Diel movements of fishes linked to benthic seascape structure in a Caribbean coral reef ecosystem

Many common fishes associated with Caribbean coral reef ecosystems use resources from more than 1 patch type during routine daily foraging activities. Few studies have provided direct evidence of connectivity across seascapes, and the importance of benthic seascape structure on movement behavior is poorly known. To address this knowledge gap, we coupled hydro-acoustic technology to track fish with seafloor mapping and pattern analysis techniques from landscape ecology to quantify seascape structure. Bluestriped grunts Haemulon sciurus and schoolmaster snapper Lutjanus apodus were tracked over 24 h periods using boat-based acoustic telemetry. Movement pathways, and day and night activity spaces were mapped using geographical information system (GIS) tools, and seafloor structure within activity spaces was mapped from high-resolution aerial photography and quantified using spatial pattern metrics. For both fish species, night activity spaces were significantly larger than day activity spaces. Fish exhibited a daytime preference for seascapes with aggregate coral reef and colonized bedrock, then shifted to night activity spaces with lower complexity soft sediment including sand, seagrass, and scattered coral/rock. Movement path complexity was negatively correlated with seascape complexity. This demonstrates direct connectivity across multiple patch types and represents the first study to apply quantitative landscape ecology techniques to examine the movement ecology of marine fish. The spatially explicit approach facilitates understanding to the linkages between biological processes and the heterogeneity of the landscape. Such studies are essential for identifying ecologically relevant spatial scales, delineating essential fish habitat and designing marine protected areas.

Use of allozyme markers to determine the genetic structure of hatchery population of Thai pangas, Pangasius hypophthalmus of Jessore, Bangladesh

Genetic structure of hatchery population of Thai pangas (Pangasius hypophthalmus) of Jessore region, Bangladesh has been investigated from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004. Samples for this study were collected from five fish hatcheries viz. Asrom, Banchte Shekha, Chowdhury, Maola and Rezaul Haque. The enzymes were encoded by 15 gene loci: Adh-1*, Est-1*, G3pdh-2*, Gpi-1*, Gpi-2*, Idhp-1*, Idhp-2*, Ldh-1*, Ldh-2*, Mdh-1*, Mdh-2*, Pgm*, Sdh-1*, Sdh-2* and Sod*. Among them four (Est-1*, G3pdh-2*, Gpi-2*and Pgm*) were found to be polymorphic in different populations but only Gpi-2* was polymorphic in all the sampled populations. The mean proportion of polymorphic loci per population was the highest (26.7%) in Banchte Shekha hatchery while the mean proportion of heterozygous loci was 13.33% per individual in Banchte Shekha and Maola hatcheries. The UPGMA dendrogram of Nei's (1972) genetic distances indicated a relationship between the genetic distance and geographical difference. High genetic variability in stocks of Thai pangas was observed in the Banchte Shekha and Maola hatcheries and less variability was found in the other three hatcheries.