Intra- and interspecific associations in two predatory reef fishes at a shallow seamount

Abstract

The spatial dynamics of marine populations are shaped by habitat availability, environmental variability and individual interactions, particularly when multiple species share limited habitat such as patchy offshore reefs. The yellowmouth barracuda Sphyraena viridensis and the almaco jack Seriola rivoliana are the 2 most abundant bentho-pelagic reef predators in the Azores archipelago (central North Atlantic). They aggregate at shallow offshore seamounts, and largely share diet preferences, but very little is known about how habitat and resources are shared by these predators intra- and inter-specifically. Here we use long-term (over 3 yr) passive acoustic telemetry to investigate the patterns of activity, space use and associative behaviour at an isolated, small shallow seamount. By quantifying fine-scale spatiotemporal overlaps and performing null model randomization tests, we found evidence of non-random associations, mostly between conspecifics of both species, as well as shifts in diel and seasonal patterns of space occupancy. Both species were detected more often during spring, and appear to be more active during daytime, suggesting the absence of fine-scale temporal habitat partitioning. Additionally, we found evidence of size-dependent spatial behaviour in almaco jack, with similarly sized individuals co-occurring more often and larger specimens being more infrequently detected. This study quantitatively assesses individual associations using solely presence-absence data collected through passive acoustic telemetry, showing the potential of this approach in a broader application to a significant number of past and ongoing studies, even if many were not originally designed to study this important aspect of fish ecology.