Abstract
Worldwide, increasing coastal development has played a major role in shaping coral reef species assemblages, but the mechanisms underpinning distribution patterns remain poorly understood. Recent research demonstrated delayed development in larval fishes exposed to suspended sediment, highlighting the need to further understand the interaction between suspended sediment as a stressor and energetically costly activities such as growth and development that are essential to support biological fitness. We examined the gill morphology and the gill microbiome in clownfish larvae (Amphiprion percula) exposed to suspended sediment concentrations (using Australian bentonite) commonly found on the inshore Great Barrier Reef. The gills of larvae exposed to 45 mg L−1 of suspended sediment had excessive mucous discharge and growth of protective cell layers, resulting in a 56% thicker gill epithelium compared to fish from the control group. Further, we found a shift from ‘healthy’ to pathogenic bacterial communities on the gills, which could increase the disease susceptibility of larvae. The impact of suspended sediments on larval gills may represent an underlying mechanism behind the distribution patterns of fish assemblages. Our findings underscore the necessity for future coastal development to consider adverse effects of suspended sediments on fish recruitment, and consequently fish populations and ecosystem health.
Highlights
Patterns[12,13,14]
The first goal of this study was to examine the effects of suspended sediment on the gill morphology of clownfish (Amphiprion percula) larvae using levels frequently found on inshore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)[12,25,26,27]
The gill morphology and the gill microbiome were significantly altered in clownfish larvae exposed to 45 mg L−1 suspended sediment concentrations when compared to the control fish exposed to clean, filtered seawater
Summary
Srinivasan and Jones found that low recruitment rates of coral reef fish coincided with turbid water conditions associated with the summer monsoon in Papua New Guinea[15]. It remains unclear what mechanisms underpin the delay in pelagic larval development observed by Wenger and colleagues[12]. The first goal of this study was to examine the effects of suspended sediment on the gill morphology of clownfish (Amphiprion percula) larvae using levels frequently found on inshore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)[12,25,26,27]. The larvae of many coral reef fishes on the GBR are exposed to relatively high levels of suspended sediments caused by flood plumes and re-suspension events (e.g. during storms) during their dispersal in the wet season[25,26,27]
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