Abstract
The influence of habitat on the distribution and abundance of Pomacentrus sulfureus was investigated on coral reefs in Zanzibar. Fish censuses were conducted using the simultaneous belt-transect method and substrate data were gathered using a point-base method. Densities of juvenile and adult P. sulfureus were examined in relation to habitat composition and structure. The influence of habitat structure on coral reef fishes remains debated and has been obscured by the various methods, scales and levels of detail that have been used. In this study, we compared two measures of structural complexity. One was a contour measure (rugosity) and the other was the percent cover of branching structures. Both were applied on the same scale but differed in the level of detail. P. sulfureus was distributed in an uneven pattern around Zanzibar Island and the distribution appeared to reflect local and regional differences in habitat structure. Multiple regression models identified relations between juvenile and adult P. sulfureus abundance and specific habitat features. The majority of the variation in juvenile numbers was attributed to percent cover of branching structures, the high-resolution measure. However, adult abundance was unrelated to this measure. Rugosity, the low-resolution measure of structural complexity, appeared to influence neither adult nor juvenile P. sulfureus. The best predictor of adult abundance was substrate diversity (inverse relationship), which, however, did not contribute to the proportion of explained variation in juvenile abundance. In addition, there was a weak positive relationship between adult abundance and the number of hard coral growth forms present. The results indicate that P. sulfureus exhibit an ontogenetic shift in habitat use. However, the regression models also revealed that adults per se have a positive effect on juvenile numbers. We suggest that the limited habitat use of juvenile P. sulfureus is contained within that of conspecific adults, and that juveniles are likely to adopt more general habitat associations as they grow.
Similar content being viewed by others
References cited
Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the world. Mergus, Melle. 352 pp.
Behrents, K.C. 1987. The influence of shelter availability on recruitment and early juvenile survivorship of Lythrypnus dalli Gilbert (Pisces: Gobidae). J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 107: 45–59.
Bell, J.D. & R. Galzin. 1984. Influence of live coral cover on coral-reef fish communities. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15: 265–274.
Booth, D.J. 1991. The effects of sampling frequency on estimates of recruitment of the domino damselfish Dascyllus albisella (Gill). J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 145: 149–159.
Booth, D.J. 1992. Larval settlement patterns and preferences by domino damselfish Dascyllus albisella (Gill).J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 155: 85–104.
Booth, D.J. 1995. Juvenile groups in a coral-reef damselfish: density dependent effects on individual fitness and population demography. Ecology 786: 91–106.
Bouchon-Navaro, Y., C. Bouchon & M.L. Harmelin-Vivien. 1985. Impact of coral degradation on a chaetodontid fish assemblage (Moorea, French Polynesia). Proc 5th Int. Coral Reef Symp. Tahiti 5: 427–432.
Bouchon-Navaro, Y. & C. Bouchon. 1989. Correlations between chaetodontid fishes and coral communities of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea). Env. Biol. Fish. 25: 47–60.
Buchheim, J.R. & M.A. Hixon. 1992. Competition for shelter in the coral-reef fish Acanthablemaria spinosa Metzelaar. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 164: 45–54.
Caley, M.J. 1995. Reef-fish community structure and dynamics: and interaction between local and larger-scale processes? Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 129: 19–29.
Caley, M.J. & J. St. John. 1996. Refuge availability structures assemblages of tropical reef fishes. J. Anim. Ecol. 65: 414–428.
Carpenter, K.E.R., I. Miclat, V.D. Albaladejo & V.T. Corpuz. 1981. The influence of substrate structure on the local abundance and diversity of Philippine reef fishes. Proc. 4th Int.Coral Reef Symp. Manila 2: 497–502.
Caselle, J.E. & R.R. Warner. 1996. Variability in recruitment of coral reef fishes: the importance of habitat at two spatial scales. Ecology 77: 2488–2504.
Chabanet, P., H. Ralambondrainy, M. Amanieu, G. Faure & R. Galzin. 1997. Relationships between coral-reef substrata and fish. Coral Reefs 16: 93–102.
