Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The adaptive significance of larval dispersal in coral reef fishes

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Synopsis

Coral reef fishes almost universally disperse over relatively great distances during a pelagic larval phase. Barlow (1981) suggested that this dispersal is adaptive because adult fishes inhabit a patchy, uncertain environment. This reiterated an older idea that the random extinction of local populations necessarily favours dispersal, since ultimately all populations of non-dispersers will disappear. Whereas this view is based on adult survival, we emphasize a less frequent view that substantial larval dispersal may be adaptive when offspring experience patchy and unpredictable survival in the pelagic habitat. We do not address the question of why these animals ‘broadcast’ rather than ‘brood’, but suggest that species committed to pelagic offspring will be under selection to disperse siblings to spread the risk of failure among members of a cohort. Our arguments are supported by a heuristic computer simulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References cited

  • Bainbridge, R. 1957. The size and shape and density of marine phytoplankton concentrations. Biol. Rev. 32: 91–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barlow, G.W. 1981. Patterns of parental investment, dispersal and size among coral-reef fishes. Env. Biol. Fish. 6: 65–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bunt, J.S. 1975. Primary productivity of marine ecosystems. pp. 169–183. In: H. Lieth & R.H. Whittaker (ed.) Primary Productivity of the Biosphere, Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Den Boer, P.J. 1968. Spreading of risk and stabilization of animal numbers. Acta. Biotheor. 18: 165–194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Doherty, P.J. 1983. Diel, lunar and seasonal rhythms in the reproduction of two tropical damselfishes: Pomacentrus flavicauda and P. wardi. Mar. Biol. 75: 215–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlich, P.R. 1975. The population biology of coral reef fishes. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 6: 211–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fasham, M.J.R. 1978. The statistical and mathematical analysis of plankton patchiness. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 16: 43–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamner, W.M. & I.R. Hauri, 1981. Effects of island mass: water flow and plankton pattern around a reef in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, Australia. Limnol. Oceanogr. 26: 1084–1102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houde, E.D. 1977a. Abundance and potential yield of the Atlantic thread herring,Opisthonema oglinum, and aspects of its early life history in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Fish. Bull. 75: 493–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houde, E.D. 1977b. Abundance and potential yield of the scaled sardine,Harengula jaguana, and aspects of its early life history in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Fish. Bull. 75: 613–628.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houde, E.D. & R.C. Schekter. 1978. Simulated food patches and survival of larval bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchelli, and sea bream. Archosargus rhomboidalis. U. S. Fish. Bull. 76: 483–487.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houde, E.D. & R.C. Schekter. 1981. Growth rates, rations and cohort consumption of marine fish larvae in relation to prey concentrations. Rapp. P.-v. Reun. Cons. int. Explor. Mer. 178: 441–453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, J.R. 1981. Feeding ecology and predation of marine fish larvae. pp. 33–77. In: R. Lasker (ed.) Marine Fish Larvae Morphology, Ecology, and Relation to Fisheries, University of Washington Press, Seattle.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huntley, M. & E.R. Brooks. 1982. Effects of age and food availability on diel vertical migration of Calanus pacificus. Mar. Biol. 71: 23–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isaacs, J.D., S.A. Tont & G.L. Wick. 1974. Deep scattering layers: vertical migration as a tactic for finding food. Deep-sea Research 21: 651–656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannes, R.E. 1978. Reproductive strategies of coastal marine fishes in the tropics. Env. Biol. Fish. 3: 65–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuno, E. 1981. Dispersal and persistence of populations in unstable habitats: a theoretical note. Oecologia 49: 123–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lasker, R. 1975. Field criteria for survival of anchovy larvae: the relation between inshore chlorophyll maximum layers and successful first feeding. U. S. Fish. Bull. 73: 453–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurence, G.C. 1974. Growth and survival of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae in relation to planktonic prey. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 31: 1415–1419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leis, J.M. & B. Goldman,1983. Studies on the biology of larval fishes in the Lizard Island area, northern Great Barrier Reef. pp. 221–225. In: J.T. Baker, R.M. Carter, P.W. Sammarco & K.P. Stark (ed.) Proceedings: Inaugural Great Barrier Reef Conference, Townsville, Aug. 28–Sept. 2,1983, James Cook University Press.

