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Ontogeny of larval swimming abilities in three species of coral reef fishes and a hypothesis for their impact on the spatial scale of dispersal

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Abstract

The late-stage larvae of many reef fishes possess strong swimming abilities that may allow them to influence their dispersal. However, due to the challenges associated with directly measuring patterns of larval dispersal, determining how swimming abilities relate to dispersal outcomes remains a critical gap in our knowledge of the mechanisms that shape dispersal patterns. In this study, we first investigated the ontogeny of swimming speed and endurance in lab-reared larvae of the clown anemonefish (Amphiprion percula), and neon gobies (Elacatinus lori and E. colini). In general, the swimming speed and endurance of larvae improved with age. The congeners, E. lori and E. colini, possessed similar swimming speed and endurance, while A. percula was capable of swimming nearly twice as fast and 322 times longer than either Elacatinus. Second, to relate swimming abilities and other larval traits with patterns of dispersal, we searched the literature for all species in which the dispersal kernel, swimming speed, larval body size and pelagic larval duration have been measured. We found complete datasets for three species: A. percula, E. lori and Plectropomus leopardus. For these species, maximum swimming speed was a better predictor of long-distance dispersal than other larval traits. Thus, we propose the testable hypothesis that swimming abilities may play an important role in determining the extent of long-distance dispersal. Testing this hypothesis, and the alternatives, will require measuring the dispersal kernel, swimming speed, and other dispersal-related larval traits of multiple species in the same seascape.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the BCO-DMO repository, https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/739171 and https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/739149 (Buston and Majoris 2018a, b).

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Belizean Government and Fisheries Department for permission to conduct this research. Thanks to the staff at the International Zoological Expeditions for their support in the field. Special thanks to Kevin David, Robin Francis, Fritz Francisco, Jeremiah Seymour and E. Schlatter for their assistance with fieldwork and rearing larvae. We would also like to thank Matthew Foretich and David Reynolds for advice on statistical analyses. This manuscript benefited from helpful comments provided by John Crawford, Karen Warkentin, Jacqueline Webb, and three reviewers. This research fulfills a portion of JEM’s doctoral dissertation requirements at Boston University (Majoris 2017).

Funding

Support was provided by a start-up award to PMB from the Trustees of Boston University, the IDC account of JA and a Warren McLeod Summer Research Scholarship awarded by the Boston University Marine Department to JEM. Additional funding was provided in part by two National Science Foundation grants (OCE-1260424 and OCE-1459546) to PMB, and a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (IOS-1501651) to JEM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Marine Program, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    John E. Majoris, Katrina A. Catalano, Derek Scolaro, Jelle Atema & Peter M. Buston

  2. Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, 4700 KAUST, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia

    John E. Majoris

  3. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Katrina A. Catalano

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Correspondence to John E. Majoris.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Boston University IACUC (protocol #’s: 13-021 and 10-036) and were approved by the Belize Fisheries Department.

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Majoris, J.E., Catalano, K.A., Scolaro, D. et al. Ontogeny of larval swimming abilities in three species of coral reef fishes and a hypothesis for their impact on the spatial scale of dispersal. Mar Biol 166, 159 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3605-2

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