Other Techniques: Difference between revisions

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#***When coral mucus was artificially dispersed, fish assembled and avidly ingested it
#***When coral mucus was artificially dispersed, fish assembled and avidly ingested it
#***Conclusion: coral mucus is an important food source for reef inhabitants and could be an energy source linking the coral producer and small fish consumers in reef communities
#***Conclusion: coral mucus is an important food source for reef inhabitants and could be an energy source linking the coral producer and small fish consumers in reef communities
#**Example: Ornate Butterfly Fish has been shown to consume large quantities of coral when feeding <ref name="fishchannel">http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/saltwater-conditions/marine-fish-feeding-guilds.aspx</ref><ref name="cole">Cole 2008</ref>
#**Example: Ornate Butterfly Fish has been shown to consume large quantities of coral when feeding <ref name="fishchannel">http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/saltwater-conditions/marine-fish-feeding-guilds.aspx</ref><ref name="cole">Cole, Andrew J., Morgan S. Pratchett, and Geoffrey P. Jones. "Diversity and Functional Importance of Coral-feeding Fishes on Tropical Coral Reefs." Fish and Fisheries 9 (2008): 1-22.</ref>
#*Scavengers
#*Scavengers
#**Carrion not common on coral reefs <ref name="rassweiler">Rassweiler, Andrew, and Thomas Rassweiler. "Does Rapid Scavenging Hide Non-predation Mortality in Coral-reef Communities?" Marine and Freshwater Research 62 (2011): 510-15.</ref>
#**Carrion not common on coral reefs <ref name="rassweiler">Rassweiler, Andrew, and Thomas Rassweiler. "Does Rapid Scavenging Hide Non-predation Mortality in Coral-reef Communities?" Marine and Freshwater Research 62 (2011): 510-15.</ref>

