Priority Effects in the Recruitment of Juvenile Coral Reef Fishes

Myra J. Shulman, John C. Ogden, John P. Ebersole, William N. McFarland, Steven L. Miller, Nancy G. Wolf

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Examined interactions among newly recruited juvenile fishes and between juvenile fishes and transplanted resident damselfish on artificial reefs in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Two kinds of priority effects occurred: 1) recruitment of 3 species of settling juveniles significantly decreased in the presence of the territorial damselfish, and 2) prior settlement of a juvenile predator lowered successful recruitment of 2 juvenile prey species. The 1st effect increases determinism in the structure of coral reef fish assemblages, while the 2nd decreased their predictability.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalEcology
Volume64
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 1983
Externally publishedYes

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