McCormick, Mark I., and Hoey, Andrew S. (2006) Biological and physical correlates of settlement and survival for a coral reef fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis (Pomacentridae). In: Proceedings of the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium. pp. 425-430. From: 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, 28 June -2 July 2004, Okinawa Convention Center, Okinawa, Japan.

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Abstract

Processes that occur at and immediately after the settlement can have a major affect on the population dynamics of marine organisms with complex life cycles. We explore the factors that influence the location of settlement and the survival for a common tropical damselfish, Pomacentrus amboinensis. Monitoring of individuals tagged on the morning of settlement showed that 36 % of the variability in small-scale abundance of newly settled P. amboinensis could be explained by the presence of conspecifics that had settled within the last week, while benthic substratum characteristics only explained 14.6 %. Characteristics of the benthos and fish assemblage in the vicinity of the newly settled P. amboinensis accounting for only 21.5 % of the variability in survival. Cover of branching corals accounted for 6.1 % of the variability in survival among recruits, while topography and total benthic feeding damselfishes accounted for 5.1 and 4.5 % respectively. Interestingly, the only variable to positively influence both settlement and survival was topography. In general, evidence suggests that the biological and physical aspects of the microhabitat that promote settlement are not necessarily the same that promote highest survival.

Item ID:	4248
Item Type:	Conference Item (Research - E1)
Keywords:	settlement; post-settlement survival; tropical reef fish; topography; microhabitat composition
Date Deposited:	20 Oct 2009 05:34
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960802 Coastal and Estuarine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 100%
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