Intertidal life: field observations on the clingfish Gobiesox barbatulus in southeastern Brazil

Pires, Tiago; Gibran, Fernando Zaniolo

doi:10.1590/s1679-62252011005000001

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…However, if too many higher macroalgae were growing on the surface, the fish was unable to cling onto the surface (P.D., personal observation). Our observation is in accordance with the field observations for the sister species Gobiesox barbatulus, which prefers habitats with little or no periphyton and macroalgae (Pires and Gibran, 2011).…”

Section: Fouling and Surface Roughnesssupporting

confidence: 92%

Attachment to challenging substrates – fouling, roughness and limits of adhesion in the northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus)

Ditsche

Wainwright

Summers

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Northern clingfish use a ventral suction disc to stick to rough substrates in the intertidal zone. Bacteria, algae and invertebrates grow on these surfaces (fouling) and change the surface properties of the primary substrate, and therefore the attachment conditions for benthic organisms. In this study, we investigate the influence of fouling and surface roughness on the adhesive strength of northern clingfish, Gobiesox maeandricus. We measured clingfish tenacity on unfouled and fouled substrates over four surface roughnesses. We exposed surfaces for 6 weeks in the Pacific Ocean, until they were covered with periphyton. Clingfish tenacity is equivalent on both fouled and unfouled smooth substrates; however, tenacity on fouled rough surfaces is less compared with tenacity on unfouled ones. We hypothesize that parts of biofilm may act as a lubricant and decrease friction of the disc margin, thereby making disc margins slip inwards and fail at lower tenacities. Nevertheless, even on fouled surfaces the adhesive forces are approximately 150 times the body weight of the fish. To identify the upper threshold of surface roughness the fish can cling to, we tested seven unfouled substrates of increasing surface roughness. The threshold roughness at which northern clingfish failed increased with specimen size. We hypothesize that because of the elastic properties of the disc margin, a larger disc can adapt to larger surface irregularities. The largest specimens (length 10-12 cm) were able to cling to surfaces with 2-4 mm grain size. The fish can attach to surfaces with roughness between 2 and 9% of the suction disc width.

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Section: Fouling and Surface Roughnesssupporting

confidence: 92%

Attachment to challenging substrates – fouling, roughness and limits of adhesion in the northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus)

Ditsche

Wainwright

Summers

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Species in bold type were not observed during the censuses. Trophic groups based in data from underwater observations and stomach content analysis in Gibran & Castro (1999), Gibran (2007) and Pires & Gibran (2011), and additional literature (Randall, 1996;Carvalho-Filho, 1999;Santos, 2005) -but see Ferreira et al (2004) for categories' details. Species observed only during the collecting activities, photo or video records are marked with an "x" (presence) or "-" (absence).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The structure of rocky reef fish assemblages across a nearshore to coastal islands' gradient in Southeastern Brazil

Gibran

Moura

2012

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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Local assemblages of fishes associated with reefs are influenced by interactions among the availability of larvae and survival of recruits with subsequent biotic and abiotic forcing, as well as by periodic and episodic disturbances of varying natures and magnitudes. Therefore, besides being structurally heterogeneous and patchily distributed, reef systems are strongly contextdependent due to the influence of a broad array of ecological processes. In order to assess interactions of local factors that influence the distribution and abundance of reef fishes within a coastal mosaic of rocky reefs, we tested the null hypothesis of no significant variation in fish assemblage structure, by comparing 33 sites along the northern coast of the São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil. Replicated stationary visual census samples (n = 396) were obtained at different distances from the coast, depths and wave exposures, including the mainland, three relatively small coastal islands, and the two margins of a wide channel between the mainland and the large São Sebastião Island (~350 km 2 ), totaling 225 h of SCUBA diving. The regional rocky shore fish fauna comprised 106 species (41 families), with preponderance of diurnal mobile-invertebrate feeders. Samples from the outer margin of the São Sebastião Island, together with those from Alcatrazes, Búzios, and Vitória islands were significantly dissimilar from samples from the coastal sites at the São Sebastião Channel. Species richness tended to increase in a gradient from the coast to the more offshore islands. Local conditions such as depth and other habitat characteristics also influenced fish assemblages' structure. Distance from coast and depth were the main predictors for fish assemblages, followed by water transparency, temperature and benthic cover. This study represents the first regional-scale assessment of fish assemblages associated with rocky reefs in the São Paulo State coast, filling a major geographic knowledge gap in the South Atlantic. As the study region is experiencing fast coastal development and growing threats from seaport expansion, oil and gas exploitation, as well as increasing fishing and tourism pressure, the understanding of the underlying factors that influence the distribution and abundance of the reef-associated biota comprises a relevant baseline for monitoring, conservation planning and management.Assembleias locais de peixes associados a recifes são influenciadas pela interação entre a disponibilidade de larvas e recrutas e as forças bióticas e abióticas que operam após o recrutamento, assim como por perturbações periódicas e episódicas de diversos tipos e magnitudes. Dessa forma, além de serem estruturalmente heterogêneos e irregularmente distribuídos, os sistemas recifais são altamente dependentes do contexto em que se inserem. Com o objetivo de compreender interações de fatores locais que influenciam a distribuição e abundância de peixes recifais em um mosaico costeiro de recifes rochosos, testamos a hipótese nula de inexistência de variação signi...

