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Link to original content: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15888415
Wave energy and swimming performance shape coral reef fish assemblages - PubMed Skip to main page content
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Comparative Study
. 2005 Apr 22;272(1565):827-32.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2004.3029.

Wave energy and swimming performance shape coral reef fish assemblages

C J Fulton  1 , D R Bellwood, P C Wainwright
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Wave energy and swimming performance shape coral reef fish assemblages

C J Fulton et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Physical factors often have an overriding influence on the distribution patterns of organisms, and can ultimately shape the long-term structure of communities. Although distribution patterns in sessile marine organisms have frequently been attributed to functional characteristics interacting with wave-induced water motion, similar evidence for mobile organisms is lacking. Links between fin morphology and swimming performance were examined in three diverse coral reef fish families from two major evolutionary lineages. Among-habitat variation in morphology and performance was directly compared with quantitative values of wave-induced water motion from seven coral reef habitats of different depth and wave exposure on the Great Barrier Reef. Fin morphology was strongly correlated with both field and experimental swimming speeds in all three families. The range of observed swimming speeds coincided closely with the magnitude of water velocities commonly found on coral reefs. Distribution patterns in all three families displayed highly congruent relationships between fin morphology and wave-induced water motion. Our findings indicate a general functional relationship between fin morphology and swimming performance in labriform-swimming fishes, and provide quantitative evidence that wave energy may directly influence the assemblage structure of coral reef fishes through interactions with morphology and swimming performance.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationship between field and experimental swimming speed in 44 species of labriform-swimming fishes. Both axes have been corrected for body size; high positive residuals represent high speeds for a given size. Note that the linear regression is close to isometric (slope=1.0).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pectoral fin morphology and swimming performance in the field (a, b, c) and under experimental conditions (d, e, f) for three reef fish families (the Acanthuridae, Labridae and Pomacentridae, respectively). Experimental speeds are the maximum speeds reached using pectoral fins only (Upc). Vertical axes have been corrected for body size; high positive values represent high speeds for a given size. The range of actual speeds and correlations are given in table 1. Dotted lines indicate 95% confidence limits.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between pectoral fin aspect ratio and net water velocity (after Fulton & Bellwood 2005) for each of the families (a) Acanthuridae (r=0.901, p<0.01), (b) Labridae (r=0.656, p<0.05) and (c) Pomacentridae (r=0.689, p<0.01). Fin aspect ratio values were calculated as the average of all individuals of that family within each habitat. Dotted lines indicate 95% confidence limits. (d) Location of censused habitats among four different exposures around Lizard Island (filled squares), with the different habitat zones indicated for each in parentheses.
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References

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