Fish have favorite hangouts

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Fish have favorite hangouts

May 08, 2012 - 20:31
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Big fish show a marked preference for sheltering under large, flat table corals, as opposed to branching corals or massive corals, Australian scientists have found.

In a study that covered 17 separate locations round Lizard Island in far North Queensland, researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University videoed the behaviour of large reef fish, allowing them to identify the kind of habitat they most preferred and depended on.

”The reason for the fishes’ preference is not yet clear—but possibilities include hiding from predators such as sharks, shading themselves from ultraviolet sunlight, or lying in ambush for prey.

The importance of this finding is that table corals are among the types most vulnerable to climate change,” Professor David Bellwood explained. “In shallow waters and on the tops of reefs, they are often the main source of cover for these big fish. If they die back as a result of bleaching or disease, or are destroyed by storm surges, this would strip the reef of one of its main attractions, from a coral trout’s viewpoint.”

While the team is planning further experiments to clarify the reasons for the fishes’ shelter preferences, their early findings may provide a useful insight to reef managers, about the importance of trying to maintain a range of structures and shelters as climate change bears down on the Great Barrier Reef, including the highly susceptible tabular corals.

The reason for the fishes’ preference is not yet clear – but possibilities include hiding from predators such as sharks, shading themselves from ultraviolet sunlight, or lying in ambush for prey. The importance of this finding is that table corals are among the types most vulnerable to climate change.

—Professor David Bellwood