Clarke, R.D. 1977. Habitat distribution and species diversity of chaetodontid and pomacentrid fishes near Bimini, Bahamas. Mar. Biol. 40: 277–289.
Connell, S.D. & G.P. Jones. 1991. The influence of habitat complexity on postrecruitment processes in a temperate reef fish population. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 151: 271–294.
Connell, S.D. & M. Kingsford. 1998. Spatial, temporal and habitat-related variation in the abundance of large predatory fish at One Tree Reef, Australia. Coral Reefs 17: 49–57.
Doherty, P.J., M. Kingsford, D. Booth & J. Carleton. 1996. Habitat selection before settlement by Pomacentrus coelestus. Mar. Freshwater Res. 47: 391–399.
Done, T.J. 1982. Patterns in the distribution of coral communities across the central Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 1: 95–107.
Done, T.J. 1983. Coral zonation: its nature and significance. pp. 107–147. In: D.J. Barnes (ed.) Perpectives on Coral Reefs, Brian Clouston Publisher, Hong Kong.
Eckert, G.F. 1985. Settlement of coral reef fishes to different natural substrata and at different depths. Proc. 5th Int. Coral Reef Symp. Tahiti 5: 385–390.
Fishelson, L., D. Popper & A. Avidor. 1974. Biosociology and ecology of pomacentrid fishes around the Sinai Peninsula (northern Red Sea). J. Fish Biol. 6: 119–133.
Fowler, A.J. 1987. The development of sampling strategies for population studies of coral reef fishes. Acase study. Coral Reefs 6: 49–58.
Fowler, A.J. 1990. Spatial and temporal patterns of distribution and abundance of chaetodontid fishes at One Tree Reef, southern GBR. Mar Ecol. Prog. Ser. 64: 39–53.
Glynn, P.W., J.E.N. Veron & G.M. Wellington. 1996. Clipperton Atoll (eastern Pacific): oceanography, geomorphology, reefbuilding coral ecology and biogeography. Coral Reefs 15: 71–99.
Green, A.L. 1996. Spatial, temporal and ontogenetic patterns of habitat use by coral reef fishes (family Labridae). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 133: 1–11.
Hixon, M.A. & J.P. Beets. 1989. Shelter characteristics and Caribbean fish assemblages: experiments with artificial reefs. Bull. Mar. Sci. 44: 666–680.
Hixon, M.A. & J.P. Beets. 1993. Predation, prey refuges, and the structure of coral-reef fish assemblages. Ecol. Monogr. 63: 77–101.
Itzkowitz, M. 1977. Spatial organization of the Jamaican damselfish community. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 28: 217–241.
Jennings, S., D.P. Boullé & N.V.C. Polunin. 1996. Habitat correlates of the distribution and biomass of Seychelles reef fishes. Env. Biol. Fish. 46: 15–25.
Johnstone, R., C.A. Muhando & J. Francis. 1998. The status of the coral reefs of Zanzibar: one example of a regional predicament. Ambio 27: 700–707.
Jones, G.P. 1987a. Competitive interactions among adults and juveniles in a coral reef fish. Ecology 68: 1534–1547.
Jones, G.P. 1987b. Some interactions between residents and recruits in two coral-reef fishes. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 114: 169–182.
Jones, G.P. 1988. Experimental evaluation of the effects of habitat structure and competitive interactions on the juveniles of two coral reef fishes. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 123: 115–126.
Kramer, D.L., R.W. Rangeley & L.J. Chapman. Habitat selection: patterns of spatial distribution from behavioural decisions. pp. 37–80. In: J.-G.J. Godin (ed.) Behavioural Ecology of Teleost Fishes, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Letourneur, Y. 1996. Dynamics of fish communities on Reunion fringing reefs, Indian Ocean. I. Patterns of spatial distribution. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 195: 1–30.
Levin, P.S. 1993. Habitat structure, conspecific presence and spatial variation on the recruitment of a temperate reef fish. Oecologia 94: 176–185.
Lewis, A.R. 1997. Effects of experimental coral disturbance on the structure of fish communities on large patch reefs. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 161: 37–50.
