The adaptive significance of larval dispersal in coral reef fishes |
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Authors: | Peter J Doherty David McB Williams Peter F Sale |
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Institution: | (1) Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MSO, Qld., 4810, Australia;(2) School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia;(3) Present address: School of Australian Environmental Studies, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld., 4111, Australia |
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Abstract: | Synopsis Coral reef fishes almost universally disperse over relatively great distances during a pelagic larval phase. Barlow (1981)
suggested that this dispersal is adaptive because adult fishes inhabit a patchy, uncertain environment. This reiterated an
older idea that the random extinction of local populations necessarily favours dispersal, since ultimately all populations
of non-dispersers will disappear. Whereas this view is based on adult survival, we emphasize a less frequent view that substantial
larval dispersal may be adaptive when offspring experience patchy and unpredictable survival in the pelagic habitat. We do
not address the question of why these animals ‘broadcast’ rather than ‘brood’, but suggest that species committed to pelagic
offspring will be under selection to disperse siblings to spread the risk of failure among members of a cohort. Our arguments
are supported by a heuristic computer simulation. |
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Keywords: | Reproductive strategies Pelagic larvae Patchy environment Starvation Predation Computer simulation |
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