Environmental conditions and paternal care determine hatching synchronicity of coral reef fish larvae
Type
ArticleKAUST Department
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)Date
2019-08-27Online Publication Date
2019-08-27Print Publication Date
2019-09Embargo End Date
2020-09-01Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/656827
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For all fishes, hatching is a short but crucial event, and the conditions under which it occurs considerably influence the success of the larvae. For coral reef fish, hatching is even more important because it marks the beginning of the dispersal phase. The timing of hatching dictates the conditions that the larvae will encounter, potentially influencing their survival and dispersal. Despite this importance, very few studies have looked at hatching of marine fishes in the natural environment because of important technical constrains. In this study, we directly examined the temporal pattern of hatching during the night. Using remote night vision cameras and infrared lights to avoid disturbances, we successfully documented in situ hatching events of three coral reef fish species, all benthic brooders (Abudefduf saxatilis, Stegastes partitus, and Elacatinus lori). Hatching timing, rate, and duration were computed from the observations, and highlight different hatching strategies used by the fish species. The analysis of the fish behaviors shows that the males display parental care beyond the incubation period of the eggs and increase activity during the hatching events. With this study, we can relate the hatching events to the environmental context, giving us a better understanding of the factors influencing the beginning of the larval phase. These observations highlight the benefit of in situ studies to better understand the characteristics and potential consequences of hatching.Citation
Chaput, R., Majoris, J. E., Guigand, C. M., Huse, M., & D’Alessandro, E. K. (2019). Environmental conditions and paternal care determine hatching synchronicity of coral reef fish larvae. Marine Biology, 166(9). doi:10.1007/s00227-019-3564-7Sponsors
We thank R. Francis and E. Schlatter for their assistance with the field work in Belize, and R. Delp, M. Connelly, M. Kendi, C. Cresci and C. Purcell for their assistance with the field work in Florida. We wish to thank K. Clements, R. McBride, and an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments on the manuscript. This study was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF OCE awards 1459156 and 249446) and the International Light Tackle Association Fund.Publisher
Springer NatureJournal
Marine BiologyAdditional Links
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00227-019-3564-7Relations
Is Supplemented By:- [Dataset]
Chaput, R. (2019). Data for: Environmental conditions and paternal care determine the synchronous hatching of coral reef fish larvae [Data set]. Mendeley. https://doi.org/10.17632/RBHGN839NP.2. DOI: 10.17632/rbhgn839np.2 Handle: 10754/667504
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1007/s00227-019-3564-7