Abstract
Recent research has demonstrated that, despite a pelagic larval stage, many coral reef fishes disperse over relatively small distances, leading to well-connected populations on scales of 0–30 km. Although variation in key biological characteristics has been explored on the scale of 100–1000 s of km, it has rarely been explored at the scale relevant to actual larval dispersal and population connectivity on ecological timescales. In this study, we surveyed the habitat and collected specimens (n = 447) of juvenile butterflyfish, Chaetodon vagabundus, at nine sites along an 80-km stretch of coastline in the central Philippines to identify variation in key life history parameters at a spatial scale relevant to population connectivity. Mean pelagic larval duration (PLD) was 24.03 d (SE = 0.16 d), and settlement size was estimated to be 20.54 mm total length (TL; SE = 0.61 mm). Both traits were spatially consistent, although this PLD is considerably shorter than that reported elsewhere. In contrast, post-settlement daily growth rates, calculated from otolith increment widths from 1 to 50 d post-settlement, varied strongly across the study region. Elevated growth rates were associated with rocky habitats that this species is known to recruit to, but were strongly negatively correlated with macroalgal cover and exhibited negative density dependence with conspecific juveniles. Larger animals had lower early (first 50 d post-settlement) growth rates than smaller animals, even after accounting for seasonal variation in growth rates. Both VBGF and Gompertz models provided good fits to post-settlement size-at-age data (n = 447 fish), but the VBGF’s estimate of asymptotic length (L ∞ = 168 mm) was more consistent with field observations of maximum fish length. Our findings indicate that larval characteristics are consistent at the spatial scale at which populations are likely well connected, but that site-level biological differences develop post-settlement, most likely as a result of key differences in quality of recruitment habitat.
References
Abesamis RA, Russ GR (2010) Patterns of recruitment of coral reef fishes in a monsoonal environment. Coral Reefs 29:911–921
Alcala AC, Russ GR (2006) No-take marine reserves and reef fisheries management in the Philippines: a new people power revolution. Ambio 35:245–254
Almany GR (2003) Priority Effects in Coral Reef Fish Communities. Ecology 84:1920–1935
Almany GR (2004a) Does increased habitat complexity reduce predation and competition in coral reef fish assemblages? Oikos 106:275–284
Almany GR (2004b) Differential effects of habitat complexity, predators and competitors on abundance of juvenile and adult coral reef fishes. Oecologia 141:105–113
Almany GR, Webster MS (2006) The predation gauntlet: early post-settlement mortality in reef fishes. Coral Reefs 25:19–22
Almany GR, Berumen ML, Simon RT, Planes S, Jones GP (2007) Local Replenishment of Coral Reef Fish Populations in a Marine Reserve. Science 316:742–744
Armsworth PR (2002) Recruitment limitation, population regulation, and larval connectivity in reef fish metapopulations. Ecology 83:1092–1104
Bay LK, Buechler K, Gagliano M, Caley MJ (2006) Intraspecific variation in the pelagic larval duration of tropical reef fishes. J Fish Biol 68:1206–1214
Berumen ML (2005) The importance of juveniles in modelling growth: butterflyfish at Lizard Island. Environ Biol Fishes 72:409–413
Berumen ML, Trip EDL, Pratchett MS, Choat JH (2012a) Differences in demographic traits of four butterflyfish species between two reefs of the Great Barrier Reef separated by 1200 km. Coral Reefs 31:169–177
Berumen ML, Almany GR, Planes S, Jones GP, Saenz-Agudelo P, Thorrold SR (2012b) Persistence of self-recruitment and patterns of larval connectivity in a marine protected area network. Ecol Evol 2:444–452
BFAR (2010) Phillipine fisheries profile 2010. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Quezon City, Philippines
Boström-Einarsson L, Bonin MC, Munday PL, Jones GP (2013) Strong intraspecific competition and habitat selectivity influence abundance of a coral-dwelling damselfish. J Exper Mar Bio Ecol 448:85–92
Bouchon-Navaro Y (1981) Quantitative distribution of the Chaetodontidae on a reef of Moorea Island (French Polynesia). J Exper Mar Bio Ecol 55:145–157
Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2004) Multimodel Inference: Understanding AIC and BIC in Model Selection. Sociol Methods Res 33:261–304
Buston PM, Jones GP, Planes S, Thorrold SR (2012) Probability of successful larval dispersal declines fivefold over 1 km in a coral reef fish. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 279:1883–1888
Caley MJ, Carr MH, Hixon MA, Hughes TP, Jones GP, Menge BA (1996) Recruitment and the local dynamics of open marine populations. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 27:477–500
Carpenter K, Springer V (2005) The center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity: the Philippine Islands. Environ Biol Fishes 72:467–480
Choat JH, Axe LM (1996) Growth and longevity in acanthurid fishes an analysis of otolith increments. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 134:15–26
Clark N, Russ G (2012) Ontogenetic shifts in the habitat associations of butterflyfishes (F. Chaetodontidae). Environ Biol Fishes 94:579–590
DeVantier L, Alcala A, Wilkinson C (2004) The Sulu-Sulawesi Sea: Environmental and Socioeconomic Status, Future Prognosis and Ameliorative Policy Options. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment 33:88–97
Doherty PJ, Dufour V, Galzin R, Hixon MA, Meekan MG, Planes S (2004) High mortality during settlement is a population bottleneck for a tropical surgeonfish. Ecology 85:2422–2428
English SS, Wilkinson CC, Baker VV (1994) Survey manual for tropical marine resources. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville
Feary DA, Almany GR, McCormick MI, Jones GP (2007) Habitat choice, recruitment and the response of coral reef fishes to coral degradation. Oecologia 153:727–737
Ferreira BP, Russ GR (1994) Age validation and estimation of growth-rate of the coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus (Lacepede 1802) from Lizard Island, Northern Great Barrier Reef. Fish Bull 92:46–57
Fowler AJ (1989) Description, interpretation and use of the microstructure of otoliths from juvenile butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae). Mar Biol 102:167–181
Gagliano M, McCormick MI (2007) Compensating in the wild: is flexible growth the key to early juvenile survival? Oikos 116:111–120
Gagliano M, McCormick MI, Meekan MG (2007) Survival against the odds: ontogenetic changes in selective pressure mediate growth-mortality trade-offs in a marine fish. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 274:1575–1582
Gust N, Choat J, Ackerman J (2002) Demographic plasticity in tropical reef fishes. Mar Biol 140:1039–1051
Harmelin-Vivien M (1989) Implications of feeding specialization on the recruitment processes and community structure of butterflyfishes. Environ Biol Fishes 25:101–110
Harrison H, Williamson D, Evans R, Almany G, Thorrold S, Russ G, Feldheim K, van Herwerden L, Planes S, Srinivasan M, Berumen M, Jones G (2012) Larval export from marine reserves and the recruitment benefit for fish and fisheries. Curr Biol 22:1023–1028
Hixon MA, Jones GP (2005) Competition, predation, and density-dependent mortality in demersal marine fishes. Ecology 86:2847–2859
Hoey A, McCormick M (2004) Selective predation for low body condition at the larval-juvenile transition of a coral reef fish. Oecologia 139:23–29
Holmes TH, McCormick MI (2006) Location influences size-selective predation on newly settled reef fish. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 317:203–209
Horigue V, Aliño PM, White AT, Pressey RL (2012) Marine protected area networks in the Philippines: Trends and challenges for establishment and governance. Ocean Coast Manag 64:15–26
Houde ED (1997) Patterns and trends in larval-stage growth and mortality of teleost fish. J Fish Biol 51:52–83
Jones G, Almany GR, Russ GR, Sale P, Steneck R, van Oppen M, Willis BL (2009) Larval retention and connectivity among populations of corals and reef fishes: history, advances and challenges. Coral Reefs 28:307–325
Jones GP, McCormick MI (2002) Numerical and energetic processes in the ecology of coral reef fishes. In: Sale PF (ed) Coral reef fishes. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 221–238
Jones GP, Planes S, Thorrold SR (2005) Coral reef fish larvae settle close to home. Curr Biol 15:1314–1318
