Dataset: Coral Reef Fish Abundance from waters near U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico from May 2015 to Aug 2016

This dataset has not been validatedRelease Date:2024-12-26Preliminary and in progressVersion 1 (2025-04-11)Dataset Type:Other Field Results

Principal Investigator: Paul C. Sikkel (University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science)

Student: John Artim (Arkansas State University)

Student, Contact: Gina C. Hendrick (University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science)

Student: Matthew Nicholson (University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science)

BCO-DMO Data Manager: Taylor Heyl (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

BCO-DMO Data Manager: Audrey Mickle (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Project: Beyond Cleaning and Symbiosis: Ecology of 'Ticks of the Sea' on Coral Reefs (Gnathiid isopod ecology)

Abstract

This dataset includes the abundance of diurnal and nocturnal fishes in areas where gnathiid isopods were collected using lighted plankton traps. Point and belt transect surveys were conducted between April and September of 2015 and 2016 from study sites surrounding the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. These data were used to examine the relationship among fish assemblages, gnathiid abundance, and host exploitation. To fully understand the role of gnathiid isopods in ...

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Cite Dataset

During a concurrent study, our team deployed lighted plankton traps to collect gnathiid isopods (following the protocol of Artim and Sikkel, 2016) from shallow coral reefs (less than10 meters) surrounding the British & US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Prior to light trap deployment, day and night surveys of fish abundance were conducted at each trap location (Artim et al., 2020). Briefly, point surveys consisted of fish counts within a 1.5 meter radius of each trap location. On St. John, belt surveys were conducted within a 5 x 5 meter plot. Both day and night surveys were conducted within 24 hours of trap deployment. Fish counts were recorded by snorkelers and divers on SCUBA.

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Related Publications

Methods, Results
Artim, J. M., Nicholson, M. D., Hendrick, G. C., Brandt, M., Smith, T. B., & Sikkel, P. C. (2020). Abundance of a cryptic generalist parasite reflects degradation of an ecosystem. Ecosphere, 11(10). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3268
Results
Hendrick, G. C., Nicholson, M. D., Pagan, J. A., Artim, J. M., Dolan, M. C., & Sikkel, P. C. (2023). Blood meal identification reveals extremely broad host range and host-bias in a temporary ectoparasite of coral reef fishes. Oecologia, 203(3–4), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05468-w
Methods
Artim, J. M., & Sikkel, P. C. (2016). Comparison of sampling methodologies and estimation of population parameters for a temporary fish ectoparasite. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 5(2), 145–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2016.05.003

Hendrick, G. C., Nicholson, M., Artim, J., Sikkel, P. C. (2025) Coral Reef Fish Abundance from waters near U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico from May 2015 to Aug 2016. Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). (Version 1) Version Date 2025-04-11 [if applicable, indicate subset used]. http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset/887944 [access date]

Terms of Use

This dataset is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.


If you wish to use this dataset, it is highly recommended that you contact the original principal investigators (PI). Should the relevant PI be unavailable, please contact BCO-DMO (info@bco-dmo.org) for additional guidance. For general guidance please see the BCO-DMO Terms of Use document.

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Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation