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Resolution of the early life history of a reef fish using otolith chemistry

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Abstract

We used the elemental signatures in otoliths of the damselfish Pomacentrus coelestis as a proxy for conditions experienced prior to settlement. Fish from the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) differed in their pre-settlement otolith chemistry, indicating that they had occupied different water masses during their pelagic stage, thus suggesting multiple larval sources. Fish from reefs in the northern GBR did not differ greatly in their pre-settlement otolith chemistry, suggesting a single larval source. Using “near-natal” signatures, we determined that ~67% of these signatures matched the signature established for Lizard Island (LZ), suggesting LZ could be a source reef. However, these results could also be the result of poor separation among reefs caused by reefs sharing water masses. Otolith chemistry also revealed that 50–70% of all fish examined settled on the reef the day they encountered it, while some fish spent up to 4 days near the reef prior to settlement.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Lizard Island and One Tree Island Research Stations, as well as J. Browne, I. Carlson, S. Burgess, J. Eagle, J. Hughes, A. Abdulla, R. Pears, R. Kelley, and the crew of the M.V. ‘James Cook’ for assistance in the field. M. Shelley, D. Sinclair, L. Kinsley, S. Fallon, T. Wyndham, and S. Eggins provided assistance with the LA-ICP-MS. Statistical advice was provided by M. Sheaves and B. Gillanders. Comments by J. Leis and two anonymous reviewers improved the manuscript. This study was conducted while H.M.P. held a Lizard Island Doctoral Fellowship from the Australian Museum. A CRC Reef Research Grant, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Augmentative Research Grant, and a grant from the Lerner-Gray Fund for Marine Research from the American Museum of Natural History to H.M.P., and an ARC Large Grant, and a grant from the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration to M.J.K. provided additional funding. This study complies with the laws of Australia.

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  1. Heather M. Patterson

    Present address: Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia

    Heather M. Patterson & Michael J. Kingsford

  2. Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Malcolm T. McCulloch

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  1. Heather M. Patterson
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  2. Michael J. Kingsford
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  3. Malcolm T. McCulloch
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Correspondence to Heather M. Patterson.

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Communicated by Ecological Editor Peter Sale

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Patterson, H.M., Kingsford, M.J. & McCulloch, M.T. Resolution of the early life history of a reef fish using otolith chemistry. Coral Reefs 24, 222–229 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-004-0469-8

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