Jones GP, Milicich MJ, Emslie MJ, Lunow C (1999) Self-recruitment in a coral reef fish population. Nature 402:802–804
Kerrigan BA (1994) Post-settlement growth and body composition in relation to food availability in a juvenile tropical reef fish. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 111:7–15
Lecchini D, Shima J, Banaigs B, Galzin R (2005) Larval sensory abilities and mechanisms of habitat selection of a coral reef fish during settlement. Oecologia 143:326–334
Leis JM (1989) Larval biology of butterflyfishes (Pisces, Chaetodontidae): what do we really know? Environ Biol Fishes 25:87–100
Leis JM, Caselle JE, Bradbury IR, Kristiansen T, Llopiz JK, Miller MJ, O’Connor MI, Paris CB, Shanks AL, Sogard SM, Swearer SE, Treml EA, Vetter RD, Warner RR (2013) Does fish larval dispersal differ between high and low latitudes? Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 280:20130327
McCormick MI (2012) Lethal effects of habitat degradation on fishes through changing competitive advantage. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 2012:rspb20120854
McCormick MI, Hoey AS (2004) Larval growth history determines juvenile growth and survival in a tropical marine fish. Oikos 106:225–242
McCormick MI, Weaver CJ (2012) It pays to be pushy: intracohort interference competition between two reef fishes. PLoS One 7:e42590
Mora C, Sale PF (2002) Are populations of coral reef fish open or closed? Trends Ecol Evol 17:422–428
Munday PL, Dixson DL, Donelson JM, Jones GP, Pratchett MS, Devitsina GV, Døving KB (2009) Ocean acidification impairs olfactory discrimination and homing ability of a marine fish. Proc Natl Acad Sci 106:1848–1852
Nemeth RS (2005) Linking larval history to juvenile demography in the bicolor damselfish Stegastes partitus (Perciformes: Pomacentridae). Rev Biol Trop 53:155–163
Panfili J, TomÁS J, Morales-Nin B (2009) Otolith microstructure in tropical fish. In: Green B, Mapstone B, Carlos G, Begg G (eds) Tropical fish otoliths: information for assessment, management and ecology. Springer, Netherlands, pp 212–248
Perez KO, Munch SB (2010) Extreme selection on size in the early lives of fish. Evolution 64:2450–2457
Pineda J, Hare JA, Sponaungle S (2007) Larval transport and dispersal in the coastal ocean and consequences for population connectivity. Oceanography 20(3):22–39
Pinheiro JC, Bates DM (2000) Mixed-effects models in S and S-PLUS. Stat Comput, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, D
Pinheiro J, Bates D, DebRoy S, Sarkar D, R Core Team (2014) nlme: Linear and Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models
Planes S (2002) Biogeography and larval dispersal inferred from population genetic analysis. In: Sale PF (ed) Coral reef fishes. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 201–220
Plaza G, Landaeta MF, Espinoza CV, Ojeda FP (2013) Daily growth patterns of six species of young-of-the-year of Chilean intertidal fishes. J Mar Biol Assoc U.K. 93:389–395
Pratchett MS, Berumen ML, Marnane MJ, Eagle JV, Pratchett DJ (2008) Habitat associations of juvenile versus adult butterflyfishes. Coral Reefs 27:541–551
Pratchett MS, Chong-Seng KM, Feary DA, Hoey AS, Fulton CJ, Nowicki JP, Dewan AK, Walker AK, Stefan PW, Berumen ML (2014) Butterflyfishes as a model group for reef fish ecology: important and emerging research topics. In: Pratchett MS, Berumen ML, Kapoor BG (eds) Biology of butterflyfishes. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 310–333
Roberts CM, McClean CJ, Veron JEN, Hawkins JP, Allen GR, McAllister DE, Mittermeier CG, Schueler FW, Spalding M, Wells F, Vynne C, Werner TB (2002) Marine biodiversity hotspots and conservation priorities for tropical reefs. Science 295:1280–1284
RStudio (2013) RStudio: Integrated development environment for R, Boston, MA, USA
Russ GR, Stockwell B, Alcala AC (2005) Inferring versus measuring rates of recovery in no-take marine reserves. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 292:1–12
Ruttenberg B, Haupt A, Chiriboga A, Warner R (2005) Patterns, causes and consequences of regional variation in the ecology and life history of a reef fish. Oecologia 145:394–403
Soeparno Nakamura Y, Shibuno T, Yamaoka K (2012) Relationship between pelagic larval duration and abundance of tropical fishes on temperate coasts of Japan. J Fish Biol 80:346–357
