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Patterns, causes and consequences of regional variation in the ecology and life history of a reef fish

  • Population Ecology
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Abstract

Many species vary in their ecology across their geographic ranges in response to gradients in environmental conditions. Such variation, which can influence life history traits and subsequent demography of populations, usually occurs over large spatial scales. However, describing and understanding the causes of such variation is difficult precisely because it occurs over such large spatial scales. In this study, we document spatial variation in the ecology of a common reef fish, Stegastes beebei, in the Galápagos Islands and test a number of potential causal mechanisms. The pattern resembles that seen in latitudinal variation: individuals are larger, occur in higher densities, and live longer in the coldest region of the islands than those in the warmest region. However, in this system, demography varies among regional populations separated by <150 km. Preferred nutritious algae are more available in the cold region and comprise a greater proportion of the diet of fish in this region. Per gram reproductive effort appears to be strongly related to temperature, despite differences in the gross magnitude and timing of reproduction in different regions. A model of reproductive output suggests that fish in the warmest region are allocating a greater proportion of available energy to reproduction, resulting in apparent regional life history tradeoffs. Our data suggest that regional demographic differences in S. beebei may be driven by a combination of variation in food availability and an environmentally mediated life history tradeoff.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Charles Darwin Research Station, the Galápagos National Park Service, the crew of the Beagle, and Ecoventura and the crew of the Sky Dancer for providing essential logistical support, laboratory space, and field assistance. Mil gracias a A. Astorga and y todos del Equipo Damisela. S. Banks and D. Palacios provided unpublished data. Thanks to P. Munday, W. White, S. Hamilton, J. Standish, C. Osenberg, and an anonymous reviewer for discussions and comments on drafts of this manuscript, and to W. White and B. Kinlan for assistance with programming and statistics. Funding was provided by the UC Regents, the International Society for Reef Studies–The Ocean Conservancy, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Graduate Division of the University of California, Santa Barbara, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, the PADI Project AWARE Foundation, The Explorer’s Club, and Sigma Xi. This paper represents contribution number 185 from the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans. Procedures used in this study complied with the laws of Ecuador and the United States.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106, CA, USA

    Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, Alison J. Haupt & Robert R. Warner

  2. Charles Darwin Research Station, Santa Cruz, Galàpagos, Ecuador

    Angel I. Chiriboga

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  1. Benjamin I. Ruttenberg
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  2. Alison J. Haupt
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  3. Angel I. Chiriboga
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  4. Robert R. Warner
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Correspondence to Benjamin I. Ruttenberg.

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Communicated by Craig Osenberg

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Ruttenberg, B.I., Haupt, A.J., Chiriboga, A.I. et al. Patterns, causes and consequences of regional variation in the ecology and life history of a reef fish. Oecologia 145, 394–403 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0150-0

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