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Environmental Biology of Fishes

, Volume 49, Issue 2, pp 239–246 | Cite as

The natural history of a monogamous coral-reef fish, Valenciennea strigata (Gobiidae): 1. abundance, growth, survival and predation

  • Robert H. Reavis
Article

Abstract

The population dynamics of a monogamous coral-reef fish were examined to test hypotheses of recruitment limitation, predation, and postrecruitment processes, and to determine their affects on the mating system. Valenciennea strigata are monogamous gobies that live in sand and rubble zones throughout the Indo-Pacific. Seasonal abundance was recorded in the summer and winter over 2.5 years. A subset of this population was tagged (n = 256) and followed to determine mortality and mobility. Valenciennea strigata were more abundant in summer than in winter, suggesting that a pulse of recruitment in the spring set the maximum population density. Growth rates derived from tagged fish support the hypothesis that recruitment peaked in the spring. Tagged fish experienced 88% mortality within six months; the annual mortality rate approached 100%. Evidence of predation, antipredatory behavior and strong site fidelity implicate predation as the primary source of mortality. Competition for space was not observed between adults, but may affect settlement and recruitment. Despite the lack of adult competition for space, both sexes guarded their mates and courted individuals of the opposite sex. Thus, although population size appears to be determined by nonequilibrium processes, the mating system is affected by competition for mates. Successful mate guarding by both sexes enforced monogamy.

population ecology equilibrium/nonequilibrium processes recruitment monogamy mating system mate guarding 
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Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1997

Authors and Affiliations

  • Robert H. Reavis
    • 1
  1. 1.Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeleyU.S.A

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