Diurnal vertical movements in black sea bass (Centropristis striata): Endogenous, facultative, or something else?

Abstract

AbstractFishes commonly exhibit diel rhythms in movements with consequences to feeding, reproduction, predator evasion, and resting. Such behaviors are conceived as plastic, persisting for phases (days to weeks), and then becoming disrupted, masked, and altered by changed environmental or ecological conditions. In telemetered black sea bass Centropristis striata (family Serranidae), we documented a remarkable 4‐month record of persistent diurnal vertical movements. Within the U.S. Mid‐Atlantic Bight June–October 2019 setting, biotelemetry data of 31 fish were examined through time series analysis and generalized additive modeling. Sun altitude played a dominant role throughout the series, where movements were diurnal. Thermal conditions were uniform until a September hurricane caused a 10°C rise in inhabited waters within the span of six hours, the result of water column mixing. This and other storms caused short‐term disruptions (<2 d) to diel rhythmicity. Daytime vessel traffic, but not dolphin presence, caused ≤1 h refuge‐seeking excursions. The discovery of pelagic behaviors (up to 15 m off the seabed) requires revision to the species’ natural history, which was previously conceived as exclusively demersal. Spring‐autumn movement functions included reef recruitment and evacuation, courtship and spawning, and seasonal changes in feeding ecology and predator fields. Throughout these phases, the cycle of daytime movement and nighttime inactivity persisted. We hypothesize that during the nocturnal period these visual specialists become immobile and thus evade predation and mobilize energy toward growth, reproduction, and storage. Because this function does not change from spring through autumn, we speculate that nocturnal quiescence serves as the proximate control for the diurnal activity cycle.