  • Mackas, D.L. & C.M. Boyd. 1979. Spectral analysis of zooplankton spatial heterogeneity. Science 204: 62–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marliave, J.B. 1981. Vertical migrations and larval settlement in Gilbertidia sigalutes, F. Cottidae. Rapp. P.-V. Reun. Cons. int. Explor. Mer. 178: 349–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menge, B.A. 1975. Brood or broadcast? The adaptive significance of different reproductive strategies in the two intertidal sea stars Leptasterias hexactis and Pisaster ochraceus. Mar. Biol. 31: 87–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metz, J.A.J., T.J. de Jong & P.G.L. Klinkhamer. 1983. What are the advantages of dispersing; a paper by Kuno explained and extended. Oecologia 57: 166–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mileikovsky, S.A. 1971. Types of larval development in marine bottom invertebrates, their distribution and ecological significance: a re-evaluation. Mar. Biol. 10: 193–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O'Connell, C.P. & L.P. Raymond. 1970. The effect of food density on survival and growth of early post yolk-sac larvae of the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax Girard) in the laboratory. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 5: 187–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omori, M. & W.M. Hamner. 1982. Patchy distribution of zooplankton: behavior, population assessment and sampling problems. Mar. Biol. 72: 193–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, A.R. & R.R. Strathmann. 1981. Scale of dispersal in varying environments and its implications for life histories of marine invertebrates. Oecologia 48: 308–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reddingius, J. & P.J. Den Boer. 1970. Simulation experiments illustrating stabilization of animal numbers by spreading of risk. Oecologia 5: 204–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell-Hunter, W.D. 1970. Aquatic productivity: an introduction to some basic aspects of biological oceanography and limnology. MacMillan, New York. 306 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, D.R. 1973. Field observations on the reproductive behaviour of a pomacentrid fish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus. Z. Tierpsychol. 32: 319–324.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sale, P.F. 1978. Reef fishes and other vertebrates: a comparison of social structures. pp. 313–346. In: E.S. Reese & F.J. Lighter (ed.) Contrasts in Behaviour, Wiley-Interscience, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sale, P.F. 1980. The ecology of fishes on coral reefs. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev. 18: 367–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, G.D. 1980. Report of the workshop on effects of environmental variation on survival of larval pelagic fishes. pp. 15–65. In: G.D. Sharp (ed.) Workshop on Effects of Environmental Variation on Survival of Larval Pelagic Fishes, IOC workshop report 28, UNESCO.

  • Steele, J.H. 1978. Some comments on plankton patches. pp. 1–20. In: J.H. Steele (ed.) Spatial Pattern in Plankton Communities, Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strathmann, R.R. 1974. The spread of sibling larvae of sedentary marine invertebrates. Amer. Nat. 108: 29–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strathmann, R.R. & M.F. Strathmann. 1982. The relationship between adult size and brooding in marine invertebrates. Amer. Nat. 119: 91–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Theilacker, G. & K. Dorsey. 1980. Larval fish diversity, a summary of laboratory and field research. IOC workshop report 28, UNESCO.

  • Thorson, G. 1950. Reproduction and larval ecology of marine bottom invertebrates. Biol. Rev. 25: 1–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vance, R.R. 1973a. On reproductive strategies in marine benthic invertebrates. Amer. Nat. 107: 339–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vance, R.R. 1973b. More on reproductive strategies in marine benthic invertebrates. Amer. Nat. 107: 353–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Valen, L. 1971. Group selection and the evolution of dispersal. Evolution 25: 291–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, J.J., C.D. Wirick, D.A. Dieterle & A.G. Tingle. 1981. Environmental constraints on larval fish survival in the Bering Sea. Rap. P.-v. Reun. Cons. int. Explor. Mer. 178: 24–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, M.P., S.L. Weiss, R.G. Hodson & L.R. Gerry. 1980. Retention of three taxa of postlarval fishes in an intensively flushed tidal estuary, Cape Fear River, North Carolina. U.S. Fish. Bull. 78: 419–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski, E. 1983. Water circulation in the central and northern sections of the Great Barrier Reef. pp. 467–472. In: J.T. Baker, R.M. Carter, P.W. Sammarco & K.P. Stark (ed.) Proceedings: Inaugural Great Barrier Reef Conference, Townsville, Aug. 28–Sept. 2, 1983, James Cook University Press.

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Peter J. Doherty

    Present address: School of Australian Environmental Studies, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld., 4111, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MSO, Qld., 4810, Australia

    Peter J. Doherty & David McB Williams

  2. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Peter F. Sale

Authors
  1. Peter J. Doherty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David McB Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter F. Sale
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Doherty, P.J., Williams, D.M. & Sale, P.F. The adaptive significance of larval dispersal in coral reef fishes. Environ Biol Fish 12, 81–90 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002761

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002761

Keywords

Search

Navigation