Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
495
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
495 results for “Reef Fishes”
Santa Barbara Coastal site, station Naples Reef, Santa Barbara Channel, study of animal density of fish in units of numberPerMeterSquared on a yearly timescale
The EcoTrends project was established in 2004 by Dr. Debra Peters (Jornada Basin LTER, USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range) and Dr. Ariel Lugo (Luquillo LTER, USDA-FS Luquillo Experimental Forest) to support the collection and analysis of long-term ecological datasets. The project is a large synthesis effort focused on improving the accessibility and use of long-term data. At present, there are ~50 state and federally funded research sites that are participating and contributing to the EcoTrends project, including all 26 Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites and sites funded by the USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS), USDA Forest Service, US Department of Energy, US Geological Survey (USGS) and numerous universities. Data from the EcoTrends project are available through an exploratory web portal (http://www.ecotrends.info). This web portal enables the continuation of data compilation and accessibility by users through an interactive web application. Ongoing data compilation is updated through both manual and automatic processing as part of the LTER Provenance Aware Synthesis Tracking Architecture (PASTA). The web portal is a collaboration between the Jornada LTER and the LTER Network Office. The following dataset from Santa Barbara Coastal (SBC) contains animal density of fish measurements in numberPerMeterSquared units and were aggregated to a yearly timescale.
Santa Barbara Channel fish surveys at deep reefs: Footprint, Piggy Bank, Anacapa Passage
The dataset contains fish surveys from deep natural reefs in the northern Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Southern California, mainly at reefs named Piggy Bank, Footprint (local names) and Anacapa Passage. Data collection began in 1995. Reefs are located at depths between 30 and 360 m (100 and 1,180 feet). Sampling was by the manned submersibles Delta and DualDeepworker and an unmanned Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). These sites included a wide range of such habitats as banks, ridges, and carbonate reefs, ranging in size from a few kilometers in length to less than a hectare in area. On these features, we focused on hard bottom macrohabitats, including kelp beds, boulder and cobble fields, and bedrock outcrops. Transects were not deliberately revisited; some reefs were surveyed as many as four times per year. All transects are 2 m wide; transect length varied (see data). The dataset includes two tables: (1) the fish counts at Piggy Bank, Footprint, and Anacapa Passage; and (2), the habitat associated with each of the survey segments. Fishes were identified to lowest possible taxon (usually species), and verified against the WoRMs database (http://www.marinespecies.org/).
Does conspicuousness scale linearly with colour distance? a test using reef fish
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>To be effective, animal colour signals must attract attention – and therefore need to be conspicuous. To understand signal function, it is useful to evaluate their conspicuousness to relevant viewers under various environmental conditions, including when visual scenes are cluttered by objects of varying colour. A widely used metric of colour difference (ΔS) is based on the Receptor Noise Limited (RNL) model, which was originally proposed to determine when two similar colours appear different from one another, termed the discrimination threshold (or JND, just noticeable difference). Estimates of the perceptual distances between colours that exceed this threshold – termed 'suprathreshold' colour differences – often assumes that a colour's conspicuousness scales linearly with colour distance, and that this scale is independent of direction in colour space. Currently, there is little behavioural evidence to support these assumptions. This study evaluated the relationship between ΔS and conspicuousness in suprathreshold colours using an Ishihara-style test with a coral reef fish, <i>Rhinecanthus aculeatus</i>. As our measure of conspicuousness, we tested whether fish, when presented with two colourful targets, preferred to peck at the one with a greater ΔS from the average distractor colour. We found the relationship between ΔS and conspicuousness followed a sigmoidal function, with high ΔS colours perceived as equally conspicuous. We found that the relationship between ΔS and conspicuousness varied across colour space (i.e. for different hues). The sigmoidal detectability curve was little affected by colour variation in the background or when colour distance was calculated using a model that does not correct for receptor noise. These results suggest that the RNL model may provide accurate estimates for perceptual distance for small suprathreshold distance colours, even in complex viewing environments, but must be used with caution with perceptual distances exceeding 10 ΔS.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
The visual ecology of Holocentridae, a nocturnal coral reef fish family with a deep-sea-like multibank retina
