SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.31 issue1SELECTION OF MARINE FISHES FOR AQUACULTURE IN NORTHEASTERN VENEZUELAECHINODERMS COLLECTED BY CIOH-INVEMAR-SMITHSONIAN EXPEDITION FROM CARTAGENA TO GOLFO DE URABÁ, COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Journal

Article

Indicators

Related links

  • On index processCited by Google
  • Have no similar articlesSimilars in SciELO
  • On index processSimilars in Google

Share


Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras - INVEMAR

Print version ISSN 0122-9761

Abstract

SANTODOMINGO, Nadiezhda; RODRIGUEZ-RAMIREZ, Alberto  and  GARZON-FERREIRA, Jaime. TERRITORIES OF THE POMACENTRID FISH STEGASTES PLANIFRONS IN CORAL REEFS AT THE NATURAL NATIONAL TAYRONA PARK, COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN: A GENERAL OVERVIEW. Bol. Invest. Mar. Cost. [online]. 2002, vol.31, n.1, pp.65-84. ISSN 0122-9761.

The pomacentrid Stegastes planifrons is one of the most conspicuous inhabitants of the coral reefs and constitutes an important agent of natural coral mortality. These fishes kill coral directly by removing coral polyps for opening up an space for its algal turfs, which are their main food. The population density, territory and algal turfs areas of Stegastes planifrons were assessed at Chengue and Gayraca bays in Tayrona Natural Park, as a contribution to understand natural processes involved in the coral reef deterioration. During August to November 1999, belt transects (20 x 2 m) were evaluated at four reef habitat types: multispecific coral assemblages dominated by (1) Colpophyllia natans (COLP) or (2) Montastraea spp. (MONT); and monospecific coral stands of (3) Acropora palmata (APAL) or (4) A. cervicornis (ACER). In total 457 fishes were censused: 21% juveniles (2.6±0.6 cm), 3% subadults or intermediates (6.6±0.5 cm) and 76% adults (12.6±0.2 cm). The highest density of S. planifrons was observed in the ACER (1.52 terr*m-2) despite this habitat is very degraded. Lower densities were found in the others habitats (~0.5 terr*m-2), but this indicates that the fish is using also alternative habitats. The algal turf size was around 0.1 m2 and significatively lowest at APAL (0.07 m2), due to the high regeneration and growth rates of A. palmata, which balance the frequent fish biting. The high densities and algal turf size of S. planifrons suggest an important role of this fish in the natural mortality and dynamics of Tayrona coral communities.

Keywords : Stegastes planifrons; territoriality; Tayrona park; coral reef.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )