It pays to be pushy: intracohort interference competition between two reef fishes.

ABSTRACT: Competition is often most intense between similar sized organisms that have similar ecological requirements. Many coral reef fish species settle preferentially to live coral at the end of their larval phase where they interact with other species that recruited to the same habitat patch at a similar time. Mortality is high and usually selective and individuals must compete for low risk space. This study examined the competitive interactions between two species of juvenile damselfish and the extent to which interactions that occurred within a recruitment cohort established the disjunct distribution patterns that were displayed in later life stages. Censuses and field experiments with juveniles found that one species, the ambon damsel, was dominant immediately after settlement and pushed the

SUBMITTER: McCormick MI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3416846 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature