Class
Article
College
S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources
Faculty Mentor
Trisha Atwood
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Predator presence on reefs indirectly affects fishes foraging behavior. Satellite imagery has revealed “halo” patterns in vegetation growth around patch reefs in Heron Island, Australia. It is hypothesized that these patterns in vegetation are caused by predator-mediate effects on fish foraging behavior. A previous study at Heron Island and Panganng Island, Indonesia have indicated that shark presence drives these algae patterns. In my study, I investigated the major fish species responsible for creating the halo patterns in Heron Island lagoon. At three separate sites, I set three cameras at 10-meter increments from the patch reef to observe fish behavior at each distance. I analyzed the videos by quantifying the number of species foraging in the halo. These observations provide further insight into predator influence on individual fish species and the development and maintenance of algal halos.
Location
The South Atrium
Start Date
4-12-2018 12:00 PM
End Date
4-12-2018 1:15 PM
Fish Assemblages Around Patch Reefs at Heron Lagoon, Australia: Who Drives the Algae Halo Patterns?
The South Atrium
Predator presence on reefs indirectly affects fishes foraging behavior. Satellite imagery has revealed “halo” patterns in vegetation growth around patch reefs in Heron Island, Australia. It is hypothesized that these patterns in vegetation are caused by predator-mediate effects on fish foraging behavior. A previous study at Heron Island and Panganng Island, Indonesia have indicated that shark presence drives these algae patterns. In my study, I investigated the major fish species responsible for creating the halo patterns in Heron Island lagoon. At three separate sites, I set three cameras at 10-meter increments from the patch reef to observe fish behavior at each distance. I analyzed the videos by quantifying the number of species foraging in the halo. These observations provide further insight into predator influence on individual fish species and the development and maintenance of algal halos.