Social queuing in a tropical fish

This file contains data sets for the accompanying paper on social queuing in Pomacentrus amboinensis:

Abstract [Related Publication]: Membership of the group is a balance between the benefits associated with group living and the cost of socially constrained growth and breeding opportunities, but the costs and benefits are seldom examined. The goal of the present study was to explore the trade-offs associated with group living for a sex-changing, potentially protogynous coral reef fish, the Ambon damselfish, Pomacentrus amboinensis. Extensive sampling showed that the species exhibits resource defence polygyny, where dominant males guard a nest site that is visited by females. P. amboinensis have a longevity of about 6.5 years on the northern Great Barrier Reef. While the species can change sex consistent with being a protogynous hermaphrodite, it is unclear the extent to which the species uses this capability. Social groups are comprised of one reproductive male, 1-7 females and a number of juveniles. Females live in a linear dominance hierarchy, with the male being more aggressive to the beta-female than the alpha-female, who exhibits lower levels of ovarian cortisol. Surveys and a tagging study indicated that groups were stable for at least three months. A passive integrated transponder tag study showed that males spawn with females from their own group, but also females from neighbouring groups. In situ behavioural observations found that alpha-females have priority of access to the nest site that the male guarded, and access to higher quality foraging areas. Male removal studies suggest that the alpha-females can change sex to take over from the male when the position becomes available, Examination of otolith microstructure showed that those individuals which change sex to males have different embryonic characteristics at hatching, suggesting that success may involve a component that is endowed. The parently endowed. The relative importance of parental effects and social organisation in affecting the importance of female queuing is yet to be studied, but will likely depend on the strength of social control by the dominant members of the group.

The full methodology is available in the Open Access publication from the Related Publications link below.

Data sheets include:

  • Age and size by sex
  • Distance to nest
  • Distance from reef with rank
  • Relative female sixe vs rank
  • Morphology and gender

 

    Data Record Details
    Data record related to this publication Social queuing in a tropical fish
    Data Publication title Social queuing in a tropical fish
  • Description

    This file contains data sets for the accompanying paper on social queuing in Pomacentrus amboinensis:

    Abstract [Related Publication]: Membership of the group is a balance between the benefits associated with group living and the cost of socially constrained growth and breeding opportunities, but the costs and benefits are seldom examined. The goal of the present study was to explore the trade-offs associated with group living for a sex-changing, potentially protogynous coral reef fish, the Ambon damselfish, Pomacentrus amboinensis. Extensive sampling showed that the species exhibits resource defence polygyny, where dominant males guard a nest site that is visited by females. P. amboinensis have a longevity of about 6.5 years on the northern Great Barrier Reef. While the species can change sex consistent with being a protogynous hermaphrodite, it is unclear the extent to which the species uses this capability. Social groups are comprised of one reproductive male, 1-7 females and a number of juveniles. Females live in a linear dominance hierarchy, with the male being more aggressive to the beta-female than the alpha-female, who exhibits lower levels of ovarian cortisol. Surveys and a tagging study indicated that groups were stable for at least three months. A passive integrated transponder tag study showed that males spawn with females from their own group, but also females from neighbouring groups. In situ behavioural observations found that alpha-females have priority of access to the nest site that the male guarded, and access to higher quality foraging areas. Male removal studies suggest that the alpha-females can change sex to take over from the male when the position becomes available, Examination of otolith microstructure showed that those individuals which change sex to males have different embryonic characteristics at hatching, suggesting that success may involve a component that is endowed. The parently endowed. The relative importance of parental effects and social organisation in affecting the importance of female queuing is yet to be studied, but will likely depend on the strength of social control by the dominant members of the group.

    The full methodology is available in the Open Access publication from the Related Publications link below.

    Data sheets include:

    • Age and size by sex
    • Distance to nest
    • Distance from reef with rank
    • Relative female sixe vs rank
    • Morphology and gender

     

  • Other Descriptors
    • Descriptor

      This dataset is available as a spreadsheet in MS Excel (.xlsx) and Open Document formats (.ods)

    • Descriptor type Note
  • Data type dataset
  • Keywords
    • sex change
    • demography
    • coral reef fishes
    • behavioural ecology
    • ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
  • Funding source
  • Research grant(s)/Scheme name(s)
  • Research themes
    Tropical Ecosystems, Conservation and Climate Change
    FoR Codes (*)
    SEO Codes
    Specify spatial or temporal setting of the data
    Temporal (time) coverage
  • Start Date
  • End Date
  • Time Period
    Spatial (location) coverage
  • Locations
    • Lizard Island National Park, Queensland, Australia
    Data Locations

    Type Location Notes
    Physical Location DB28-222 office, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
    Attachment Pomacentrus amboinensis data.ods Open Document format (.ods)
    Attachment Pomacentrus amboinensis data.xlsx MS Excel format (.xlsx)
    The Data Manager is: Mark McCormick
    College or Centre
    Access conditions Open: free access under license
  • Alternative access conditions
  • Data record size one file, 5 sheets
  • Related publications
      Name McCormick, Mark I. (2016) Protogyny in a tropical damselfish: females queue for future benefit. PeerJ, 4. pp. 1-26.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2198
    • Notes Open Access
  • Related websites
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    • URL
    • Notes
  • Related metadata (including standards, codebooks, vocabularies, thesauri, ontologies)
  • Related data
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    • Notes
    Citation McCormick, Mark (2015): Social queuing in a tropical fish. James Cook University. https://doi.org/10.4225/28/55AED3D72AEC8