Dataset: Predator effects on settlement
Deployment: Hixon_Bonaire_lionfish

View Data: For data, See Dataset Metadata Page: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/728796

Principal Investigator:

Mark Hixon (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, HIMB)

Contact:

Cassandra E. Benkwitt (Oregon State University, OSU)

BCO-DMO Data Manager:

Amber D. York (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI BCO-DMO)

Project:

Mechanisms and Consequences of Fish Biodiversity Loss on Atlantic Coral Reefs Caused by Invasive Pacific Lionfish (BiodiversityLossEffects_lionfish)

Version:

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Description

This dataset contains results from a field experiment to test for the effect of lionfish and native fish presence on settlement of coral-reef fishes. Native and invasive predators were placed in cages next to small artificial reefs and new recruits settling to reefs were counted and removed daily. Treatments were also rotated daily. Two rounds of the experiment were run, bracketing the new moon (when settlement rates are highest) in July and August 2014. Sampling took place off the leeward coast of Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean (12°09'13.0"N 68°16'42.8"W) at a 5-meter depth.

These data were utilized in the following publication (Benkwitt 2017)

Methods & Sampling

Dataset acquisition description

Two manipulative field experiments were conducted July-August 2014, both using the same basic experimental design. Standardized reefs (80 × 60 × 15 cm) were constructed using dead coral rubble placed inside of stainless steel wire baskets. Predators were housed next to reefs in individual hardware-cloth cages (150 mm diameter × 300 mm length, 10 mm mesh) such that recruiting coral-reef fish were exposed to chemical and some visual cues from the predator, but the predator could not consume recruits. To measure settlement, a pair of divers counted and removed all fish from each reef every morning beginning within an hour of sunrise. In the first experiment, each reef within each of block was randomly assigned one of the following treatments: invasive piscivore (red lionfish), native piscivore (graysby grouper), native invertivore (French grunt), empty cage (no predator), and empty control (no cage and no predator). To determine whether the diet of native or invasive predators affects settlement, the experiment described above was repeated using different treatments. Each reef within each block was randomly assigned one of the following treatments: native piscivore (graysby grouper) fed bicolor damselfish recruits, native piscivore (graysby grouper) fed mahogany snapper recruits, invasive piscivore (red lionfish) fed bicolor damselfish recruits, invasive piscivore (red lionfish) fed mahogany snapper recruits, and empty cage control. Recruits of these two reef fishes were chosen as feed for the predators because they were the most abundant recruits to the reefs during the first experiment. For full methods, see Benkwitt (2017).

Reef configuration:
The reefs referred to in this dataset are 80 × 60 × 15 cm patches of coral rubble inside of stainless steel baskets. These were arranged in groups/blocks (letter codes B-E) that were separated from the next block by~17 m. Each block contained five reefs (numbered 1-5), which were separated from each other by ~3 m. The latitude and longitude (12.15361,-68.27855) corresponds to the approximate the center of the array.

Species Key:
The species names for the species codes used in the "SPECIES", "TREATMENT", and comment columns of this dataset, please refer to the following dataset: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/655195

Data Processing Description

Dataset Processing Description

There were a few days on which fish recruits were counted and removed before predator diet treatments were established. They are still included in the dataset, but there is a note next to those dates in the data.

BCO-DMO Data Manager Processing Notes:
* added a conventional header with dataset name, PI name, version date
* modified parameter names to conform with BCO-DMO naming conventions
* changed column names 1,2,3..10 to len_1,len_2..len_10. Data parameters in our system can't start with a number.
* changed column name 2_OBS to SECOND_OBS. Data parameters in our system can't start with a number.
* commas and leading asterisks removed from comments to support .csv download of data.

More information about this dataset deployment

Funding

Award Number	Funding Source
OCE-1233027	NSF Division of Ocean Sciences

Instruments

None available yet

Parameters

Supplied Name	Supplied description	Supplied Units	Standard Name
YEAR	Sampling year in format yyyy	unitless	year
MONTH	Sampling month in format mm	unitless	month
DAY	Sampling day in format dd	unitless	day
EXPT	Experiment was run during 2 separate rounds, labelled either 1 (Jul 16 - Aug 1) or 2 (Aug 17 - Aug 28)	unitless	sample_descrip
EXPT_DAY	Number of days since start of experiment	unitless	days
MOON_DAY	Days before/after new moon (when recruitment typically peaks). New moon is set at day 0.	unitless	days
OBSERVER	Initials of primary observer conducting census and collecting fishes	unitless	recorder
SECOND_OBS	Intitials of secondary observer conducting census and collecting fishes	unitless	recorder
TIME	Time that census began in format HH:MM	unitless	time
BLOCK	Letter corresponding to block/group of reef (4 blocks, 17 m apart, each with 5 reefs)	unitless	site_descrip
REEF_NUMBER	Number of reef in block (each block had 5 reefs, 3 m apart, numbered 1-5)	unitless	site_descrip
TREATMENT	BLANK = no cages or treatments on entire block (control), EC = Empty cage (control), NOTHING = no cage (control), CECR = Cephalopholis cruentata (native piscivore), HAFL = Haemulon flavolineatum (native invertivore), PTVO = Pterois volitans (invasive piscivore)	unitless	treatment
DIET	Diet of caged predators - N/A = Not applicable, STPA = Stegastes partitus, LUMA = Lutjanus mahogoni, BW/SHRIMP = freeze-dried bloodworms and mysiid shrimp	unitless	treatment
SPECIES	First 2 letters of genus, first 2 letters of species of fish recruit (see species key dataset https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/655195)	unitless	species
len_1	Number of individuals that were between 0-1 cm total length	per individual	count
len_2	Number of individuals that were between 1.1-2 cm total length	per individual	count
len_3	Number of individuals that were between 2.1-3 cm total length	per individual	count
len_4	Number of individuals that were between 3.1-4 cm total length	per individual	count
len_5	Number of individuals that were between 4.1-5 cm total length	per individual	count
len_6	Number of individuals that were between 5.1-6 cm total length	per individual	count
len_7	Number of individuals that were between 6.1-7 cm total length	per individual	count
len_8	Number of individuals that were between 7.1-8 cm total length	per individual	count
len_9	Number of individuals that were between 8.1-9 cm total length	per individual	count
len_10	Number of individuals that were between 9.1-10 cm total length	per individual	count
TOTAL	Total number of individuals of that species (sum of previous 10 columns)	per individual	count
Comment	Comment	unitless	comment

Database

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Dataset: Predator effects on settlement
Deployment: Hixon_Bonaire_lionfish

Dataset acquisition description

Dataset Processing Description

Database

Contribute Data

Dataset: Predator effects on settlementDeployment: Hixon_Bonaire_lionfish

Dataset acquisition description

Dataset Processing Description

Dataset: Predator effects on settlement
Deployment: Hixon_Bonaire_lionfish