Lizard Island Research Trip
Nov/Dec 2015
Field work to explore the effects of larval history on post-settlement behaviour and survival
This work was in collaboration with Emily Fobert (University of Melbourne). We spent two weeks at the Lizard Island Research Station on the northern Great Barrier Reef to investigate how larval phenotypes influence post-settlement competition and performance in a Damselfish.
We spent time assessing the interactions between settlement-stage individuals in a manipulative field study, and then examining their otoliths for insights into their larval history. Stay tuned for results!
Field work to explore the effects of larval history on post-settlement behaviour and survival
This work was in collaboration with Emily Fobert (University of Melbourne). We spent two weeks at the Lizard Island Research Station on the northern Great Barrier Reef to investigate how larval phenotypes influence post-settlement competition and performance in a Damselfish.
We spent time assessing the interactions between settlement-stage individuals in a manipulative field study, and then examining their otoliths for insights into their larval history. Stay tuned for results!
New paper out showing body condition modifies the effects of prior residency
5th Aug 2015
"Asymmetries in body condition and order of arrival influence competitive ability and survival in a coral reef fish"
Juvenile coral reef fish vary greatly in their condition at settlement, and whilst those with a low body condition may be disadvantaged with respect to competitive ability, we have demonstrated that arriving early to a habitat can alleviate this disadvantage, in our study just published in Oecologia.
Furthermore, post-settlement mortality rates suggested that body condition modified the effects of prior residency, such that mortality was greater for late arriving fish ("intruders") with a low body condition compared to those with a high body condition, but this varied with the condition of the resident.
These results highlight the importance of examining how variations in the traits of individuals entering existing populations, combined with those of resident competitors, affect successful resource acquisition and future persistence. This provides insight into how communities are structured under specific ecological scenarios.
Read the full paper here.
Watch a video of Pomacentrus amboinensis juveniles competing for habitat here.
"Asymmetries in body condition and order of arrival influence competitive ability and survival in a coral reef fish"
Juvenile coral reef fish vary greatly in their condition at settlement, and whilst those with a low body condition may be disadvantaged with respect to competitive ability, we have demonstrated that arriving early to a habitat can alleviate this disadvantage, in our study just published in Oecologia.
Furthermore, post-settlement mortality rates suggested that body condition modified the effects of prior residency, such that mortality was greater for late arriving fish ("intruders") with a low body condition compared to those with a high body condition, but this varied with the condition of the resident.
These results highlight the importance of examining how variations in the traits of individuals entering existing populations, combined with those of resident competitors, affect successful resource acquisition and future persistence. This provides insight into how communities are structured under specific ecological scenarios.
Read the full paper here.
Watch a video of Pomacentrus amboinensis juveniles competing for habitat here.