Author(s): Lauren Kline , Kara McCutchen

Presentation: poster

The princess damsel (Pomacentrus vaiuli) is commonly found on the leeward reef flat of Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Damselfish (Pomacentridae) exhibit aggressive behavior towards conspecific and heterospecific fishes on coral reefs. This behavior may be directed selectively towards other fish in order to protect algal mats which grow on dead coral. The goal of this study was to determine whether behavioral frequencies differ across coral conditions. Observations were made by snorkeling on the leeward reef flat and observing one princess damsel per coral patch at a time for ten minutes, while frequency of behavioral changes and coral condition were recorded. We hypothesized that aggression would be highest on dead coral due to abundant algal biomass and subsequent increased heterospecific feeding within damselfish territory. No significant difference in aggression was found across coral conditions, although feeding was highest on dead coral (p = .003). Aggression and guarding behavior were significantly higher than feeding on live coral (p = .019) and guarding was significantly higher than aggression on mixed coral (p = .009). This deviation from our original prediction suggests that further studies are necessary to determine factors, including coral condition, affecting princess damsel behavior.

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