The Influence of Presettlement Habitat Preference and Behavior on Settlement Patterns of Benthic Reef Fish

补充的空间和时间模式可以强烈地影响动物的丰度和分布，以及生活史特征的演变。大多数底栖鱼和底层鱼的幼体抵达具有良好游泳和感官能力的珊瑚礁，因此有可能通过控制它们在哪里和何时定居来强烈影响招募模式。这项研究将通过实验检验幼虫行为在决定牡蛎礁常见的底栖鱼定居模式中的作用。之所以选择裸体虎鱼，是因为它的幼体在定居前经历了一个底层学校阶段。本物种的幼虫极其丰富，很容易观察到。Brietburg博士和他的合作者将关注幼虫行为的两个方面：(1)幼虫行为如何影响定居前的分布和扩散模式，进而影响定居的空间模式。这两个过程对最终的招募模式极其重要，因为它们可以确定哪些其他物种影响幼虫的生存和运动、新兵的空间分布、定居后扩散的必要性以及依赖密度的相互作用的重要性。

Spatial and temporal patterns of recruitment can strongly influence both the abundance and distribution of animals, as well as the evolution of life history characteristics. Larvae of most benthic and demersal fishes arrive on reefs with well-developed swimming and sensory capabilities and therefore, have the potential to strongly influence the pattern of recruitment by controlling where and when they settle. This research will experimentally examine the role of larval behavior in determining the pattern of settlement of a benthic fish common to oyster reefs. The naked goby was chosen because its larvae undergo a demersal schooling phase prior to settlement. Larvae of this species are extremely abundant and can be easily observed. Dr. Brietburg and collaborators will focus on two aspects of larval behavior (1) how larval behavior influences pre-settlement distribution and dispersion patterns, in turn, influence spatial patterns of settlement. These two processes are extremely important to the ultimate patterns of recruitment because they can determine which other species influence larval survival and movement, the spatial distribution of recruits, the need for post-settlement dispersal and the importance of density-dependent interactions.