<p>The visual systems of teleost fishes usually match their habitats and lifestyles. Since coral reefs are bright and colourful environments, the visual systems of their diurnal inhabitants have been more extensively studied than those of nocturnal species. In order to fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a detailed investigation of the visual system of the nocturnal reef fish family Holocentridae. Results showed that the visual system of holocentrids is well adapted to their nocturnal lifestyle with a rod-dominated retina. Surprisingly, rods in all species were arranged into 6-17 well-defined banks, a feature most commonly found in deep-sea fishes, that may increase the light sensitivity of the eye and/or allow colour discrimination in dim-light. Holocentrids also have the potential for dichromatic colour vision during the day with the presence of at least two spectrally different cone types: single cones expressing the blue-sensitive <i>SWS2A</i> gene, and double cones expressing one or two green-sensitive <i>RH2</i> genes. Some differences were observed between the two subfamilies, with Holocentrinae (squirrelfish) having a slightly more developed photopic visual system than Myripristinae (soldierfish). Moreover, retinal topography of both ganglion cells and cone photoreceptors showed specific patterns for each cell type, likely highlighting different visual demands at different times of the day, such as feeding. Overall, their well-developed scotopic visual systems and the ease of catching and maintaining holocentrids in aquaria, make them ideal models to investigate teleost dim-light vision and more particularly shed light on the function of the multibank retina and its potential for dim-light colour vision.</p>
Data from: Seascape continuity plays an important role in determining patterns of spatial genetic structure in a coral reef fish
Detecting patterns of spatial genetic structure (SGS) can help identify intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to gene flow within metapopulations. For marine organisms such as coral reef fishes, identifying these barriers is critical to predicting evolutionary dynamics and demarcating evolutionarily significant units for conservation. In this study, we adopted an alternative hypothesis-testing framework to identify the patterns and predictors of SGS in the Caribbean reef fish Elacatinus lori. First, genetic structure was estimated using nuclear microsatellites and mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences. Next, clustering and network analyses were applied to visualize patterns of SGS. Finally, logistic regressions and linear mixed models were used to identify the predictors of SGS. Both sets of markers revealed low global structure: mitochondrial ΦST = 0.12, microsatellite FST = 0.0056. However, there was high variability among pairwise estimates, ranging from no differentiation between sites on contiguous reef (ΦST = 0) to strong differentiation between sites separated by ocean expanses ≥ 20 km (maximum ΦST = 0.65). Genetic clustering and statistical analyses provided additional support for the hypothesis that seascape discontinuity, represented by oceanic breaks between patches of reef habitat, is a key predictor of SGS in E. lori. Notably, the estimated patterns and predictors of SGS were consistent between both sets of markers. Combined with previous studies of dispersal in E. lori, these results suggest that the interaction between seascape continuity and the dispersal kernel plays an important role in determining genetic connectivity within metapopulations.
Data from: Demographic plasticity facilitates ecological and economic resilience in a commercially important reef fish
1. Variation in life-history characteristics is evident within and across animal populations. Such variation is mediated by environmental gradients and reflects metabolic constraints or trade-offs that enhance reproductive outputs. While generalizations of life-history relationships across species provide a framework for predicting vulnerability to overexploitation, deciphering patterns of intraspecific variation may also enable recognition of peculiar features of populations that facilitate ecological resilience. 2. This study combines age-based biological data from geographically disparate populations of bluespine unicornfish (Naso unicornis)—the most commercially-valuable reef-associated species in the insular Indo-Pacific—to explore the magnitude and drivers of variation in life span and examine the mechanisms enabling peculiar mortality schedules. 3. Longevity and mortality schedules were investigated across eleven locations encompassing a range of latitudes and exploitation levels. The presence of different growth types was examined using back-calculated growth histories from otoliths. Growth-type dependent mortality (mortality rates associated with particular growth trajectories) was corroborated using population models that incorporated size-dependent competition. 4. We found a threefold geographic variation in life span that was strongly linked to temperature, but not to anthropogenic pressure or ocean productivity. All populations consistently displayed a two-phase mortality schedule, with higher than expected natural mortality rates in earlier stages of post-settlement life. Reconstructed growth histories and population models demonstrated that variable growth types within populations can yield this peculiar biphasic mortality schedule, where fast growers enjoy early reproductive outputs at the expense of greater mortality, and benefits for slow growers derive from extended reproductive outputs over a greater number of annual cycles. This promotes population resilience because individuals can take advantage of cycles of environmental change operating at both short and long-term scales. 5. Our results highlight a prevailing, fundamental misperception when comparing the life histories of long-lived tropical ectotherms: the seemingly incongruent combination of extended life spans with high mortality rates was enabled by coexistence of variable growth types in a population. Thus a demographic profile incorporating contrasting growth and mortality strategies obscures the demographic effects of harvest across space or time in N. unicornis and possibly other ectotherms with the combination of longevity and asymptotic growth.
