Habitat patchiness and predation modify the distribution of a coral-dwelling damselfish |
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Authors: | Jonathan Belmaker Yaron Ziv Nadav Shashar |
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Institution: | (1) The Department of Life-Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, PO Box 653, 84105 Beer-Sheva, Israel;(2) The H. Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory, The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, PO Box 469, 88103 Eilat, Israel;(3) Eilat Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Hatmarim St., 88000 Eilat, Israel |
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Abstract: | Fish abundance is often better predicted by microhabitat variables on continuous reefs than on isolated patch reefs. Although
this was suggested to stem from reduced post-recruitment relocation, this has not been shown experimentally. We found the
relationship between the presence of a coral-dwelling fish, Dascyllus marginatus, and the size of its coral host to differ between corals on continuous reefs and the sparsely distributed corals on sandy
bottoms. Empty transplanted corals were colonized exclusively by new recruits when on the sandy bottom, and both by new recruits
and post-recruitment dispersal of adults when on the continuous reef. New recruits settled predominantly into small corals,
although analyses of recruitment patterns were confounded by low recruitment in the studied years. Both tank experiments and
field survey data suggest that the presence of recruits in small corals is at least partially driven by predation by the dottyback,
Pseudochromis olivaceus, which lives predominantly in large corals within both habitats. Consequently, we suggest that the relationship between fish
presence and coral size differs between the habitats due to coral size dependent predation on recruits and variability in
the importance of direct recruitment to replenish fish populations. |
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