An endangered seahorse selectively chooses an artificial structure
| Autor: | Louw Claassens, Alan N. Hodgson, Anthony J. Booth |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
geography.geographical_feature_category biology Zostera capensis 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Endangered species Estuary Aquatic Science biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Fishery Seagrass Geography Habitat Seahorse Hippocampus capensis Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Artificial structure |
| Zdroj: | Environmental Biology of Fishes. 101:723-733 |
| ISSN: | 1573-5133 0378-1909 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10641-018-0732-4 |
| Popis: | The development of a residential marina estate within the Knysna estuary, South Africa, introduced Reno mattresses (horizontal wire cages filled with rocks) as a novel habitat for the endangered Knysna seahorse Hippocampus capensis. Consistently high seahorse densities on these artificial structures, despite the availability of seagrass habitat, begged the question of whether this habitat was chosen by the seahorse in preference to natural vegetation. An in situ habitat choice experiment was conducted which focused on the choice made by adult H. capensis between natural vegetation (Zostera capensis) and artificial (Reno mattress) habitat within a choice chamber. Seahorses were significantly more likely to move away from Z. capensis onto a Reno mattress structure or remain on this structure. This study concludes that higher H. capensis densities on Reno mattresses within Thesen Islands Marina are owing to some positive feature of this habitat and the underlying processes responsible for the choice made by this species (additional food, holdfasts, protection) can now be investigated. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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