Data from: Disentangling drivers of the abundance of coral reef fishes in the Western Indian Ocean
Aim: Understanding the drivers of the structure of coral reef fish assemblages is vital for their future conservation. Quantifying the separate roles of natural drivers from the increasing influence of anthropogenic factors, such as fishing and climate change, is a key component of this understanding. It follows that the intrinsic role of historical biogeographical and geomorphological factors must be accounted for when trying to understand the effects of contemporary disturbances such as fishing. Location: Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania, western Indian Ocean (WIO). Methods: We modelled patterns in the density and biomass of an assemblage of reef-associated fish species from 11 families, and their association with 16 bio-physical variables. Results: Canonical Analysis of Principal Coordinates revealed strong country affiliations of reef fish assemblages and distance-based linear modelling confirmed geographic location and reef geomorphology were the most significant correlates, explaining 32% of the observed variation in fish assemblage structure. Another 6-8% of variation was explained by productivity gradients (chl_a), and reef exposure or slope. Where spatial effects were not significant between mainland continental locations, fishing effects became evident explaining 6% of the variation in data. No correlation with live coral was detected. Only 37 species, predominantly lower trophic level taxa, were significant in explaining differences in assemblages between sites. Main Conclusions: Spatial and geomorphological histories remain a major influence on the structure of reef fish assemblages in the WIO. Reef geomorphology was closely linked to standing biomass, with 'ocean-exposed' fringing reefs supporting high average biomass of ~1,000 kg/ha, while 'lagoon-exposed fringing' reefs and 'inner seas patch complex' reefs yielded substantially less at ~500kg/ha. Further, the results indicate the influence of benthic communities on fish assemblages is scale dependent. Such insights will be pivotal for managers seeking to balance long-term sustainability of artisanal reef fisheries with conservation of coral reef systems.
Data from: Long-term panmixia in a cosmopolitan Indo-Pacific coral reef fish and a nebulous genetic boundary with its broadly sympatric sister species
Phylogeographical studies have shown that some shallow-water marine organisms, such as certain coral reef fishes, lack spatial population structure at oceanic scales, despite vast distances of pelagic habitat between reefs and other dispersal barriers. However, whether these dispersive widespread taxa constitute long-term panmictic populations across their species ranges remains unknown. Conventional phylogeographical inferences frequently fail to distinguish between long-term panmixia and metapopulations connected by gene flow. Moreover, marine organisms have notoriously large effective population sizes that confound population structure detection. Therefore, at what spatial scale marine populations experience independent evolutionary trajectories and ultimately species divergence is still unclear. Here, we present a phylogeographical study of a cosmopolitan Indo-Pacific coral reef fish Naso hexacanthus and its sister species Naso caesius, using two mtDNA and two nDNA markers. The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to test for broad-scale panmixia in N. hexacanthus by fitting the data to various phylogeographical models within a Bayesian statistical framework, and second, to explore patterns of genetic divergence between the two broadly sympatric species. We report that N. hexacanthus shows little population structure across the Indo-Pacific and a range-wide, long-term panmictic population model best fit the data. Hence, this species presently comprises a single evolutionary unit across much of the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. Naso hexacanthus and N. caesius were not reciprocally monophyletic in the mtDNA markers but showed varying degrees of population level divergence in the two nuclear introns. Overall, patterns are consistent with secondary introgression following a period of isolation, which may be attributed to oceanographic conditions of the mid to late Pleistocene, when these two species appear to have diverged.
Underwater caustics disrupt prey detection by a reef fish
Natural habitats contain dynamic elements, such as varying local illumination: can such features mitigate the salience of organism movement? Dynamic illumination is particularly prevalent in coral reefs, where reticulate patterns known as 'water caustics' play chaotically in the shallows. In behavioural experiments with a wild-caught reef fish, the Picasso triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus), we demonstrate that the presence of dynamic water caustics negatively affects the detection of moving prey items, as measured by attack latency. Manipulating two features of water caustic form (sharpness and scale) implies that the masking effect should be most effective in shallow water. Due to the direct impact upon foraging efficiency, we expect the presence of water caustics to influence decisions about habitat choice and foraging by wild prey and predators.
