Abstract
Knowledge on the early life history, ecology, and biology of marine species is crucial for future projections of the resilience of coral reef ecosystems and for adequate management strategies. A fundamental component of population dynamics is the recruitment of new individuals, and in some marine populations, this may be a limiting factor. Recruitment peaks of coral reef fishes commonly occur during the warmer months of the year in many subtropical and temperate locations worldwide. In the Red Sea, very little is known about the influence of temperature on reproductive patterns of coral reef fishes and studies on recruitment are missing. The Red Sea is one of the hottest and most isolated tropical seas in the world. We hypothesized that sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during the Red Sea’s hottest season may exceed the optimum for successful recruitment of some coral reef fishes, which therefore has to occur during other, cooler seasons, unlike recruitment among coral reef ecosystems around the world. We identified taxa among fish recruits by matching mitochondrial DNA sequences (using COI, commonly known as “barcoding”) and assessed potential biological and environmental drivers of recruitment. We studied three reefs located along a cross-shelf gradient for 12 consecutive months in the central Red Sea to capture seasonal changes in biotic and abiotic parameters along this gradient. Our results indicated that recruitment peaks did not occur during the hottest SSTs for most taxa, especially at the hottest inshore and mid-shelf reefs, and identified fish recruitment to be mainly and strongly correlated with the biomass of planktonic invertebrates. Moreover, temporal patterns of fish recruitment differed within and among taxonomic families among the reefs.
Highlights
The study of early life stages of coral reef fishes is crucial to understand population dynamics and ecosystem functioning
We hypothesized that sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during the Red Sea’s hottest season may exceed the optimum for successful recruitment of some coral reef fishes, which has to occur during other, cooler seasons, unlike recruitment among coral reef ecosystems around the world
Our study provides fundamental data on coral reef fish recruitment in the Red Sea
Summary
The study of early life stages of coral reef fishes is crucial to understand population dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Data on reproduction and the ecology and biology of early life stages of coral reef fishes are essential for the management of fish stocks (Sale 2004) and to study pathways of geneflow and connectivity between their populations. Known factors influencing successful development and recruitment of fish larvae are reproductive cycles of prey (Lasker et al 1975) and predators (Hobson and Chess 1977; Hamner et al 1988); site-specific physical oceanographic and atmospheric features (Cowen 2002), such as strength of monsoonal-influenced weather conditions (especially in the Pacific, Indo-Pacific, and Indian Ocean, e.g., Abesamis and Russ 2010 vs., e.g., the Caribbean, Robertson et al 1990, 1999), wind strength and direction, and rainfall (Srinivasan and Jones 2006); and the timing of lunar phases and tides (e.g., Sponaugle and Cowen 1994). Lunar cycles seem to ubiquitously drive spawning, recruitment, and settlement (Sponaugle and Cowen 1994, 2011; Cowen and Sponaugle 1997)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
