Size variation of six species of oxudercine gobies along the intertidal zone in a Malayan coastal swamp

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 409:199-212 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08597 Size variation of six species of oxudercine gobies along the intertidal zone in a Malayan coastal swamp G. Polgar1,*, V. Bartolino2 1Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2Institute of Marine Research, Swedish Board of Fisheries, Lysekil, Sweden *Email: gianluca.polgar@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Reduction in size from sea to land is a common trend of many fish species and communities, at both the intraspecific and interspecific level. Within the intertidal zone, similar trends have been described at the intraspecific level in several transient and resident fish species. Oxudercines are a group of intertidal gobies (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) including several species, which exhibit extreme adaptations to an amphibious lifestyle. Ecomorphological and ecophysiological considerations suggest that size reduction in this group may have facilitated the adaptation to semi-terrestrial conditions. To test this hypothesis, the spatial ecology and the presence of an intra- and interspecific size gradient was investigated in an oxudercine community of a Malayan intertidal ecosystem (6 species included in 3 genera). A random stratified sampling design was adopted, and ANOVA and cluster analysis performed to describe this variation. Multivariate analyses of the quantity of environmental water were also conducted to investigate the correspondence between size and habitat terrestriality. Larger species were found in more aquatic conditions at lower topographical levels along the vertical intertidal gradient, supporting the hypothesis of an adaptive value of smaller size in more terrestrial habitats. Intraspecific variation showed more complex patterns, even if in several species smaller individuals were found in more terrestrial conditions. KEY WORDS: Intertidal fishes · Size distribution · Habitat partitioning · Spatial ecology · Tropical · Mudskippers · Amphibious fishes · Water to land eco-evolutionary transition Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Polgar G, Bartolino V (2010) Size variation of six species of oxudercine gobies along the intertidal zone in a Malayan coastal swamp. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 409:199-212. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08597Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 409. Online publication date: June 23, 2010 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.