Data from: A new versatile primer set targeting a short fragment of the mitochondrial COI region for metabarcoding metazoan diversity: application for characterizing coral reef fish gut contents
Introduction: The PCR-based analysis of homologous genes has become one of the most powerful approaches for species detection and identification, particularly with the recent availability of Next Generation Sequencing platforms (NGS) making it possible to identify species composition from a broad range of environmental samples. Identifying species from these samples relies on the ability to match sequences with reference barcodes for taxonomic identification. Unfortunately, most studies of environmental samples have targeted ribosomal markers, despite the fact that the mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I gene (COI) is by far the most widely available sequence region in public reference libraries. This is largely because the available versatile ("universal") COI primers target the 658 barcoding region, whose size is considered too large for many NGS applications. Moreover, traditional barcoding primers are known to be poorly conserved across some taxonomic groups. Results: We first design a new PCR primer within the highly variable mitochondrial COI region, the "mlCOIintF" primer. We then show that this newly designed forward primer combined with the "jgHCO2198" reverse primer to target a 313 bp fragment performs well across metazoan diversity, with higher success rates than versatile primer sets traditionally used for DNA barcoding (i.e. LCO1490/HCO2198). Finally, we demonstrate how the shorter COI fragment coupled with an efficient bioinformatics pipeline can be used to characterize species diversity from environmental samples by pyrosequencing. We examine the gut contents of three species of planktivorous and benthivorous coral reef fish (family: Apogonidae and Holocentridae). After the removal of dubious COI sequences, we obtained a total of 334 prey Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) belonging to 14 phyla from 16 fish guts. Of these, 52.5% matched a reference barcode (>98% sequence similarity) and an additional 32% could be assigned to a higher taxonomic level using Bayesian assignment. Conclusions: The molecular analysis of gut contents targeting the 313 COI fragment using the newly designed mlCOIintF primer in combination with the jgHCO2198 primer offers enormous promise for metazoan metabarcoding studies. We believe that this primer set will be a valuable asset for a range of applications from large-scale biodiversity assessments to food web studies.
Data from: Hierarchical behaviour, habitat use and species size differences shape evolutionary outcomes of hybridization in a coral reef fish.
Hybridization is an important evolutionary process, with ecological and behavioural factors influencing gene exchange between hybrids and parent species. Patterns of hybridization in anemonefishes may result from living in highly specialized habitats and breeding status regulated by size-based hierarchal social groups. Here morphological, ecological and genetic analyses in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea examine the hybrid status of Amphiprion leucokranos, a nominal species and presumed hybrid between Amphiprion sandaracinos and Amphiprion chrysopterus. We test the hypothesis that habitat use and relative size differences of the parent species and hybrids determine patterns of gene exchange. There is strong evidence that A. leucokranos is a hybrid of smaller A. sandaracinos and larger A. chrysopterus, where A. chrysopterus is exclusively the mother to each hybrid, based on mtDNA cytochrome b and multiple nDNA microsatellite loci. Overlap in habitat, depth and host anemone use was found, with hybrids intermediate to parents and co-habitation in over 25% of anemones sampled. Hybrids, intermediate in body size, colour and pattern, were classified 55% of the time as morphologically first generation hybrids relative to parents, whereas 45% of hybrids were more A. sandaracinos-like, suggesting back-crossing. Unidirectional introgression of A. chrysopterus mtDNA into A. sandaracinos via hybrid backcrosses was found, with larger female hybrids and small male A. sandaracinos mating. Potential nDNA introgression was also evident through distinct intermediate hybrid genotypes penetrating both parent species. Findings support the hypothesis that anemonefish hierarchical behaviour, habitat use, and species-specific size differences determine how hybrids form and the evolutionary consequences of hybridization.