Light, P.R. & G.P. Jones. 1997. Habitat preference in newly settled coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus, Serranidae). Coral Reefs 16: 117–126.
Lirman, D. 1994. Ontogenetic shifts in habitat preferences in the three-spot damselfish, Stegastes planifrons (Cuvier), in Roatan Island, Honduras. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 180: 71–81.
Luckhurst, B.E. & K. Luckhurst. 1978. Analysis of the influence of substrate variables on coral reef fish communities. Mar. Biol. 49: 317–323.
McCormick, M.I. 1994. Comparison of field methods for measuring surface topography and their association with a tropical reef fish community. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 112: 87–96.
McCormick, M.I. 1995. Fish feeding on mobile benthic invertebrates: influence of spatial variability in habitat associations. Mar. Biol. 121: 627–637.
McCormick, M.I. & J.H. Choat. 1987. Estimating total abundance of a large temperate-reef fish using visual strip-transects. Mar. Biol. 96: 469–478.
McIlwain, J.L. & G.P. Jones. 1997. Prey selection by an obligate coral-feeding wrasse and its response to small-scale disturbance. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 155: 189–198.
Meekan, M.G., A.L.D. Steven & M.J. Fortin. 1995. Spatial patterns in the distribution of damselfishes on a fringing coral reef. Coral Reefs 14: 151–161.
Montgomery, W.L. 1980. Comparative feeding ecology of two herbivorous damselfishes (Pomacentridae: Teleostei) from the gulf of California, Mexico. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 47: 9–24.
Munday, P.L., G.P. Jones & M.J. Caley. 1997. Habitat specialisation and the distribution and abundance of coral-dwelling gobies. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 152: 227–239.
Myrberg, A.A. & R.E. Thresher. 1974. Interspecific aggression and its relevance to the concept of territoriality in reef fishes. Amer. Zool. 14: 81–96.
Norman, M.D. & G.P. Jones. 1984. Determinants of territory size in the pomacentrid reef fish, Parma victoriae. Oecologia 61: 60–69.
Öhman, M.C., A. Rajarsuriya & E. Olafsson. 1997. Reef fish assemblages in north-western Sri Lanka: distribution patterns and influences of fishing practises. Env. Biol. Fish. 53: 19–31.
Öhman, M.C. & A. Rajasuriya. 1998. Relationships between habitat structure and fish communities on coral and sandstone reefs. Env. Biol. Fish. 49: 45–61.
Öhman, M.C., P.L. Munday, G.P. Jones & M. Caley. 1998a. Settlement strategies and distribution patterns of coral-reef fishes. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 225: 219–238.
Öhman, M.C., A. Rajasuriya & S. Svensson. 1998b. The use of butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) as bio-indicatiors of habitat structure and human disturbance. Ambio 27: 708–716.
Ormond, R.F.G., J.M. Roberts & R.-Q. Jan. 1996. Behavioural differences in microhabitat use by damselfishes (Pomacentridae): implications for reef fish biodiversity. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 202: 85–95.
Rajasuriya, A., M.C. Öhman & R.W. Johnstone. 1998. Coral and sandstone reef-habitats in southern Sri Lanka: patterns in the distribution of coral communities. Ambio 27: 726–728.
Reese, E.S. 1981. Predation on corals by fishes of the family Chaetodontidae: implications for conservation and management of coral reef ecosystems. Bull. Mar. Sci. 31: 594–604.
Rilov, G. & Y. Benayahu. 1998. Vertical artificial structures as an alternative habitat for coral reef fishes in disturbed environment. Mar. Env. Res. 456: 431–451.
Risk, M.J. 1972. Fish diversity on a coral reef in theVirgin Islands. Atoll Res. Bull. 153: 1–6.
Roberts, C.M. & R.F.G. Ormond. 1987. Habitat complexity and coral reef fish diversity and abundance on Red Sea fringing reefs. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 41: 1–8.
Robertson, D.R. 1988. Abundances of surgeonfishes on patch-reefs in Caribbean Panama: due to settlement or post-settlement events? Mar. Biol. 97: 495–501.
