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Water flow controls distribution and feeding behavior of two co-occurring coral reef fishes: I. Field measurements

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Abstract

The interaction of flowing water with reef topography creates a continuum of flow microhabitats that can alter species distributions directly via transport of organisms or propagules, or indirectly by modulating the availability of critical resources. To examine how water flow affects the distribution and feeding performance of two species of planktivorous tube blennies (Chaenopsidae), flow speed and turbulence were measured within the feeding areas of Acanthemblemaria spinosa and A. aspera at three sites within Glover’s Reef, Belize. Although co-occurring, A. spinosa occupies topographically high locations (e.g., upright coral skeletons) while A. aspera occupies topographically low shelters in the coral pavement. Boundary layer theory predicts that A. spinosa should experience higher flow (and a higher flux of planktonic food) relative to A. aspera; however, complex topography and oscillatory flow require that this prediction is tested directly in the field. Within each site, the flow experienced by A. spinosa was, indeed, faster and more turbulent than that experienced by A. aspera at site-specific intermediate wave heights. When waves were small, gentle velocity gradients produced similar flows for the two species. When waves were high, flow was uniformly fast through the water column due to thinning of the benthic boundary layer. Plankton availability was similar for the species, with the exception of a greater abundance of harpacticoid copepods at the shelters of A. aspera. Quantitative behavioral observations suggest that the foraging strategies employed by the two fishes exploit the prevailing hydrodynamic conditions. For example, A. spinosa, the stronger swimmer of the two, attacks nearly 100% of the time in the water column where it can exploit the higher flux of plankton associated with faster flows, while A. aspera attacks primarily toward the reef surface where currents are likely to be slower and it can exploit more abundant benthic prey.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the lab managers and staff at the Middle Cay Field Station for their expert help, especially our boatmen and dive masters Elmar Avila, Cardinal Andrews, Faygon Villanuevia, and Randolph Nunez. Field support was provided by Carly Gaebe, Benjamin Kessler, and Jora Ehrlich. This work was authorized by a research permit from the Belize Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the University of Texas Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee permit number 04113007. Funding was provided by National Science Foundation Awards OCE-0324724, OCE-0324413, and OCE-0324694/0715271. This paper is contribution number 1488 of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and publication number 30 of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Glovers Reef Research Station.

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Author notes

  1. H. E. Robinson

    Present address: Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3140, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), 601 S. College Rd., UNCW, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA

    C. M. Finelli

  2. Department of Biology, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, USA

    R. D. Clarke

  3. University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX, USA

    H. E. Robinson & E. J. Buskey

Authors
  1. C. M. Finelli
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  2. R. D. Clarke
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  3. H. E. Robinson
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  4. E. J. Buskey
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Correspondence to C. M. Finelli.

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Mark McCormick

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Finelli, C.M., Clarke, R.D., Robinson, H.E. et al. Water flow controls distribution and feeding behavior of two co-occurring coral reef fishes: I. Field measurements. Coral Reefs 28, 461–473 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0481-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0481-0

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