Data from: Latitudinal and seasonal variation in space use by a large, predatory reef fish, Plectropomus leopardus
1. Temperature directly affects the metabolic rate and resource requirements of ectothermic animals, which is likely to influence their movement and habitat use. Space use is a fundamental component of an animal's ecology and the extent of an animal's home range has consequences for individual distributions, community structure and ecosystem function. As ocean temperatures continue to rise as a result of global warming, determining the effects of temperature on space use and movement patterns of important fisheries species is vital. 2. Our aim was to investigate the spatial and temporal variation in space use by a tropical fisheries species, the leopard coralgrouper (Plectropomus leopardus) from two latitudinally distinct locations on Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) to determine the potential response of large-bodied tropical fishes to ocean warming through behavioural modification. 3. Using passive acoustic telemetry of 36 tagged individuals, we found that both core use areas (50%KUD) and home range extent (95%KUD) varied with respect to location, season, body size, and temperature. Average home range extent (95%KUD) for tagged P. leopardus was 0.32km2 at the high-latitude location (Heron Island) compared to 0.23km2 at the low-latitude location (Opal Reef). However, core use areas (50%KUD) did not differ significantly between the two locations. 4. Seasonal differences were also apparent at both locations with P. leopardus showing contraction in home range extent during the summertime. This effect was most pronounced at the low-latitude location where home range was significantly reduced during summer when temperatures exceeded 27°C. 5. Taken together our findings indicate that higher ambient temperature may elicit a sustained and significant decline in space use by a commercially important reef fish. Given projected increases in ocean temperature due to global climate change, large-bodied reef fishes may be increasingly constrained in their movement and space use, which will have ramifications for individual fitness, population viability, fisheries productivity and ecological function.
Data from: You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish
The vast majority of research into the mechanisms of camouflage has focused on forms that confound visual perception. However, many organisms primarily interact with their surroundings using chemosensory systems and may have evolved mechanisms to 'blend in' with chemical components of their habitat. One potential mechanism is 'chemical crypsis' via the sequestration of dietary elements, causing a consumer's odour to chemically match that of its prey. Here, we test the potential for chemical crypsis in the coral-feeding filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris, by examining olfactory discrimination in obligate coral-dwelling crabs and a predatory cod. The crabs, which inhabit the corals consumed by O. longirostris, were used as a bioassay to determine the effect of coral diet on fish odour. Crabs preferred the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral over the odour of filefish fed a non-preferred coral, suggesting coral-specific dietary elements that influence odour are sequestered. Crabs also exhibited a similar preference for the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral and odour directly from that coral, suggesting a close chemical match. In behavioural trials, predatory cod were less attracted to filefish odour when presented alongside the coral it had been fed on, suggesting diet can reduce detectability. This is, we believe, the first evidence of diet-induced chemical crypsis in a vertebrate.
Data from: Combining fish and benthic communities into multiple regimes reveals complex reef dynamics
Coral reefs worldwide face an uncertain future with many reefs reported to transition from being dominated by corals to macroalgae. However, given the complexity and diversity of the ecosystem, research on how regimes vary spatially and temporally is needed. Reef regimes are most often characterised by their benthic components; however, complex dynamics are associated with losses and gains in both fish and benthic assemblages. To capture this complexity, we synthesised 3,345 surveys from Hawai'i to define reef regimes in terms of both fish and benthic assemblages. Model-based clustering revealed five distinct regimes that varied ecologically, and were spatially heterogeneous by island, depth and exposure. We identified a regime characteristic of a degraded state with low coral cover and fish biomass, one that had low coral but high fish biomass, as well as three other regimes that varied significantly in their ecology but were previously considered a single coral dominated regime. Analyses of time series data reflected complex system dynamics, with multiple transitions among regimes that were a function of both local and global stressors. Coupling fish and benthic communities into reef regimes to capture complex dynamics holds promise for monitoring reef change and guiding ecosystem-based management of coral reefs.
