Journal article
Temperature tolerance comparisons among juvenile reef fishes from a beachrock nusery in Dry Tortugas National Park
Florida Scientist, Vol.75(4), pp.242-248
75
2012
Abstract
Beachrock formations in Dry Tortugas National Park, USA, function as important nursery habitats for many reef fishes. During low tide, the northeast Loggerhead Key nursery is reduced to a series of small rockpools exposing fish to rapid and sometimes extreme temperature
changes. We estimated the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of juvenile frillfin goby, Bathygobius soporator, sergeant major, Abudefduf saxatilis, cocoa damselfish, Stegastes variabilis, and sailors choice, Haemulon parra, collected from nursery pools. Frillfin goby exhibited the highest CTmax (40.1 ± 0.20°C) followed by sergeant major (39.0 ± 0.11 °C), cocoa damselfish (38.3 ± 0.09°C), and sailors choice (36.8 ± 0.42 °C). All CTmax measures were statistically distinct and when compared to likely rockpool temperatures, suggest that juvenile fishes may depend on both physiological and behavioral adaptations to cope with rapidly fluctuating nursery temperatures.
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Details
- Title
- Temperature tolerance comparisons among juvenile reef fishes from a beachrock nusery in Dry Tortugas National Park
- Publication Details
- Florida Scientist, Vol.75(4), pp.242-248
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Florida Academy of Sciences, Inc.; United States
- Series
- 75
- Copyright
- © Florida Academy of Sciences. 2012
- Identifiers
- 99380090652806600
- Academic Unit
- Public Health
- Language
- English