Revision as of 21:39, 23 February 2015

Other Techniques

  1. Suspension Feeders
    • Distinguished from filter feeders because they actively capture food particles from the water with tentacles [1]
    • strategy adopted by members of Anthozoa and Hydrozoa class - includes scleractinian corals, octocorals, and crinoids[1]
    • Example: Corals
      • Supplements food derived from Zooxanthellae [1]
      • Usually occurs at night[1]
      • polyp extends tentacles out from body where they encounter small fish, zooplankton, bacterioplankton, etc. [2]
        • surface of each tentacle has thousands of stinging cells known as nematocyts[2]
        • nematocysts are fired when prey swims or floats by, stunning or killing it before being passed to the mouth of the polyp[2]
      • mucus suspension feeders - some species collect fine particles in mucous film or strands, which are drawn by cilia into the polyp's mouth[2]
  2. Planktivores - Eat plankton. Include fishes such as Blue Chromis, Brown Chromis, and Creole Wrasse [3]
      • Physical Properties
        • tend to have small bodies that are streamlined and have forked tails to enhance propulsion [4]
        • catching tiny fragile plankton requires small mouth without strongly developed teeth but with jaws capable of rapid and extensive protrusion to snatch the prey[4]
        • smaller species tend to have monochromatic coloring - makes it harder for predators to see them [3]
        • keen eyesight and binocular vision to pick out and catch plankton [3]
      • Behavioral Properties
        • One study found that planktivores were most likely to be found on the incurrent side of the reef, where there was an input of zooplankton [5]
        • Large species such as Whale Shark or Giant Manta swim through water column with open mouth to catch plankton. Don't need to worry about predators due to size [3]
          • Whale shark = filter feeder using ram feeding - "rams" water and food (plankton) through the filtering pads covering the entrance to their throat [6]
        • Smaller species often found in schools if feeding off reef - subject to more predation [3]
        • some species feed off bottom of reef keep belly close to substrate [3]
          • Yellowhead Jawfish - inhabit sandy bottoms and near holes - will retreat into holes if threatened [3]
          • Fairy Basslets - remain close to reef and keep belly hovering just over substrate[3]
        • Some species are nocturnal (Cardinalfishes, Squirrelfishes) [3]
          • distinguished by large, sensitive eyes[3]
          • hide under corals during day [3]
      • Effects of Planktivores
        • Affect density and composition of zooplankton passing over reef [7]
        • have potential to influence the abundance of larval forms leaving a reef or approaching to settle [7]
        • may be important source of coral mortality during coral spawning season [8]
        • Study at Poor Knights Islands - high biomass of planktivorous fish helped support large population of piscivores [7]
        • eat plankton offshore but defecate throughout the day on the reef - fecal material, not zooplankton, actually reaches the reef surface [9]
        • bring new material into the reef economy by foraging out into the seaward water column and retain reef materials that would otherwise be swept off the reef and out to sea (Hammer et al 1988)
  3. Detritivores: Consume dead organic material and return nutrients to the sediment. [10]
    • Definition of dead organic material: animal and plant remains, waste products, and the bacteria/microorganisms associated with waste products [11]
    • At least 3 reef fish families have been identified as feeding heavily on detritus in what is called the "epilithic algal matrix": Surgeonfishes, damselfishes, and blennies [11]
    • Hard Substrate Detritivores (most members of the Ctenochaetus genus) [11]
      • feeding technique: press jaw against substrate and then throw lower jaw upward[11]
      • effectively brushes particulate matter off of rock and dead corals, and also out of turf algae[11]
    • Sediment Detritivores
      • feeding technique: eat mouthfuls of sand and associated debris[11]
      • Example: orange-shoulder surgeonfish[11]
      • Example: Spotted Surgeonfish - Feeds by whisking comb-like teeth over the bottom as it closes its mouth [12]
    • Algal Detritivores
      • Technique: scape algae off of hard surface, along with associated filamentous algae, diatoms, detritus, and sand (eat some algae, but primary source of nutrition is detritus within algae) [13]
      • Example: Combtooth Blennies [13]
    • Mucus-feeders: "consume only coral mucus without removing any other live coral tissue or underlying skeleton" [14]
      • coral mucus contains energy-rich wax esters, fatty acids, and triglycerides, which provide valuable source of energy for many fish [11][14][15]
      • Corals produce a lot of mucus, producing 51-480 mg m^-2 d^-1 [15]
      • Study by Bensen and Muscatine (1974) [16]
        • When coral mucus was artificially dispersed, fish assembled and avidly ingested it
        • Conclusion: coral mucus is an important food source for reef inhabitants and could be an energy source linking the coral producer and small fish consumers in reef communities
      • Example: Ornate Butterfly Fish has been shown to consume large quantities of coral when feeding [11][17]
    • Scavengers
      • Carrion not common on coral reefs [18]
      • One study found that all carrion left on reef was consumed within 24 hours at very rapid rates - indicates that scavenged biomass is tightly recycled within the reef fish community[18]
      • Example: Tiger Shark [19]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/aquaculture-a-husbandry-4/filter-feeders
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.coris.noaa.gov/retired/CoRIS_About_Coral_Reefs_archive_2014.pdf
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151487/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/reptiles-amphibians-fish/reef-life/session2/index.html
  5. ↑ http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/48/m048p103.pdf
  6. ↑ http://www.cas.usf.edu/news/s/89
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/48/m048p103.pdf
  8. ↑ Westneat and Resnig 1988
  9. ↑ Hammer et al 1988
  10. ↑ http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/coral-reef-food-web/?ar_a=1
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/saltwater-conditions/marine-fish-feeding-guilds.aspx
  12. ↑ http://www.fishbase.org/summary/6015
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/ber-algae-eaters-the-lawnmower-blennies-full-article.htm
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Rotjan, Randi D. "Impact of Coral Predators on Tropical Reefs." Marine Ecology Progress Series 367 (2008): 73-91. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Rotjan" defined multiple times with different content
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Coffroth 1984
  16. ↑ Benson and Muscatine 1974, http://aslo.net/lo/toc/vol_19/issue_5/0810.pdf
  17. ↑ Cole, Andrew J., Morgan S. Pratchett, and Geoffrey P. Jones. "Diversity and Functional Importance of Coral-feeding Fishes on Tropical Coral Reefs." Fish and Fisheries 9 (2008): 1-22.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Rassweiler, Andrew, and Thomas Rassweiler. "Does Rapid Scavenging Hide Non-predation Mortality in Coral-reef Communities?" Marine and Freshwater Research 62 (2011): 510-15.
  19. ↑ http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=37
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