Evidence of Atlantic midshipman (Porichthys plectrodon) vocalizations from an unmanned surface vehicle in the U.S. South Atlantica).

An unmanned surface vehicle (USV; Wave Glider) was deployed to study the coastal soundscape in shallow (less than 30 m) coastal waters off the coast of Cape Canaveral, FL, in July 2020 and January 2022. These surveys documented temporal and seasonal trends in biological sounds across a variety of habitats within an 812-km2 survey area, including sand shoals, sand-mud plains, and natural hardbottom. Among a broader diversity of identifiable and unidentifiable fish choruses recorded during the survey, a distinct and previously unidentified fish chorus was recorded; corroborating evidence suggests it and other sounds with similar spectral properties may be produced by Atlantic midshipman. Putative Atlantic midshipman sounds included an agnostic grunt and a seasonal chorus of persistent hums that peaked 3 h after sunset in the summer survey. While Atlantic midshipman have been demonstrated to have well-developed sonic muscles on their swim bladder, their acoustic behavior has not been previously described. Our use of a mobile passive acoustic platform combined with bottom sampling of fish communities highlights an important opportunity to identify previously undocumented biological sound sources in coastal habitats.

Comparative diets and prey resource competition between early-juvenile common snook Centropomus undecimalis and non-native pike killifish Belonesox belizanus.

Pike killifish Belonesox belizanus is an established non-native fish species in Florida, USA, that was first documented in south Florida in 1957 and then in Tampa Bay tributaries in 1994. Decreases in small-bodied fish abundances have been linked to the introduction of B. belizanus in both of these regions. Increases in the range and abundance of B. belizanus in the Tampa Bay area and overlap in habitat usage have led to concerns about potential competition with, and predation on, early-juvenile common snook Centropomus undecimalis [≤100 mm standard length (SL)]. Stomach contents of B. belizanus (N = 422; 14-127 mm SL) and early-juvenile C. undecimalis (N = 1132; 5-119 mm SL) were collected to examine the dietary overlap of these two species and potential differences in the diet of early-juvenile C. undecimalis from locations with and without B. belizanus co-occurring. Prey resources were collected by seine to assess prey resource limitation and prey selectivity. Stomach content analysis indicated that there was low overlap in the diet of early-juvenile C. undecimalis and B. belizanus (C ≤ 0.40). Early-juvenile C. undecimalis had a wider diet breadth, consuming many organisms that are not consumed by B. belizanus and which make up a large portion of the early-juvenile C. undecimalis diet. Analysis of prey resources indicated that some prey groups may have lower abundances in locations where B. belizanus are present, with some of these differences reflected in the diet of early-juvenile C. undecimalis. Despite these differences, there was minimal difference in the diet overlap of early-juvenile C. undecimalis from locations with and without B. belizanus co-occurring. Currently B. belizanus appear to be competing minimally with early-juvenile C. undecimalis for prey resources, with no substantial impacts being detected.

Genomics overrules mitochondrial DNA, siding with morphology on a controversial case of species delimitation.

Species delimitation is a major quest in biology and is essential for adequate management of the organismal diversity. A challenging example comprises the fish species of red snappers in the Western Atlantic. Red snappers have been traditionally recognized as two separate species based on morphology: Lutjanus campechanus (northern red snapper) and L. purpureus (southern red snapper). Recent genetic studies using mitochondrial markers, however, failed to delineate these nominal species, leading to the current lumping of the northern and southern populations into a single species ( L. campechanus). This decision carries broad implications for conservation and management as red snappers have been commercially over-exploited across the Western Atlantic and are currently listed as vulnerable. To address this conflict, we examine genome-wide data collected throughout the range of the two species. Population genomics, phylogenetic and coalescent analyses favour the existence of two independent evolutionary lineages, a result that confirms the morphology-based delimitation scenario in agreement with conventional taxonomy. Despite finding evidence of introgression in geographically neighbouring populations in northern South America, our genomic analyses strongly support isolation and differentiation of these species, suggesting that the northern and southern red snappers should be treated as distinct taxonomic entities.

Age and growth of three endemic threatened guitarfishes Pseudobatos horkelii, P. percellens and Zapteryx brevirostris in the western South Atlantic Ocean.

