Environmental conditions and paternal care determine hatching synchronicity of coral reef fish larvae

Chaput, Romain; Majoris, John E.; Guigand, Cédric M.; Huse, Megan; D’Alessandro, Evan K.

doi:10.1007/s00227-019-3564-7

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The wide window of hatching competence in this species (range: 80–224 hpf) suggests that male gobies may have the ability to either accelerate or delay hatching in response to environmental cues that indicate the optimal time for their embryos to hatch. Many reef fishes engage in vigorous fanning and mouthing activity on the night of hatching [50]. If these behaviours are a form of parent–offspring communication that induces hatching [51], then parental hatching regulation could be common in demersal spawning fishes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Newly hatched reef fishes are particularly vulnerable to predation as they transition from the benthos to the pelagic environment where they complete larval development. Hatching after dark is thought to be an adaptive behaviour that helps larvae avoid reef-based planktivorous predators [52], and may help to explain why many reef fishes hatch shortly after sunset [40,50]. For E. colini, in contrast, hatching during sunrise could induce the phototactic hatchlings to immediately swim up and away from the reef before planktivores begin feeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Paternal care regulates the timing, synchrony and success of hatching in a coral reef fish

et al. 2022

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In oviparous species, the timing of hatching is a crucial decision, but for developing embryos, assessing cues that indicate the optimal time to hatch is challenging. In species with pre-hatching parental care, parents can assess environmental conditions and induce their offspring to hatch. We provide the first documentation of parental hatching regulation in a coral reef fish, demonstrating that male neon gobies ( Elacatinus colini ) directly regulate hatching by removing embryos from the clutch and spitting hatchlings into the water column. All male gobies synchronized hatching within 2 h of sunrise, regardless of when eggs were laid. Paternally incubated embryos hatched later in development, more synchronously, and had higher hatching success than artificially incubated embryos that were shaken to provide a vibrational stimulus or not stimulated. Artificially incubated embryos displayed substantial plasticity in hatching times (range: 80–224 h post-fertilization), suggesting that males could respond to environmental heterogeneity by modifying the hatching time of their offspring. Finally, paternally incubated embryos hatched with smaller yolk sacs and larger propulsive areas than artificially incubated embryos, suggesting that paternal effects on hatchling phenotypes may influence larval dispersal and fitness. These findings highlight the complexity of fish parental care behaviour and may have important, and currently unstudied, consequences for fish population dynamics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paternal care regulates the timing, synchrony and success of hatching in a coral reef fish

et al. 2022

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“…Adult E. lori lay demersal eggs on the inner wall of tube sponges 35 . After hatching, the larvae leave the sponge and develop in the upper water column for 26 ± 3.6 d before locating reef habitat and settling on a tube sponge 36 – 38 . The estimated median dispersal distance for E. lori larvae is 1.7 km with no observed dispersal events exceeding 16.4 km 36 , and these estimates of dispersal have been validated via sibship reconstruction 39 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An integrative investigation of sensory organ development and orientation behavior throughout the larval phase of a coral reef fish

Majoris

Foretich

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The dispersal of marine larvae determines the level of connectivity among populations, influences population dynamics, and affects evolutionary processes. Patterns of dispersal are influenced by both ocean currents and larval behavior, yet the role of behavior remains poorly understood. Here we report the first integrated study of the ontogeny of multiple sensory systems and orientation behavior throughout the larval phase of a coral reef fish—the neon goby, Elacatinus lori. We document the developmental morphology of all major sensory organs (lateral line, visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory) together with the development of larval swimming and orientation behaviors observed in a circular arena set adrift at sea. We show that all sensory organs are present at hatch and increase in size (or number) and complexity throughout the larval phase. Further, we demonstrate that most larvae can orient as early as 2 days post-hatch, and they swim faster and straighter as they develop. We conclude that sensory organs and swimming abilities are sufficiently developed to allow E. lori larvae to orient soon after hatch, suggesting that early orientation behavior may be common among coral reef fishes. Finally, we provide a framework for testing alternative hypotheses for the orientation strategies used by fish larvae, laying a foundation for a deeper understanding of the role of behavior in shaping dispersal patterns in the sea.

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“…Although the diurnal parenting behaviors of clownfish are well documented, little is known about parental care behaviors at night. Most reef fish embryos hatch at night and observations of nocturnal parental care behaviors have revealed some reef fishes provide specialized care that assists or regulates the hatching process (Chaput et al, 2019;Majoris et al, 2022). Anecdotal observations in A. percula suggest that nocturnal parental care may occur throughout development and be particularly prevalent on the night of hatching: at the time of hatching, parents vigorously interact with their embryos and appear to increase their typical care behaviors, such as fanning and mouthing (J. Majoris, personal observations).…”

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Nocturnal parental care and the role of parents in hatching their eggs in the clown anemonefish

et al. 2023

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Parental care is a critical component of many breeding systems that enhances both parent and offspring fitness. It is widely recognized that parental care varies in quality and quantity in response to variation in offspring need, parental condition, and ecological context. One context that has been underexplored, however, is the presence of extensive parental care at night, with many parental care studies focused on diurnal care. To fully understand the evolution of parental care, both diurnal and nocturnal care must be accounted for. Here, we show that nocturnal parental care exists in the clownfish Amphiprion percula, with males and females actively caring for offspring at night throughout embryo development and during hatching within a laboratory setting. At night, as during the day, males continue to be the dominant caregiver and both parents increase care as embryos mature. However, females provide substantially more care at night than during the day. We also document three new parental care behaviors at night that are not seen during the day: vigorous fanning, vigorous mouthing, and anemone biting. These behaviors are particularly frequent during hatching, and they may serve to assist the hatching process by helping embryos transition from the benthic to the pelagic environment. This study contributes to our understanding of parental care, demonstrating the importance of considering nocturnal care if we are to gain a complete understanding of the evolution of parental care.

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Environmental conditions and paternal care determine hatching synchronicity of coral reef fish larvae

Cited by 6 publications

References 59 publications

Paternal care regulates the timing, synchrony and success of hatching in a coral reef fish

Paternal care regulates the timing, synchrony and success of hatching in a coral reef fish

An integrative investigation of sensory organ development and orientation behavior throughout the larval phase of a coral reef fish

Nocturnal parental care and the role of parents in hatching their eggs in the clown anemonefish

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