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OAS accession Detail for 0157087, meta_version: 1. Current meta_version is: 12
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Title: Behavior of parrotfishes (Labridae, Scarinae) in St. Croix from 2016-07-06 to 2016-07-26 (NCEI Accession 0157087)
Abstract: To better understand the functional roles of parrotfishes on coral reefs in the Caribbean we documented the foraging behavior and diets of six species of parrotfishes (Scarus taeniopterus, Scarus vetula, Sparisoma aurofrenatum, Sparisoma chrysopterum, Sparisoma rubripinne, Sparisoma viride) at three locations (Long Reef, Cane Bay, and Buck Island) on the north shore of St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands. To quantify parrotfish behavior, approximately six individuals of each species were observed at each site for 20 min each. Foraging behavior was recorded by a SCUBA diver while towing a GPS receiver (Garmin GPS 72) attached to a surface float, which obtained position fixes of the focal fish at 15 s intervals. Fish were followed from a close distance (~ 2 m when possible), and food items were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible, with macroalgae and coral usually identified to genus or species. Many bites involved scraping or excavating substrate colonized by a multi-species assemblage of filamentous “turf” algae and crustose coralline algae (CCA). Thus, multiple species of filamentous algae, endolithic algae, and CCA could be harvested in a single bite, and it was impossible to determine the specific species of algae targeted. We also recorded the type of substrate targeted during each foraging bout, categorizing each substrate as one of the following: (1) dead coral, (2) coral pavement, (3) boulder, (4) rubble, (5) ledge, or (6) sand. Dead coral included both convex and concave surfaces on the vertical and horizontal planes of three dimensional coral skeletons that were attached to reef substrate. When possible we distinguished between dead Acropora palmata and dead coral substrate created by other species (e.g., Diploria spp., Orbicella spp. etc). Coral pavement was carbonate reef with little topographic complexity (i.e., flat limestone pavement). Boulder was large remnants of dead mounding corals not clearly attached to the bottom and often partially buried in sand. Coral rubble consisted of small dead coral fragments (generally
Date received: 20161128
Start date: 20160706
End date: 20160726
Seanames: Caribbean Sea
West boundary: -64.82
East boundary: -64.61
North boundary: 17.79
South boundary: 17.75
Observation types: in situ
Instrument types: camera, visual observation
Datatypes: ANIMALS - INDIVIDUAL - BEHAVIOR, CORAL - CENSUS
Submitter: Adam, Thomas C.
Submitting institution:
Collecting institutions:
Contributing projects: CRCP
Platforms:
Number of observations:
Supplementary information: Submission Package ID: FTFRP2
Availability date:
Metadata version: 1
Keydate: 2016-12-01 17:05:04+00
Editdate: 2016-12-01 17:05:09+00