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With a little help from my friends: group orientation by larvae of a coral reef fish
Citation
Irisson, J-O and Paris, CB and Leis, JM and Yerman, MN, With a little help from my friends: group orientation by larvae of a coral reef fish, PLoS ONE, 10, (12) Article e0144060. ISSN 1932-6203 (2015) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2015 Irisson et al. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
DOI: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144060
Abstract
Theory and some empirical evidence suggest that groups of animals orient better than isolated
individuals. We present the first test of this hypothesis for pelagic marine larvae, at the
stage of settlement, when orientation is critical to find a habitat. We compare the in situ
behaviour of individuals and groups of 10–12 Chromis atripectoralis (reef fish of the family
Pomacentridae), off Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Larvae are observed by divers or with
a drifting image recording device. With both methods, groups orient cardinally while isolated
individuals do not display significant orientation. Groups also swim on a 15% straighter
course (i.e. are better at keeping a bearing) and 7% faster than individuals. A body of observations
collected in this study suggest that enhanced group orientation emerges from simple
group dynamics rather than from the presence of more skilful leaders.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | larva, fish, orientation, schooling, group behaviour |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Marine systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Marine biodiversity |
| UTAS Author: | Leis, JM (Dr Jeff Leis) |
| ID Code: | 105068 |
| Year Published: | 2015 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 25 |
| Deposited By: | IMAS Research and Education Centre |
| Deposited On: | 2015-12-05 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
| Downloads: | 654 View Download Statistics |
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