Reactions of temperate reef fish larvae to boat sound

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Alexander Jung ◽  
Stephen E. Swearer
2020 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 191-202
Author(s):  
P Vicente ◽  
S Martins-Cardoso ◽  
F Almada ◽  
EJ Gonçalves ◽  
AM Faria

Chemical cues have been widely addressed as potential cues for fish larvae to orient, detect or remain close to suitable habitat. However, most studies to date have been on tropical reef species and have suggested a chemosensory-driven homing behaviour, with only few studies on temperate fish indicating a less conclusive response to chemical cues. We hypothesized that detection and response to chemical cues might provide an important mechanism maintaining the larvae of a temperate reef fish species (sand-smelt Atherina presbyter Cuvier, 1829), close to their natal reef. The ability to discriminate chemical cues from different rocky reefs, and natal and non-natal conspecifics was tested. Water and shoals of sand-smelt larvae were collected from 3 reefs, and larval preference was tested in a 2-choice flume chamber. Larvae preferred nearby reefs over natal reefs and discriminated and preferred conspecifics from their natal reef. Moreover, our results suggested that both cues are equally relevant, as the combination of reef cues with conspecifics was more attractive to sand-smelt than either cue in isolation. When conspecific and reef preferences were tested against each other, there was no longer a clear preference for either cue. Additional tests suggested that preference for conspecifics could be driven by either diet or habitat-related chemical cues. Chemical cues and the corresponding detection mechanisms likely play an important role in finding suitable habitat and increasing the fitness of temperate reef fish.


2005 ◽  
Vol 148 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne L. Watson ◽  
Euan S. Harvey ◽  
Marti J. Anderson ◽  
Gary A. Kendrick

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe E. Ziegler ◽  
Jeremy M. Lyle ◽  
Malcolm Haddon ◽  
Graeme P. Ewing

Banded morwong, Cheilodactylus spectabilis, a long-lived sedentary temperate reef fish, has undergone rapid changes in its growth and maturity characteristics along the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. Over a period of 10 years, growth of young males and females has consistently accelerated, such that in 2005, 3-year-old fish were up to 40 mm or 13% longer compared with 1996, and age at 50% maturity for females had declined from 4 to 3 years. The magnitude and speed of the observed changes were unexpected given the species’ longevity (maximum age of over 95 years). The underlying mechanisms for the changes remain unclear but density-dependent responses to changes in population size and age composition, possibly mediated through reduced competition for shelter and intra-specific interactions, may have been contributing factors. Increasing sea surface temperatures over part of the period of change does not appear to have been a major driver and a genetic response to fishing seems unlikely. Notwithstanding any uncertainty, C. spectabilis populations have become more productive in recent years, challenging the general approach towards stock assessment where life-history characteristics are assumed to remain stable across contrasting levels of stock abundance and environmental conditions.


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