fish assemblages. Marine Biology 144, 429437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, C.J. and Bellwood, D.R. (2005) Wave-induced water motion and the functional implications for coral reef fish assemblages. Limnology and Oceanography 50, 255264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, C.J., Bellwood, D.R. and Wainwright, P.C. (2005) Wave energy and swimming performance shape coral reef fish assemblages. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London 272, 827832.Google ScholarPubMed
Gardiner, N.M. and Jones, G.P. (2005) Habitat specialisation and overlap of cardinalfishes. Marine Ecology Progress Series 305, 163175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gasparini, J.L. and Floeter, S.R. (2001) The shore fishes of Trindade Island, southwestern Atlantic. Journal of Natural History 35, 16391656CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gass, C.L., Romich, M.T. and Suarez, R.K. (1999) Energetics of hummingbird foraging at low ambient temperature. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77, 314320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamner, W.M., Jones, M.S., Charleton, J.H., Hauri, I.R. and Williams, D.M. (1988) Zooplankton, planktivorous fish, and water currents on a windward reef face: Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Bulletin of Marine Science 42, 459479.Google Scholar
Hamner, W.M. and Wolanski, E. (1988) Hydrodynamic forcing functions and biological processes on coral reefs: a status review. Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium 1, 103113.Google Scholar
Hobson, E.S. (1974) Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in kona, Hawaii. Fishery Bulletin 72, 9151031.Google Scholar
Hobson, E.S. and Chess, J.R. (1986) Diel movements of resident and transient zooplankters above lagoon reefs at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands. Pacific Science 40, 726.Google Scholar
Humann, P. and Deloach, N. (2002) Reef fish identification: Florida, Caribbean and Bahamas. Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications, Inc.Google Scholar
Jennings, S., Boullé, D.P. and Polunin, V.C. (1996) Habitat correlates of the distribution and biomass of Seychelles' reef fishes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 46, 1525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johansen, J.L., Fulton, C.J. and Bellwood, D.R. (2007a) Avoiding the flow: refuges expand the swimming potential of coral reef fishes. Coral Reefs 26, 577583.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johansen, J.L., Fulton, C.J. and Bellwood, D.R. (2007b) Estimating the sustained swimming ability of coral reef fishes. Marine and Freshwater Research 58, 233239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johansen, J.L., Bellwood, D.R. and Fulton, C.J. (2008) Coral reef fishes exploit flow refuges in high-flow habitats. Marine Ecology Progress Series 360, 219226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, G.P. and Syms, G. (1998) Disturbance, habitat structure and the ecology of fishes on coral reefs. Australian Journal of Ecology 23, 287297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, K.M.M. (2002) Behavioural overlap in six Caribbean labrid species: intra- and interspecific similarities. Environmental Biology of Fishes 65, 7181.Google Scholar
Jones, G.P. and McCormick, M.I. (2002) Numerical and energetic processes in the ecology of coral reef fishes. In Sale, P.F. (ed.) Coral reef fishes: dynamics and diversity on a complex ecosystem. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 221238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohler, K.E. and Gill, S.M. (2006) Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe): a visual basic program for the determination of coral and substrate coverage using random point count methodology. Computers and Geosciences 32, 12591269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krajewski, J.P., Bonaldo, R.M., Sazima, C. and Sazima, I. (2004) The association of the goatfish Mulloidichthys martinicus with the grunt Haemulon chrysargyreum: an example of protective mimicry. Biota Neotropica 4, 14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krajewski, J.P., Bonaldo, R.M., Sazima, C. and Sazima, I. (2006) Foraging activity and behaviour of two goatfish species (Perciformes: Mullidae) at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, tropical West Atlantic. Environmental Biology of Fishes 77, 18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lehner, P.N. (1998) Handbook of ethological methods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Leps, J. and Smilauer, P. (2007) Multivariate analysis of ecological data using CANOCO. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Levinton, J.S. (1995) Marine biology: function, biodiversity, ecology. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Manly, B.F.J. (1997) Randomization, bootstrap and Monte Carlo methods in biology. London: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Massaro, M., Chardine, J.W., Jones, L.L. & Robertson, G.J. (2000) Delayed capelin (Mallotus villosus) availability influences predatory behaviour of large gulls on black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), causing a reduction in kittiwake breeding success. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78, 15881596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mathisen, J.H., Landa, A., Andersen, R. and Fox, J.L. (2003) Sex-specific differences in reindeer calf behavior and predation vulnerability. Behavioural Ecology 14, 1015.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milinski, M. and Heller, H. (1978) Influence of a predator on the optimal foraging behaviour of sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.). Nature 275, 642644.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munday, P.L., Jones, G.P. and Caley, J. (1997) Habitat specialisation and the distribution and abundance of coral-dwelling gobies. Marine Ecology Progress Series 152, 227239CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, K.E. and Pitcher, T.J. (1997) Predator attack motivation influences the inspection behaviour of European minnows. Journal of Fish Biology 50, 407417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nemtzov, S.C. (1993) Diel color phase changes in the coney, Epinephelus fulvus (Teleostei, Serranidae). Copeia 1993, 883885.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preskitt, L.B., Vroom, P.S. and Smith, C.M. (2004) A rapid ecological assessment (REA) quantitative survey method for benthic algae using photoquadrats with scuba. Pacific Science 58, 201209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Studies in Tropical Oceanography 5, 665847.Google Scholar
Rastogi, A.D., Zanette, L. and Clinchy, M. (2006) Food availability affects diurnal nest predation and adult antipredator behaviour in song sparrows, Melospiza melodia. Animal Behaviour 72, 933940.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosa, R.S. and Moura, R.L. (1997) Visual assessment of reef fish community structure in the Atol das Rocas biological reserve off northeastern Brazil. Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium 1, 983986.Google Scholar
Russell, E.M. (1971) Changes in behaviour with temperature in the red kangaroo, Megaleia rufa. Australian Journal of Zoology 19, 207213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sabater, M.G. and Tofaeono, S.P. (2007) Scale and benthic composition effects on biomass and trophic group distribution of reef fishes in American Samoa. Pacific Science 61, 502520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sazima, I. (1988) Similarities in feeding behaviour between some marine and freshwater fishes in two tropical communities. Journal of Fish Biology 29, 5365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sazima, I., Krajewski, J.P., Bonaldo, R.M. and Sazima, C. (2005) Wolf in a sheep's clothes: juvenile coney (Cephalopholis fulva) as an aggressive mimic of the brown chromis (Chromis multilineata). Neotropical Ichthyology 3, 315318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sierra, L.M., Claro, R. and Popova, O.A. (2001) Trophic biology of the marine fishes of Cuba. In Claro, R., Lindeman, K.C. and Parenti, L.R. (eds) Ecology of the marine fishes of Cuba. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 115135.Google Scholar
Stiver, K.A., Fitzpatrick, J., Desjardins, J.K. and Balshine, S. (2006) Sex differences in rates of territory joining and inheritance in a cooperatively breeding cichlid fish. Animal Behaviour 71, 449456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valdés-Muñoz, E. and Mocheck, A.D. (2001) Behaviour of marine fishes of the Cuban shelf. In Claro, R., Lindeman, K.C. and Parenti, L.R. (eds) Ecology of the marine fishes of Cuba. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 5872.Google Scholar
Wainwright, P.C., Bellwood, D.R. and Westneat, M.W. (2002) Ecomorphology of locomotion in labrid fishes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 65, 4762.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zar, J.H. (1999) Biostatistical analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar