Patterns of migration between feeding and spawning sites in a coral reef surgeonfish |
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Authors: | J A B Claydon M I McCormick G P Jones |
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Institution: | (1) The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies, South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands;(2) School of Marine and Tropical Biology, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia |
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Abstract: | Many coral reef fishes exhibit regular localised migrations between feeding and spawning areas, but the factors affecting
these migration patterns, such as the distance, frequency and spawning site fidelity are poorly understood. The aim of this
study was to investigate the patterns of migration to spawning sites of the surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus
striatus (Acanthuridae). We explored relationships amongst an individual’s size and sex, the distance and frequency it migrated from
its feeding area to spawning sites, fidelity to particular spawning sites and the number of individuals that aggregated to
spawn. In order to achieve this, 406 C. striatus were captured and tagged on inshore reefs in Kimbe Bay (5°30′S 150°6′E), New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Tagged individuals
were consistently observed within spatially discrete but overlapping feeding areas (maximum diameter averaging <13 m). The
mean distance migrated was 58 m (ranging from 2 to 291 m). No tagged individuals were witnessed spawning at more than one
site. Whilst most individuals (n = 88) migrated to the spawning site that was closest to their feeding areas, those that migrated to sites further away (n = 9) always spawned at sites where the number of conspecifics aggregating was larger. Neither the size nor the sex of individuals
limited migration distance. However, males migrated significantly more frequently than females (on average once every 2 days
vs. once every 3 days), and migration frequency was positively correlated with size in females. Migration distance did not
affect the frequency with which individuals spawned. Whether patterns of migration are determined by cost-benefit optimisation,
tradition, or an alternative mechanism is unknown. |
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