Diel vertical movements of a coastal predator, the roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis)
Jeremy J. Vaudo
A D , Ryan K. Logan A , Bradley M. Wetherbee A B , Jessica C. Harvey C , Guy C. McN. Harvey A and Mahmood S. Shivji A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Guy Harvey Research Institute, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33004, USA.
B Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
C Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
D Corresponding author. Email: jvaudo@nova.edu
Marine and Freshwater Research 73(1) 125-132 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21066
Submitted: 23 February 2021 Accepted: 3 September 2021 Published: 4 November 2021
Abstract
The roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis) is a piscivorous predator targeted extensively in recreational fisheries throughout the eastern tropical Pacific; however, its biology is poorly understood. To address these shortcomings, we investigated vertical habitat use and behaviour of roosterfish in coastal Panama using pop-up satellite archival tags. Nearly 5000 h of vertical movement data across 274 days from five fish showed that roosterfish largely used the upper 10 m and 20 m of the water column during the night-time and daytime respectively, and rarely left the mixed layer. Roosterfish diving behaviour showed a clear diurnal pattern, with oscillatory dives beginning during dawn and continuing through dusk. Accelerometer data showed that this period was also associated with a sharp increase in activity during dawn and a decrease around sunset. Whereas previous work in shallow systems (<20 m) with limited structure showed that roosterfish were vertically active sporadically throughout the day and mostly during crepuscular periods, our study showed that in a habitat with continuous structure, roosterfish were continuously vertically active from dawn till dusk, possibly because foraging behaviours were limited by light levels rather than prey-congregating structure. Such changes in dive patterns illustrate how habitat influences behaviour and the importance of studying organisms throughout their range.
Keywords: accelerometry, archival tag, behavioural plasticity, dive behaviour, pelagic predator.
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