Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Long-term movement patterns of a coral reef predator

  • Report
  • Published:
Coral Reefs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Long-term monitoring is required to fully define periodicity and patterns in animal movement. This is particularly relevant for defining what factors are driving the presence, location, and movements of individuals. The long-term movement and space use patterns of grey reef sharks, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, were examined on a whole of reef scale in the southern Great Barrier Reef to define whether movement and activity space varied through time. Twenty-nine C. amblyrhynchos were tracked for over 2 years to define movement patterns. All individuals showed high residency within the study site, but also had high roaming indices. This indicated that individuals remained in the region and used all of the monitored habitat (i.e., the entire reef perimeter). Use of space was consistent through time with high reuse of areas most of the year. Therefore, individuals maintained discrete home ranges, but undertook broader movements around the reef at times. Mature males showed greatest variation in movement with larger activity spaces and movement into new regions during the mating season (August–September). Depth use patterns also differed, suggesting behaviour or resource requirements varied between sexes. Examination of the long-term, reef-scale movements of C. amblyrhynchos has revealed that reproductive activity may play a key role in space use and activity patterns. It was unclear whether mating behaviour or an increased need for food to sustain reproductive activity and development played a greater role in these patterns. Reef shark movement patterns are becoming more clearly defined, but research is still required to fully understand the biological drivers for the observed patterns.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

References

  • Barnett A, Abrantes KG, Seymour J, Fitzpatrick R (2012) Residency and spatial use by reef sharks of an isolated seamount and its implications for conservation. PLoS One 7:e36574

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Block BA, Jonsen ID, Jorgensen SJ, Winship AJ, Shaffer SA, Bograd SJ, Hazen EL, Foley DG, Breed GA, Harrison AL, Ganong JE, Swithenbank A, Castleton M, Dewar H, Mate BR, Shillinger GL, Schaefer KM, Benson SR, Weise MJ, Henry RW, Costa DP (2011) Tracking apex marine predator movements in a dynamic ocean. Nature 475:86–90

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bond ME, Babcock EA, Pikitch EK, Abercrombie DL, Lamb NF, Chapman DD (2012) Reef sharks exhibit site-fidelity and higher relative abundance in marine reserves on the Mesoamerican barrier reef. PLoS One 7:e32983

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks E, Sims D, Danylchuk A, Sloman K (2013) Seasonal abundance, philopatry and demographic structure of Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) assemblages in the north-east Exuma Sound, The Bahamas. Mar Biol 160:2535–2546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calenge C (2006) The package adehabitat for the R software: a tool for the analysis of space and habitat use by animals. Ecol Modell 197:516–519

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman DD, Pikitch EK, Babcock EA, Shivji MS (2007) Deep-diving and diel changes in vertical habitat use by Caribbean reef sharks Carcharhinus perezi. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 344:271–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chin A, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA, Tobin AJ (2013) Ontogenetic movements of juvenile blacktip reef sharks: evidence of dispersal and connectivity between coastal habitats and coral reefs. Aquat Conserv 23:468–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collette BB, Talbot FH (1972) Activity patterns of coral reef fishes with emphasis on nocturnal-diurnal changeover. Bulletin of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 14:98–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Duong T (2007) ks: Kernel density estimation and kernel discriminant analysis for multivariate data in R. J Stat Softw 21:1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Economakis AE, Lobel PS (1998) Aggregation behavior of the grey reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, at Johnston Atoll, Central Pacific Ocean. Environ Biol Fish 51:129–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedlander AM, DeMartini EE (2002) Contrasts in density, size, and biomass of reef fishes between the northwestern and the main Hawaiian islands: The effects of fishing down apex predators. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 230:253–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Field IC, Meekan MG, Speed CW, White W, Bradshaw CJA (2011) Quantifying movement patterns for shark conservation at remote coral atolls in the Indian Ocean. Coral Reefs 30:61–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garla RC, Chapman DD, Shivji MS, Wetherbee BM (2006) Movement patterns of young Caribbean reef sharks, Carcharhinus perezi, at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil: the potential of marine protected areas for conservation of a nursery ground. Mar Biol 149:189–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heupel MR, Hueter RE (2001) Use of a remote acoustic telemetry system to monitor shark movements in a coastal nursery area. In: Sibert JR, Nielsen JL (eds) Electronic tagging and tracking in marine fisheries. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, pp 217–236

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2008) Influence of salinity on the distribution of young bull sharks in a variable estuarine environment. Aquat Biol 1:277–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2014) Importance of environmental and biological drivers in the presence and space use of a reef-associated shark. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 496:47–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA, Olsen EM, Moland E (2012) Consistent movement traits indicative of innate behavior in neonate sharks. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 432–433:131–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hisano M, Connolly SR, Robbins WD (2011) Population growth rates of reef sharks with and without fishing on the Great Barrier Reef: robust estimation with multiple models. PLoS One 6:e25028

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby DMP, Busawon DS, Sims DW (2010) Sex and social networking: the influence of male presence on social structure of female shark groups. Behav Ecol 21:808–818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keeney DB, Heupel MR, Hueter RE, Heist EJ (2005) Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analyses of the genetic structure of blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) nurseries in the northwestern Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Mol Ecol 14:1911–1923