Robertson, D.R. 1996. Interspeciefic competition controls abundance and habitat use of territorial Caribbean damselfishes. Ecology 77: 885–889.
Sale, P.F. 1997. Visual census of fishes: how well do we see what is there? Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 2: 1435–1440.
Sale, P.F. & B.J. Sharp. 1983. Correction for bias in visual transect censuses of coral reef fishes. Coral Reefs 2: 37–42.
Sale, P.F. & W.A. Douglas. 1984. Temporal variability in the community structrue of fish on coral patch reefs and the relation of community structure to reef structure. Ecology 65: 409–422.
Sale, P.F., W.A. Douglas & P.J. Doherty. 1984. Choice of microhabitats by coral reef fishes at settlement. Coral Reefs 3: 91–99.
Sale, P.F. & D.J. Ferrell. 1988. Early survivorship of juvenile coral reef fishes. Coral Reefs 7: 117–124.
Sano, M., M. Shimizu & Y. Nose. 1987. Long-term effects of destruction of hermatypic corals by Acanthaster planci infestation on reef fish communities at Iriomote Island, Japan. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 37: 191–199.
Shulman, M.J. 1984. Resource limitation and recruitment patterns in a coral reef fish assemblage. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 74: 85–109.
Sokal, R.R. & F.J. Rohlf. 1995. Biometry, 3rd ed. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York. 887 pp.
Sweatman, H.P.A. 1988. Field evidence that settling coral reef fish larvae detect resident fishes using dissolved chemical cues. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 124: 163–174.
Sweatman, H.P.A. & J. St. John. 1990. Effects of selective settlement and of aggression by residents on distribution of young recruits of two tropical damselfishes. Mar. Biol. 105: 247–252.
Syms, C. & G.P. Jones. 1999. Scale of disturbance and the structure of a temperate fish guild. Ecology 80: 921–940.
Thresher, R.E. 1976. Field analysis of the territoriality of the threespot damselfish, Eupomacentrus planifrons (Pomacentridae). Copeia 1976: 266–276.
Thresher, R.E. & J.S. Gunn. 1986. Comparative analysis of visual census techniques for highly mobile, reef associated piscivores (Carangidae). Env. Biol. Fish. 17: 93–116.
Tolimieri, N. 1995. Effects of microhabitat characteristics on the settlement and recruitment of a coral reef fish at two spatial scales. Oecologia 102: 52–63.
Tolimieri, N. 1998a. Contrasting effects of microhabitat use on large-scale adult abundance in two families of Caribbean reef fishes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 167: 227–239.
Tolimieri, N. 1998b. The relationship among microhabitat characteristics, recruitment and adult abundance in the stoplight parrotfish, Sparisoma viridae, at three spatial scales. Bull. Mar. Sci. 62: 253–268.
Tupper, M. & R.G. Boutilier. 1997. Effects of habitat on settlement, growth, predation risk and survival of a temperate reef fish. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 151: 225–236.
Watson, R.A., G.M. Carlos & M.A. Samoilys. 1995. Bias introduced by the non-random movement of fish in visual transect surveys. Ecol. Modelling 77: 205–214.
Wellington, G.M. 1992. Habitat selection and juvenile persistence control the distribution of two closely related Caribbean damselfishes. Oecologia 90: 500–508.
Wiens, J.A. & J.T. Rotenberry. 1981. Habitat associations and community structure of birds in shrubsteppe environments. Ecol. Monogr. 51: 409–422.
Williams, D.McB. 1980. Dynamics of the pomacentrid community on small patch reefs in One Tree Lagoon (Great Barrier Reef). Bull. Mar. Sci. 30: 159–170.
Woesek, R. van & T.J. Done. 1997. Coral communities and reef growth in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 16: 103–115.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bergman, K.C., Öhman, M.C. & Svensson, S. Influence of Habitat Structure on Pomacentrus sulfureus, A Western Indian Ocean Reef Fish. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59, 243–252 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007610023865
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007610023865