Settlement and ontogenetic migrations of reef fish and the effects of iron contamination on the perception of the environment

• Grant number: 22/11036-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Ronaldo Bastos Francini Filho
• Grantee: Juliana de Andrade Souza
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/13755-4 - Assessing the effects of runoff turbidity on habitat use of the invasive blacktail snapper (Lutjanus fulvus) in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Larvae of reef fish generally settle in shallow and complex coastal habitats, which are recognized as nurseries. During ontogenetic development, individuals migrate along the continental shelf until they reach reproductive areas, located mainly on deeper reefs and away from the coast. Latitudinal differences in the environment (e.g. seasonal temperature patterns) and in the composition of fish assemblages (e.g. variation in fish size) can cause adaptive responses in species/assemblies and alter ontogenetic migration patterns. Larval settlement and migration between habitats are mediated by sensory perception, such as olfactory cues from the environment. Consequently, anthropic impacts, such as chemical pollution, can hamper the ability to detect these clues and change the behavior and orientation of fish, especially in the phases immediately after settlement. The present study proposes (i) to describe the ontogenetic migration patterns of reef fish in a tropical (low seasonal temperature variation) and a subtropical (high seasonal temperature variation) region, (ii) to evaluate the influence of environmental parameters (i.e., structure and complexity of macrohabitats, temperature, risk of predation) on these migration patterns, and (iii) to assess the effects of pollution on the ability to perceive olfactory cues from the environment, on the choice of microhabitats and on agonistic behavior throughout the ontogenetic development of reef fish.