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knip DM, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2012) Evaluating marine protected areas for the conservation of tropical coastal sharks. Biol Conserv 148:200–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kritzer JP (2004) Sex-specific growth and mortality, spawning season, and female maturation of the stripey bass (Lutjanus carponotatus) on the Great Barrier Reef. Fish Bull 102:94–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Laliberte AS, Ripple WJ (2004) Range contractions of North American carnivores and ungulates. BioScience 54:123–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKibben JN, Nelson DR (1986) Patterns of movement and grouping of gray reef sharks, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, at Enewetak, Marshall Islands. Bull Mar Sci 38:89–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer CG, Clark TB, Papastamatiou YP, Whitney NM, Holland KN (2009) Long-term movement patterns of tiger sharks Galeocerdo cuvier in Hawaii. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 381:223–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munroe SEM, Simpfendorfer CA, Heupel MR (2014) Habitat and space use of an abundant nearshore shark, Rhizoprionodon taylori. Mar Freshw Res 65:959–968

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadon MO, Baum JK, Williams ID, McPherson JM, Zgliczynski BJ, Richards BL, Schroeder RE, Brainard RE (2012) Re-creating missing population baselines for Pacific reef sharks. Conserv Biol 26:493–503

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson DR (1990) Telemetry studies of sharks: a review, with applications in resource management. NOAA Tech Rep NMFS 90:239–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardini A, Jones CS, Noble LR, Kreiser B, Malcolm H, Bruce BD, Stevens JD, Cliff G, Scholl MC, Francis M, Duffy CAJ, Martin AP (2001) Sex-biased dispersal of great white sharks. Nature 412:139–140

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Christensen V, Dalsgaard J, Froese R, Torres F Jr (1998) Fishing down marine food webs. Science 279:860–863

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pinnegar JK, Polunin NVC, Francour P, Badalamenti F, Chemello R, Harmelin-Vivien M-L, Hereu B, Milazzo M, Zabala M, D’Anna G, Pipitone C (2000) Trophic cascades in benthic marine ecosystems: lessons for fisheries and protected-area management. Environ Conserv 27:179–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2012) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. Available at www.r-project.org

  • Robbins WD (2006) Abundance, demography and population structure of the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and the whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) (fam. Carcharhinidae). PhD thesis, James Cook University, p 197

  • Robbins WD, Hisano M, Connolly SR, Choat JH (2006) Ongoing collapse of coral reef shark populations. Curr Biol 16:2314–2319

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Samoilys MA (1997) Periodicity of spawning aggregations of coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (Pisces: Serranidae) on the northern Great Barrier Reef. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 160:149–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlaff AM, Heupel MR, Simpfendorfer CA (2014) Influence of environmental factors on elasmobranch movement, behaviour and habitat use: a review. Rev Fish Biol Fish 24:1089–1103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer CA, Heupel MR, Hueter RE (2002) Estimation of short-term centers of activity from an array of omnidirectional hydrophones, and its use in studying animal movements. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 59:23–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer CA, Heupel MR, Collins AB (2008) Variation in the performance of acoustic receivers and its implication for positioning algorithms in a riverine setting. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 65:482–492

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer CA, Wiley TR, Yeiser BG (2010) Improving conservation planning for an endangered sawfish using data from acoustic telemetry. Biol Cons 143:1460–1469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer CA, Olsen EM, Heupel MR, Moland E (2012) Three dimensional kernel utilization improve estimates of space use in aquatic animals. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 69:565–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundström LF, Gruber SH, Clermont SM, Correia JPS, de Marignac JRC, Morrissey JF, Lowrance CR, Thomassen L, Oliveira MT (2001) Elasmobranch behavioral studies using ultrasonic telemetry with reference to the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, at Bimini Island, Bahamas. Environ Biol Fish 60:225–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vianna GMS, Meekan MG, Meeuwig JJ, Speed CW (2013) Environmental influences on patterns of vertical movement and site fidelity of grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) at aggregation sites. PLoS One 8:e60331

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wetherbee BM, Crow GL, Lowe CG (1997) Distribution, reproduction and diet of the gray reef shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos in Hawaii. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 151:181–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was conducted under research permits from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (G10/33754.1 and G10/33758.1). Funding was provided as part of a Future Fellowship (#FT100101004) to MRH from the Australian Research Council; additional funding was provided by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). All research was conducted under James Cook University (JCU) Animal Ethics Permit A1566. Acoustic receivers utilised in this research are part of the Australian Animal Tagging and Monitoring (AATAMS) Facility of the Integrated Marine Observing System. The authors would like to thank AATAMS staff for their assistance in downloading and maintaining acoustic receivers. The authors also thank AIMS and JCU staff and students who helped with field efforts and provided assistance in obtaining IMOS data including F de Faria, L Currey, D Abdo, D Knip, M Espinoza, V Udyawer, J Matley, and A Tobin.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia

    M. R. Heupel

  2. Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia

    M. R. Heupel & C. A. Simpfendorfer

Authors
  1. M. R. Heupel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. A. Simpfendorfer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. R. Heupel.

Additional information

Communicated by Ecology Editor Dr. Alastair Harborne

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Heupel, M.R., Simpfendorfer, C.A. Long-term movement patterns of a coral reef predator. Coral Reefs 34, 679–691 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-015-1272-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-015-1272-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation