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- Title
Habitat patch size and mating system as determinants of social group size in coral-dwelling Wshes.
- Authors
Thompson, V. J.; Munday, P. L.; Jones, G. P.
- Abstract
It is thought that the size and dispersion of habitat patches can determine the size and composition of animal social groups, however, this has rarely been tested. The relationship between group size, the mating system, and habitat patch size in six species of coral-dwelling gobies was examined. For all species, there was a positive correlation between coral colony size and social group size, however the strength of this relationship varied among species. Paragobiodon xanthosomus exhibited the strongest relationship and a manipulative Weld experiment confirmed that coral colony size limited group size in this species. For other species including Paragobiodon melanosomus and Eviota bifasciata, either a highly conservative mating system (P. melanosomus), or increased mobility (E. bifasciata) appeared to disrupt the relationship between habitat patch size and group size. There was no consistent relationship between the mating system exhibited and group size among the species investigated. These results demonstrate that habitat patch size, mobility, and mating systems can interact in complex ways to structure group size even among closely related species.
- Subjects
HABITATS; ANIMAL sexual behavior; GOBIIDAE; SOCIAL structure; ANIMAL courtship; GROUP size; SOCIAL groups; BATHYGOBIUS; AQUATIC animals
- Publication
Coral Reefs, 2007, Vol 26, Issue 1, p165
- ISSN
0722-4028
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00338-006-0181-y