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“…Relative length of the digestive tract RLDT = LDT/SL Foraging Higher values are associated with omnivorous or herbivorous diets (Boyle & Horn, 2006 (Miller et al, 1989) Carnivore (Macieira et al, 2012) Family Serranidae Epinephelus itajara (Lichtenstein, 1822) (Barreiros et al, 2004) Carnivore (Pires & Gibran, 2011) Table 2. cont. Fish species collected from tide pools in 2011 in Salinópolis, Maracanã, and Curuçá, their catalog numbers at the ichthyological collection of the Museu Goeldi, the relative abundance (RA), frequency of occurrence (FO), dominance, residence status, and trophic guild.…”

Section: Protrusion Index Pi = Lom/lcsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecomorphological patterns of the fishes inhabiting the tide pools of the Amazonian Coastal Zone, Brazil

2013

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The present study was based on the identification of the ecomorphological patterns that characterize the fish species found in tide pools in the Amazonian Coastal Zone (ACZ) in the Pará State, Brazil. Representatives of 19 species were collected during two field campaigns in 2011. The dominance, residence status, and trophic guild of each species were established, and morphometric data were obtained for up to 10 specimens of each species. A total of 23 ecomorphological attributes related to locomotion, position in the water column, and foraging behavior were calculated for the analysis of ecomorphological distance. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was utilized for the evaluation of ecomorphological attributes that explained the variation among species. Mantel Test was used to correlate the taxonomic distance with species' morphological patterns and a partial Mantel Test to analyze the correlation among trophic guilds and ecomorphological patterns, controlling the effects of taxonomic distance among species. The analyses revealed two principal axes of the variation related to locomotion, correlated with the width of the caudal peduncle and the shape of the anal fin, as well as the influence of taxonomic distance on the ecomorphological characteristics of the different species. The dominant and resident species both presented a reduced capacity for continuous swimming. The two principal axes identified in relation to the position of the fish in the water column were correlated with the position of the eyes, the area of the pelvic fin, and body shape, with evidence of the influence of taxonomic distance on the morphology of the species. PCA grouped species with pelagic habits with benthonic ones. In the case of foraging behavior, the two principal axes formed by the analysis correlated with the size of the mouth, eye size, and the length of the digestive tract. Species of different guilds were grouped together, indicating a weak relationship between morphology and foraging behavior, and no relationship was found with taxonomic distance. The resident and dominant species in the tide pools of the ACZ present sedentary habits, with little evidence of the influence of taxonomic distance on the use of habitats or morphology, which was a poor indicator of foraging strategies, and showing that phylogenetically distant species could present similar ecomorphological patterns.Identificamos padrões ecomorfológicos que refletem a ecologia de espécies encontradas em poças de maré na Zona Costeira Amazônica (ZCA). Indivíduos de 19 espécies foram coletados no estado do Pará durante duas expedições em 2011. Foram estabelecidas dominância, grau de residência, guildas tróficas e tomadas medidas morfométricas de até 10 indivíduos de cada espécie. Calculou-se 23 atributos ecomorfológicos relacionados à locomoção, posição e forrageio, utilizados para o cálculo da distância ecomorfológica. Foram utilizadas Análises de Componentes Principais (PCA) para avaliar que atributos ecomorfológicos explicaram a variação entre as espécies. O tes...

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Intertidal life: field observations on the clingfish Gobiesox barbatulus in southeastern Brazil

Cited by 14 publications

References 23 publications

Attachment to challenging substrates – fouling, roughness and limits of adhesion in the northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus)

Attachment to challenging substrates – fouling, roughness and limits of adhesion in the northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus)

The structure of rocky reef fish assemblages across a nearshore to coastal islands' gradient in Southeastern Brazil

Ecomorphological patterns of the fishes inhabiting the tide pools of the Amazonian Coastal Zone, Brazil

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