The predation gauntlet: early post-settlement mortality in reef fishes |
| |
Authors: | Glenn R. Almany Michael S. Webster |
| |
Affiliation: | (1) School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia;(2) Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis Oregon, 97331, USA;(3) Present address: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, San Francisco California, 94129, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Most marine fishes have pelagic larvae that settle to benthic juvenile/adult habitats. Ecologists have argued that mortality rates are particularly high during the settlement transition, but relevant data have been sparse. Recently, researchers have used several novel techniques to estimate the magnitude of predation mortality during the settlement transition. We used meta-analysis to determine that for 24 taxonomically diverse species in geographically widespread locations, an estimated 55.7% (CI: 43.0–65.5%) of juveniles were consumed within 1–2 days of settlement. Such high mortality highlights this brief period as a key phase in the life history of fishes and supports the view that these communities are strongly influenced by predation. Additionally, we argue that because predators have such strong effects on juvenile survival, the population and community dynamics of reef fishes may be linked to human exploitation of reef predators. |
| |
Keywords: | Meta-analysis Predation Recruitment Reef fish Settlement |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|