Variability in nursery function of tropical seagrass beds during fish ontogeny: timing of ontogenetic habitat shift

• Published in: Marine biology Vol. 159; no. 6; pp. 1305 - 1315
• Main Authors: Nakamura, Yohei, Hirota, Keisuke, Shibuno, Takuro, Watanabe, Yoshiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.06.2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Algae; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coral reef ecology; Ecological research; Fish; Fisheries management; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Habitats; Lethrinus atkinsoni; Life Sciences; Marine; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Marine biology; Microbiology; Oceanography; Original Paper; Plant-animal interactions; Population genetics; Sea water ecosystems; Seagrasses; Synecology; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Zoology; Japan; INW, Japan; Coral Area; Small Juvenile; Home Range Size; Coral Habitat; Coral Reef; Vertebrata; Ontogenetic shift; Pisces; Tropical zone; Nursery (animal); Development; Habitat; Seagrass bed; Timing
• ISSN: 0025-3162; 1432-1793
• DOI: 10.1007/s00227-012-1911-z

Seagrass beds are often considered to be important nurseries for coral reef fish, yet the effectiveness of these nursery functions (refuge and food availability) at different juvenile stages is poorly understood. To understand how the demands of juvenile fish on seagrass nursery functions determines the timing of ontogenetic habitat shifts from seagrass beds to coral reefs, we conducted visual transect survey and field tethering and caging experiments on three different sizes of the coral reef fish Pacific yellowtail emperor ( Lethrinus atkinsoni ) during its juvenile tenure in seagrass beds at Ishigaki Island, southern Japan. The study showed that although the number of individual L. atkinsoni juveniles decreased by >90 % during their stay in the seagrass nursery, the shelter and/or food availability functions of the nursery, at least for a juvenile size of approximately 5 cm total length (TL), provided the best survival and growth option. The timing of ontogenetic migration to coral reefs of larger fish (>8 cm TL) was attributed to foraging efficiency for larger food items in different habitats. Overall, the function of the seagrass bed nursery changed with juvenile body size, with marginally higher survival and significantly greater growth rates during early juvenile stages in seagrass beds compared to coral reefs. This would contribute to the enhancement in the number of individuals eventually recruited to adult populations.