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Effect of habitat characteristics on the distribution and abundance of damselfish within a Red Sea reef

Effect of habitat characteristics on the distribution and abundance of damselfish within a Red Sea reef
Effect of habitat characteristics on the distribution and abundance of damselfish within a Red Sea reef
For coral reef fish with an obligate relationship to their habitat, like Pomacentrid damselfish, choosing a suitable home amongst the reef structure is key to survival. A surprisingly small number of studies have examined patterns in adult damselfish distributions compared to other ontogenetic phases. The aim of this study was to determine which reef and coral colony characteristics explained adult damselfish distribution patterns in a Red Sea reef. The characteristics investigated were reef type (continuous or patchy), coral species (seven species of Acropora), and coral morphology (coral size and branching density). The focal damselfish species were Dascyllus aruanus, D. marginatus, Chromis viridis, and C. flavaxilla. Occupancy (presence or absence of resident damselfish), group size and fish species richness were not significantly different between the seven Acropora species. However, within each coral species, damselfish were more likely to occupy larger coral colonies than smaller coral colonies. Occupancy rates were also higher in patchy reef habitats than in continuous sections of the reef, probably because average coral colony size was greater in patchy reef type. Fish group size increased significantly with coral colony volume and with larger branch spacing. Multi-species groups of fish commonly occurred and were increasingly likely with reduced branching density and increased coral size
Coral reefs, Acropora spp, Chromis spp, Dascyllus spp, Gulf of Aqaba
0378-1909
1265-1277
Nadler, Lauren E.
1d1f8e6a-e951-41f5-888c-cfcb4b4b19dc
McNeill, Deborah C.
3a48c496-b5ed-4c0d-80d9-fdc46a82835a
Alwany, Magdy A.
46850280-e13d-44fa-a401-e04121d8bd9c
Bailey, David M.
6888df28-2844-45f7-97c6-c4fa3cd745ab
Nadler, Lauren E.
1d1f8e6a-e951-41f5-888c-cfcb4b4b19dc
McNeill, Deborah C.
3a48c496-b5ed-4c0d-80d9-fdc46a82835a
Alwany, Magdy A.
46850280-e13d-44fa-a401-e04121d8bd9c
Bailey, David M.
6888df28-2844-45f7-97c6-c4fa3cd745ab

Nadler, Lauren E., McNeill, Deborah C., Alwany, Magdy A. and Bailey, David M. (2014) Effect of habitat characteristics on the distribution and abundance of damselfish within a Red Sea reef. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 97 (11), 1265-1277. (doi:10.1007/s10641-013-0212-9).

Record type: Article

Abstract

For coral reef fish with an obligate relationship to their habitat, like Pomacentrid damselfish, choosing a suitable home amongst the reef structure is key to survival. A surprisingly small number of studies have examined patterns in adult damselfish distributions compared to other ontogenetic phases. The aim of this study was to determine which reef and coral colony characteristics explained adult damselfish distribution patterns in a Red Sea reef. The characteristics investigated were reef type (continuous or patchy), coral species (seven species of Acropora), and coral morphology (coral size and branching density). The focal damselfish species were Dascyllus aruanus, D. marginatus, Chromis viridis, and C. flavaxilla. Occupancy (presence or absence of resident damselfish), group size and fish species richness were not significantly different between the seven Acropora species. However, within each coral species, damselfish were more likely to occupy larger coral colonies than smaller coral colonies. Occupancy rates were also higher in patchy reef habitats than in continuous sections of the reef, probably because average coral colony size was greater in patchy reef type. Fish group size increased significantly with coral colony volume and with larger branch spacing. Multi-species groups of fish commonly occurred and were increasingly likely with reduced branching density and increased coral size

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More information

Published date: 1 November 2014
Keywords: Coral reefs, Acropora spp, Chromis spp, Dascyllus spp, Gulf of Aqaba

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 472575
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/472575
ISSN: 0378-1909
PURE UUID: d2720828-18d4-4b0f-b33f-7519e744a5dc
ORCID for Lauren E. Nadler: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8225-8344

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 08 Dec 2022 17:40
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:16

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Contributors

Author: Lauren E. Nadler ORCID iD
Author: Deborah C. McNeill
Author: Magdy A. Alwany
Author: David M. Bailey

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