Determining trigger values of suspended sediment for behavioral changes in a coral reef fish

作者：Wenger Amelia S^*; McCormick Mark I

来源：Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2013, 70(1-2): 73-80.

DOI：10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.02.014

• Suspended sediment
• Turbidity
• Coral reef fish
• Habitat degradation
• Migration
• Threshold

Sediment from land use increases water turbidity and threatens the health of inshore coral reefs. This study performed experiments with a damselfish, Pomacentrus moluccensis, in four sediment treatments, control (0 mg l(-1)), 10 mg l(-1)(similar to 1.7 NTU), 20 mg l(-1)(similar to 3.3 NTU) and 30 mg l(-1) (similar to 5 NTU), to determine when sediment triggers a change in habitat use and movement. We reviewed the literature to assess how frequently P. moluccensis would experience sub-optimal sediment conditions on the reef. Preference for live coral declined from 49.4% to 23.3% and movement between habitats declined from 2.1 to 0.4 times between 20 mg l(-1) and 30 mg l(-1), suggesting a sediment threshold for behavioral changes. Inshore areas of the Great Barrier Reef, P. moluccensis may encounter sub-optimal conditions between 8% and 53% of the time. Changes in these vital processes may have long-term effects on the persistence of populations, particularly as habitat loss on coral reefs increases.

• 出版日期2013-5-15