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Repeated cyclone events reveal potential causes of sociality in coral-dwelling Gobiodon fishes

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  • Martin L Hing
  • O Selma Klanten
  • Mark Dowton
  • Kylie R Brown
  • Marian Y L Wong

Abstract

Social organization is a key factor influencing a species’ foraging and reproduction, which may ultimately affect their survival and ability to recover from catastrophic disturbance. Severe weather events such as cyclones can have devastating impacts to the physical structure of coral reefs and on the abundance and distribution of its faunal communities. Despite the importance of social organization to a species’ survival, relatively little is known about how major disturbances such as tropical cyclones may affect social structures or how different social strategies affect a species’ ability to cope with disturbance. We sampled group sizes and coral sizes of group-forming and pair-forming species of the Gobiid genus Gobiodon at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, before and after two successive category 4 tropical cyclones. Group sizes of group-forming species decreased after each cyclone, but showed signs of recovery four months after the first cyclone. A similar increase in group sizes was not evident in group-forming species after the second cyclone. There was no change in mean pair-forming group size after either cyclone. Coral sizes inhabited by both group- and pair-forming species decreased throughout the study, meaning that group-forming species were forced to occupy smaller corals on average than before cyclone activity. This may reduce their capacity to maintain larger group sizes through multiple processes. We discuss these patterns in light of two non-exclusive hypotheses regarding the drivers of sociality in Gobiodon, suggesting that benefits of philopatry with regards to habitat quality may underpin the formation of social groups in this genus.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin L Hing & O Selma Klanten & Mark Dowton & Kylie R Brown & Marian Y L Wong, 2018. "Repeated cyclone events reveal potential causes of sociality in coral-dwelling Gobiodon fishes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-22, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0202407
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202407
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kristen E. Lucia & Brian Keane & Loren D. Hayes & Y. Kirk Lin & Robert L. Schaefer & Nancy G. Solomon, 2008. "Philopatry in prairie voles: an evaluation of the habitat saturation hypothesis," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 19(4), pages 774-783.
    2. Peter Buston, 2003. "Forcible eviction and prevention of recruitment in the clown anemonefish," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 14(4), pages 576-582, July.
    3. Peter Buston, 2003. "Size and growth modification in clownfish," Nature, Nature, vol. 424(6945), pages 145-146, July.
    4. Tzo Zen Ang & Andrea Manica, 2010. "Unavoidable limits on group size in a body size-based linear hierarchy," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 21(4), pages 819-825.
    5. Marian Y. L. Wong & Philip L. Munday & Peter M. Buston & Geoffrey P. Jones, 2008. "Monogamy when there is potential for polygyny: tests of multiple hypotheses in a group-living fish," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 19(2), pages 353-361.
    6. Dik Heg & Susan Rothenberger & Roger Schürch, 2011. "Habitat saturation, benefits of philopatry, relatedness, and the extent of co-operative breeding in a cichlid," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 22(1), pages 82-92.
    7. Hanna Kokko & Rufus A. Johnstone & J. Wright, 2002. "The evolution of parental and alloparental effort in cooperatively breeding groups: when should helpers pay to stay?," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 13(3), pages 291-300, May.
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