Microhabitat use of juvenile coral reef fish in Palau

Issue Date

11-2012

Abstract

While relationships between adult fish density and structural habitat features are well established, relatively little is known about the habitat associations of juvenile reef fish. In a reserve system in Palau, we quantified microhabitat association with juvenile reef fish community structure, and determined the influence of foraging space, predator size and confamilial attraction on juvenile and adult pomacentrid abundance. Habitat structure and juvenile reef fish communities differed significantly among microhabitats with one exception: no difference was found between foliose and consolidated rubble microhabitats. Overall, pomacentrids characterised the juvenile community structure of each microhabitat. The abundance of early juvenile pomacentrids is simultaneously determined by microhabitat structure and predator size, with little evidence for settlement selection near adults. The results also suggest that the influence of habitat structure become weaker with ontogeny which in part, drives large predators to negatively influence the abundance of adult pomacentrids. The results have important implications on management, specifically in prioritizing areas for protection, and in modeling the impacts of habitat loss on reef fish communities. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Source or Periodical Title

Environmental Biology of Fishes

ISSN

0378-1909

Volume

95

Issue

3

Page

355-370

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

illustrations, tables, graphs

Language

English

Subject

Foraging space, Juvenile reef fish, Microhabitat complexity, Predation

Identifier

doi:10.1007/s10641-012-0010-9.

Digital Copy

yes

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