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- Does consistent individual variability in pelagic fish larval behaviour affect recruitment in nursery habitats?Publication . Baptista, Vânia; Costa, Eudriano; Carere, Claudio; Morais, Pedro; Cruz, Joana; Cerveira, Inês; Castanho, Sara; Ribeiro, Laura; Pousao-Ferreira, Pedro; Leitão, Francisco; Teodosio, MariaIndividual animals across all taxa differ consistently in behaviour, i.e. they show personality traits. This inter-individual variability has significant ecological and evolutionary consequences, since it affects a range of population-level processes. Here, we focus on the selection and recruitment of nursery habitats in temperate fish larvae. The "Sense Acuity and Behavioural Hypothesis" has proposed that fish larvae could detect and follow environmental cues to actively choose suitable nursery habitats. We empirically tested this hypothesis questioning if this non-random active process occurs and if it could be linked to consistency in individual behaviours. Individual larvae of the white seabream Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758) were tested repeatedly at different ages in a two-channel choice-chamber apparatus exposing them to a flow with different stimuli, as nursery habitats (lagoon, coastal), different temperatures or salinities and recording exploratory activity and preference in the different conditions. Most larvae changed behaviour during ontogeny, but they were also significantly consistent in their behaviour, revealing strong individuality; yet, no significant preference for the presented stimuli emerged, nor it was related to individuality. Exploratory activity was higher when larvae showed unresponsive or inconclusive behaviours, meaning that the larvae tried to find a different stimulus from the one that we were offering or had random habitat selection. Individual behavioural consistency could influence the process of searching for suitable nursery habitats and, consequently, dispersion and connectivity of white seabream population. Characterizing the behaviour of temperate pelagic marine fish larvae may shed light on fish recruitment variability, help refining larval dispersion models and possibly help understanding effects of climate change on population distribution and connectivity. Significance statement A Chinese idiom says that "It is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character." What about fish? Well, fish can exhibit individuality traits that control autoecological and demecological processes. For example, shy fish have lower fitness while the rate of invasion progress is faster in populations with bolder individuals. Individuality studies rarely focused on fish larvae, except for coral fish. So, we tested if temperate fish larvae display consistent behaviour throughout ontogeny. This goal delves into the Sense Acuity And Behavioural Hypothesis which incorporated behaviour into the hypotheses deeming to explain fish recruitment variability. We found that temperate fish larvae display consistent individual behavioural differences in exploratory activity since early in ontogeny. This confirms the deterministic role of pelagic fish larvae behaviour on population connectivity processes, namely to control their dispersion and choose a nursery habitat.
- Assessing the impact of environmental forcing on the condition of anchovy larvae in the Cadiz Gulf using nucleic acid and fatty acid-derived indicesPublication . Teodosio, Maria; Garrido, Susana; Peters, J.; Miguel de Sousa Leitão, Francisco; Re, P.; Peliz, A.; Santos, A.M.P.Understanding the environmental processes affecting fish larvae survival is critical for population dynamics,"conservation purposes and to ecosystem-based fishery management. Using anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus) of the Cadiz Gulf as a study case and considering the "Ocean Triad" hypothesis, we investigate the larval ecophysiological status and potential survival in relation to oceanographic variables. Therefore, this study aims to describe the nutritional condition of anchovy larvae during spawning season (peak in summer) through nucleic acid- and fatty acid (FA)-derived indices and to analyze the effects of the major environmental parameters (Depth, Temperature, Salinity, Plankton biomass) on anchovy survival potential at early phases. Fish larvae were collected in August from 30 m to 400 m depth at 35 stations off the southern Iberian coast. A previous upwelling event influenced the oceanographic conditions of the more western stations off Cape Sao Vicente (CSV). Along the coast, the water became warmer from west to the east through Cape Santa Maria (CSM) ending at Guadiana estuary, where easterly winds originated the development of a counter current. The standardized RNA/ DNA (sRD) of anchovy larvae decreased throughout larval ontogeny, reflecting a reduction of growth during the development. Essential FA concentrations also decreased, but docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in particular was highly conserved even after the reduction of total FA concentration in anchovy larvae related to the onset of swimming abilities (post-flexion phase). The oceanographic conditions (west upwelling, east counter current, and stratification) led to a nearshore aggregation of plankton and anchovy larvae with good ecophysiological conditions in the central area of the southern coast, where an optimal range of temperature and chlorophyll, as an indirect food proxy for anchovy larval development, were registered. The study proves that the oceanographic conditions of the study area are putative drivers of the ecophysiological condition of anchovy larvae to guarantee potential survival, supporting the "Ocean Triad" hypothesis with major repercussions for recruitment and population dynamics.
- Modelling the ingress of a temperate fish larva into a nursery coastal lagoonPublication . Baptista, Vânia; Leitão, Francisco; Morais, Pedro; Teodosio, Maria; Wolanski, EricThe development of sensorial acuity and swimming capabilities of coastal fish larvae and their responses to coastal nursery cues are essential for recruitment success. Most studies of the response of fish larvae to environmental cues and their recruitment into nursery areas have focused on coral reef fish and only a few studies focused on fish species from temperate regions. The Sense Acuity and Behavioural (SAAB) Hypothesis proposes that fish larvae in temperate regions can sense nursery cues and ingress into estuarine ecosystems by using several active swimming strategies. We tested the SAAB hypothesis by studying the ingress of a temperate fish larvae - white seabream Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758) - into a coastal nursery area, the Ria Formosa Lagoon, Portugal. We combined the results from studies of sensory acuity, swimming capabilities and personality traits of post-flexion larvae with a fine-scale biophysical model to quantify the ingress of the white seabream into the lagoon. Data showed that the location of spawning sites and the directional swimming capabilities are both important for the successful ingress of white seabream larvae into the lagoon. Recruitment was higher when spawning grounds were located in areas with depths between 15.1 and 16.9 m and when post-flexion larvae used their directional swimming capabilities. The larvae ingressed passively into the lagoon with the tidal currents at pre-flexion stage and actively by using their directional swimming capabilities at post-flexion stage. Directional swimming also prevented larval export into the coastal area. When spawning occurred away from the seagrass smell plume emanating from the lagoon, the fish larvae were advected away and lost at sea. This work demonstrated the relevance of combining fish larvae behaviour and oceanography processes in modelling the dispersion of fish larvae to estimate recruitment.