Data from: Genomic signatures of geographic isolation and natural selection in coral reef fishes
The drivers of speciation remain among the most controversial topics in evolutionary biology. Initially, Darwin emphasized natural selection as a primary mechanism of speciation, but the architects of the modern synthesis largely abandoned that view in favour of divergence by geographic isolation. The balance between selection and isolation is still at the forefront of the evolutionary debate, especially for the world's tropical oceans where biodiversity is high, but isolating barriers are few. Here, we identify the drivers of speciation in Pacific reef fishes of the genus Acanthurus by comparative genome scans of two peripheral populations that split from a large Central-West Pacific lineage at roughly the same time. Mitochondrial sequences indicate that populations in the Hawaiian Archipelago and the Marquesas Islands became isolated approximately 0.5 Ma. The Hawaiian lineage is morphologically indistinguishable from the widespread Pacific form, but the Marquesan form is recognized as a distinct species that occupies an unusual tropical ecosystem characterized by upwelling, turbidity, temperature fluctuations, algal blooms and little coral cover. An analysis of 3737 SNPs reveals a strong signal of selection at the Marquesas, with 59 loci under disruptive selection including an opsin Rh2 locus. While both the Hawaiian and Marquesan populations indicate signals of drift, the former shows a weak signal of selection that is comparable with populations in the Central-West Pacific. This contrast between closely related lineages reveals one population diverging due primarily to geographic isolation and genetic drift, and the other achieving taxonomic species status under the influence of selection.
Data from: Size structuring and allometric scaling relationships in coral reef fishes
Temperate marine fish communities are often size structured, with predators consuming increasingly larger prey and feeding at higher trophic levels as they grow. Gape limitation and ontogenetic diet shifts are key mechanisms by which size structuring arises in these communities. Little is known, however, about size structuring in coral reef fishes. Here, we aimed to advance understanding of size structuring in coral reef food webs by examining the evidence for these mechanisms in two groups of reef predators. Given the diversity of feeding modes amongst coral reef fishes, we also compared gape size—body size allometric relationships across functional groups to determine if they are reliable indicators of size structuring. We used gut content analysis and quantile regressions of predator size—prey size relationships to test for evidence of gape limitation and ontogenetic niche shifts in reef piscivores (n=13 species) and benthic invertivores (n=3 species). We then estimated gape size—body size allometric scaling coefficients for 21 different species from four functional groups, including herbivores/detritivores, which are not expected to be gape-limited. We found evidence of both mechanisms for size structuring in coral reef piscivores, with maximum prey size scaling positively with predator body size, and ontogenetic diet shifts including prey type and expansion of prey size. There was, however, little evidence of size structuring in benthic invertivores. Across species and functional groups, absolute and relative gape sizes were largest in piscivores as expected, but gape size—body size scaling relationships were not indicative of size structuring. Instead, relative gape sizes and mouth morphologies may be better indicators. Our results provide evidence that coral reef piscivores are size-structured, and that gape limitation and ontogenetic niche shifts are the mechanisms from which this structure arises. Although gape allometry was not indicative of size structuring, it may have implications for ecosystem function: positively allometric gape size—body size scaling relationships in herbivores/detritivores suggests that loss of large-bodied individuals of these species will have a disproportionately negative impact on reef grazing pressure.
Data from: Larval traits carry over to affect post-settlement behaviour in a common coral reef fish
Most reef fishes begin life as planktonic larvae before settling to the reef, metamorphosing, and entering the benthic adult population. Different selective forces determine survival in the planktonic and benthic life stages, but traits established in the larval stage may carry over to affect post-settlement performance. We tested the hypothesis that larval traits affect two key post-settlement fish behaviours: social group-joining and foraging. Certain larval traits of reef fishes are permanently recorded in the rings in their otoliths. In the bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum), prior work has shown that key larval traits recorded in otoliths (growth rate, energetic condition at settlement) carry-over to affect post-settlement survival on the reef, with higher-larval-condition fish experiencing less post-settlement mortality. We hypothesized that this selective mortality is mediated by carry-over effects on post-settlement anti-predator behaviours. We predicted that better-condition fish would forage less and be more likely to join groups, both behaviours that would reduce predation risk. We collected 550 recently settled bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) from three reef sites off St. Croix (USVI), and performed two analyses. First, we compared each settler's larval traits to the size of its social group to determine whether larval traits influenced group-joining behaviour. Second, we observed foraging behaviour in a subset of focal grouped and solitary fish (n = 14) for 1-4 days post-settlement. We then collected the fish and tested whether larval traits influenced the proportion of time spent foraging. Body length at settlement, but not condition, affected group-joining behaviour; smaller fish were more likely to remain solitary or in smaller groups. However, both greater length and better condition were associated with greater proportions of time spent foraging over four consecutive days post-settlement. Larval traits carry-over to affect post-settlement behavior, though not as we expected: higher-quality larvae join groups more frequently (safer) but then forage more. Foraging is risky but may allow faster post-settlement growth, reducing mortality risk in the long run. This shows that behaviour likely serves as a mechanistic link connecting larval traits to post-settlement selective mortality.