The age and growth of three endemic threatened guitarfish species were analysed using vertebrae of Pseudobatos horkelii, P. percellens and Zapteryx brevirostris. Edge and marginal-increment analyses were used to evaluate the periodicity of the formation of the band-pairs, suggesting deposition of one band-pair per year, from late winter to late spring. The von Bertalanffy growth model was used to describe the growth of these species with the following parameters, for pooled sexes: P. horkelii L∞ = 126.93, k = 0.19 and t0 = -1.51; P. percellens L∞ = 109.31, k = 0.16 and t0 = -1.78; Z. brevirostris L∞ = 60.37, k = 0.24 and t0 = -1.42. Our results are essential to understanding the resilience and vulnerability of these species to harvest, which can contribute to management and conservation actions of these species.

Mixing rates in weakly differentiated stocks of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) in the Gulf of Mexico.

The greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is a commercially and recreationally important marine fish species in the southeastern United States, where it has been historically managed as two non-mixing stocks (Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic). Mark-recapture studies and analysis of mitochondrial DNA have suggested the two stocks are demographically independent; however, little is currently known about when and where spawning occurs in Gulf of Mexico amberjack, and whether stock mixture occurs on breeding grounds. The primary objective of this study was to quantify stock mixture among breeding populations of amberjack collected from the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Genetic data based on 11 loci identified very low, though statistically significant differentiation among Gulf of Mexico samples (GST = 0.007, [Formula: see text] = 0.009; all P = 0.001) and between reproductive adults collected from two spawning areas (GST = 0.007, [Formula: see text] = 0.014; all P = 0.001). Naïve Bayesian mixture analysis supported a single genetic cluster [p(S|data) = 0.734] whereas trained clustering (using Atlantic and Gulf spawning fish) gave the highest support to a two-cluster model (p(S|data) = 1.0). Our results support the argument that the genetic structuring of greater amberjack is more complex than the previously assumed two, non-mixing stock model. Although our data provide evidence of limited population structure, we argue in favour of non-panmixia among reproductive fish collected from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys.

Density-dependent habitat selection and performance by a large mobile reef fish.

Many exploited reef fish are vulnerable to overfishing because they concentrate over hard-bottom patchy habitats. How mobile reef fish use patchy habitat, and the potential consequences on demographic parameters, must be known for spatially explicit population dynamics modeling, for discriminating essential fish habitat (EFH), and for effectively planning conservation measures (e.g., marine protected areas, stock enhancement, and artificial reefs). Gag, Mycteroperca microlepis, is an ecologically and economically important warm-temperate grouper in the southeastern United States, with behavioral and life history traits conducive to large-scale field experiments. The Suwannee Regional Reef System (SRRS) was built of standard habitat units (SHUs) in 1991-1993 to manipulate and control habitat patchiness and intrinsic habitat quality, and thereby test predictions from habitat selection theory. Colonization of the SRRS by gag over the first six years showed significant interactions of SHU size, spacing, and reef age; with trajectories modeled using a quadratic function for closely spaced SHUs (25 m) and a linear model for widely spaced SHUs (225 m), with larger SHUs (16 standardized cubes) accumulating significantly more gag faster than smaller 4-cube SHUs (mean = 72.5 gag/16-cube SHU at 225-m spacing by year 6, compared to 24.2 gag/4-cube SHU for same spacing and reef age). Residency times (mean = 9.8 mo), indicative of choice and measured by ultrasonic telemetry (1995-1998), showed significant interaction of SHU size and spacing consistent with colonization trajectories. Average relative weight (W(r)) and incremental growth were greater on smaller than larger SHUs (mean W(r) = 104.2 vs. 97.7; incremental growth differed by 15%), contrary to patterns of abundance and residency. Experimental manipulation of shelter on a subset of SRRS sites (2000-2001) confirmed our hypothesis that shelter limits local densities of gag, which, in turn, regulates their growth and condition. Density-dependent habitat selection for shelter and individual growth dynamics were therefore interdependent ecological processes that help to explain how patchy reef habitat sustains gag production. Moreover, gag selected shelter at the expense of maximizing their growth. Thus, mobile reef fishes could experience density-dependent effects on growth, survival, and/or reproduction (i.e., demographic parameters) despite reduced stock sizes as a consequence of fishing.

Salinity preference in hatchery-reared juvenile red drum.

Juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), reared in either 15- or 30-ppt salinity seawater, were tested to determine whether they develop preference for the salinity of the water in which they were cultured. In a two-choice test, large- and small-sized juvenile red drum chose the raceway that matched the seawater in which they were cultured over the other salinity. Additional large and small fish reared in either 15- or 30-ppt salinity water were also tested following a 4-h acclimation period that simulated the duration of transport time from the hatchery to a release site. These fish also showed preference for their original culture salinity. This observed salinity preference in juvenile red drum has implications with respect to movement or residency of hatchery-reared juvenile red drum out-planted into natural coastal systems.