Sotka EE (2012) Natural selection, larval dispersal, and the geography of phenotype in the sea. Integr Comp Biol 52:538–545
Sponaugle S (2009) Daily otolith increments in the early stages of tropical fish. In: Green B, Mapstone B, Carlos G, Begg G (eds) Tropical fish otoliths: information for assessment, management and ecology. Springer, Netherlands, pp 93–132
Stella JS, Pratchett MS, Hutchings PA, Jones GP (2011) Coral-associated invertebrates: diversity, ecological importance and vulnerability to disturbance. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA
Suzuki K, Tanaka Y, Hioki S (1980) Spawning behavior, eggs, and larvae of the butterflyfish, Chaetodon nippon, in an aquarium. Japanese J Ichthyol 26:334–341
Sweatman HPA (1983) Influence of conspecifics on choice of settlement sites by larvae of two pomacentrid fishes (Dascyllus aruanus and D. reticulatus) on coral reefs. Mar Biol 75:225–229
Treml EA, Roberts JJ, Chao Y, Halpin PN, Possingham HP, Riginos C (2012) Reproductive output and duration of the pelagic larval stage determine seascape-wide connectivity of marine populations. Integr Comp Biol 52:525–537
Tupper M, Boutilier R (1995a) Effects of habitat on settlement, growth, and postsettlement survival of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Can J Fish Aquat Sci 52:1834–1841
Tupper M, Boutilier RG (1995b) Effects of conspecific density on settlement, growth and post-settlement survival of a temperate reef fish. J Exper Mar Bio Ecol 191:209–222
Tupper M, Boutilier R (1997) Effects of habitat on settlement, growth, predation risk and survival of a temperate reef fish. Oceanographic Literature Review 10:1149
Wellington GM, Victor BC (1992) Regional differences in duration of the planktonic larval stage of reef fishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Mar Biol 113:491–498
Welsford DC, Lyle JM (2005) Estimates of growth and comparisons of growth rates determined from length- and age-based models for populations of purple wrasse (Notolabrus fucicola). Fish Bull 103:697–711
White A, Deguit E, Jatulan W, Eisma-Osorio L (2006) Integrated coastal management in Philippine local governance: evolution and benefits. Coast Manage 34:287–302
Williams DM, Wolanski E, Andrews JC (1984) Transport mechanisms and the potential movement of planktonic larvae in the central region of the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 3:229–236
Wilson D, McCormick M (1997) Spatial and temporal validation of settlement-marks in the otoliths of tropical reef fishes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 153:259–271
Wilson DT, McCormick MI (1999) Microstructure of settlement-marks in the otoliths of tropical reef fishes. Mar Biol 134:29–41
Yambao AC, White AT, Ablong WE, Alcala MR (2001) Coastal environmental profile of Negros Oriental, Philippines Coastal Resource Management Project. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Cebu City, Philippines 107
Zekeria ZA, Weertman S, Samuel B, Kale-ab T, Videler JJ (2006) Growth of Chaetodon larvatus (Chaetodontidae : Pisces) in the southern Red Sea. Mar Biol 148:1113–1122
Zuur A, Ieno E, Walker N, Saveliev A, Smith G (2009) Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R. Springer Science + Business Media, New York, USA
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank C.R.L. Jadloc for help with logistics, A. Yucor, D. Enociencio, and R. Tuble for assistance in the field, A. Bucol and C. Lou for their extensive work in reading otoliths, and two anonymous reviewers for comments that greatly improved the manuscript. This research was supported by a grant to G.R.R. from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and by a grant to S.M.L. from the Australian Society for Fish Biology.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Ecology Editor Dr. Alastair Harborne
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leahy, S.M., Russ, G.R. & Abesamis, R.A. Pelagic larval duration and settlement size of a reef fish are spatially consistent, but post-settlement growth varies at the reef scale. Coral Reefs 34, 1283–1296 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-015-1330-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-015-1330-y