Data from: Spatial patterns of self-recruitment of a coral reef fish in relation to island-scale retention mechanisms
Oceanographic features influence the transport and delivery of marine larvae, and physical retention mechanisms, such as eddies, can enhance self-recruitment (i.e. the return of larvae to their natal population). Knowledge of exact locations of hatching (origin) and settlement (arrival) of larvae of reef animals provides a means to compare observed patterns of self-recruitment 'connectivity' with those expected from water circulation patterns. Using parentage inference based on multiple sampling years in Moorea, French Polynesia, we describe spatial and temporal variation in self-recruitment of the anemonefish Amphiprion chrysopterus, evaluate the consistency of net dispersal distances of self-recruits against the null expectation of passive particle dispersal and test the hypothesis that larvae originating in certain reef habitats (lagoons and passes) would be retained and thus more likely to self-recruit than those originating on the outer (fore) reef. Estimates of known self-recruitment were consistent across the sampling years (~25–27% of sampled recruits). For most (88%) of these self-recruits, the net distance between hatching and settlement locations was within the maximum dispersal distance expected for a neutrally buoyant passive particle based on the longest duration of the larval dispersive phase and the average direction and speed of current flow around Moorea. Furthermore, a parent of a given body size on the outer (fore) reef of Moorea was less likely to produce self-recruits than those in passes. Our findings show that even a simple dispersal model based on net average flow and direction of alongshore currents can provide insight into landscape-scale retention patterns of reef fishes.
Data from: Quantifying the human impacts on Papua New Guinea reef fish communities across space and time
Describing the drivers of species loss and of community change are important goals in both conservation and ecology. However, it is difficult to determine whether exploited species decline due to direct effects of harvesting or due to other environmental perturbations brought about by proximity to human populations. Here we quantify differences in species richness of coral reef fish communities along a human population gradient in Papua New Guinea to understand the relative impacts of fishing and environmental perturbation. Using data from published species lists we categorize the reef fishes as either fished or non-fished based on their body size and reports from the published literature. Species diversity for both fished and non-fished groups decreases as the size of the local human population increases, and this relationship is stronger in species that are fished. Additionally, comparison of modern and museum collections show that modern reef communities have proportionally fewer fished species relative to 19th century ones. Together these findings show that the reef fish communities of Papua New Guinea experience multiple anthropogenic stressors and that even at low human population levels targeted species experience population declines across both time and space.
Data from: Repeated invasions into the twilight zone: evolutionary origins of a novel assemblage of fishes from deep Caribbean reefs
Mesophotic and deeper reefs of the tropics are poorly known and underexplored ecosystems worldwide. Collectively referred to as the 'twilight zone', depths below ~30–50 m are home to many species of reef fishes that are absent from shallower depths, including many undescribed and endemic species. We currently lack even a basic understanding of the diversity and evolutionary origins of fishes on tropical mesophotic reefs. Recent submersible collections in the Caribbean have provided new specimens that are enabling phylogenetic reconstructions that incorporate deep-reef representatives of tropical fish genera. Here, we investigate evolutionary depth transitions in the family Gobiidae (gobies), the most diverse group of tropical marine fishes. Using divergence-time estimation coupled with stochastic character mapping to infer the timing of shallow-to-deep habitat transitions in gobies, we demonstrate at least four transitions from shallow to mesophotic depths. Habitat transitions occurred in two broad time periods (Miocene, Pliocene–Pleistocene), and may have been linked to the availability of underutilized niches, as well as the evolution of morphological/behavioural adaptations for life on deep reefs. Further, our analysis shows that at least three evolutionary lineages that invaded deep habitats subsequently underwent speciation, reflecting another unique mode of radiation within the Gobiidae. Lastly, we synthesize depth distributions for 95 species of Caribbean gobies, which reveal major bathymetric faunal breaks at the boundary between euphotic and mesophotic reefs. Ultimately, our study is the first rigorous investigation into the origin of Caribbean deep-reef fishes and provides a framework for future studies that utilize rare, deep-reef specimens.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.