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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(8)

Investigating the association between pelagic fish and dimethylsulfoniopropionate in a natural coral reef system

Jennifer L. DeBose A B and Gabrielle A. Nevitt A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Center for Animal Behavior, Section of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

B Corresponding author. Email: jldebose@ucdavis.edu

Marine and Freshwater Research 58(8) 720-724 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF06195
Submitted: 19 October 2006  Accepted: 4 July 2007   Published: 20 August 2007

Abstract

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a biogenic chemical produced by marine algae that is associated with areas of high primary and secondary productivity in the ocean. In laboratory experiments, DMSP has been shown to be an effective feeding attractant for a variety of fresh and saltwater fishes, suggesting that it might also function as a foraging cue in the natural environment. Here we explore whether free-roaming pelagic fishes associate with periodic elevations of DMSP in their natural foraging habitat. Working in the vicinity of the coral reefs of the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico, we found that daily changes in the number of pelagic jack fishes (Carangidae) were significantly correlated with natural changes in concentrations of DMSP in the water column. These results provide the first evidence of a correlation between variation in the number of pelagic fishes and a specific habitat-associated chemical cue in the ocean.


Acknowledgements

This research was funded by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to JLD and conducted under permits FGBNMS-2003–003/2005–008. The authors thank S. Strom and K. Bright (Shannon Point Marine Center, WWU), G. Wolfe (CSU-Chico), and R. Kiene (Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory) for assistance with DMSP analysis; NOAA/FGBNMS for ship-time and E. Hickerson, G. P. Schmahl, D. Weaver, E. Platzer for field assistance. Comments by R. Kihslinger, S. Lema, A. Dittman, and three anonymous reviewers significantly improved this manuscript.


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