Coral reef fishes are known to respond to chemical cues in the selection of appropriate microhabitats at settlement. Coral- and non-coral-associated species are likely to respond to different stimuli and the cues may change as larvae settle and become familiar with the reef environment. Here, the chemosensory responses of both late-stage larvae and newly settled juvenile damselfishes to microhabitat odours were tested in Kimbe Bay (PNG), including four obligate coral-dwelling species ( Dascyllus melanurus , D. reticulatus , Chrysiptera arnazae and Pomacentrus moluccensis ) and four rubble-dwelling species ( Pomacentrus adelus , P. simsiang , Chrysiptera cyanea and C. rollandi ). Damselfishes were subjected to a series of pair-wise chemosensory choice trials using a two-channel choice flume. The responses by late-stage larvae (pre-settled) to chemical cues from their preferred microhabitat type mirrored those exhibited by recently settled juveniles. All four rubble-dwelling damselfish species exhibited a significant aversion toward chemical cues derived from coral microhabitats, preferring to remain either in the water seeded with chemical cues derived from rubble, or the unseeded (control) water. The obligate coral-dwelling damselfish species tended to avoid rubble and select coral cues when tested against seawater, but unexpectedly, exhibited a neutral response when given a choice between coral and rubble odours. These results indicate that coral and rubble-dwelling damselfish differ in the strength of their attraction to preferred or avoidance of non-preferred microhabitats. Both factors are likely to play a role in settlement choices. Our results indicated that for some species, newly settled juveniles could act as suitable substitutes for testing larval behavioural traits.

中文翻译：

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珊瑚和居住在瓦砾中的珊瑚礁雀鲷（科：Pomacentridae）对来自珊瑚礁微生境的化学感应线索的不同反应

众所周知，珊瑚礁鱼类会在定居点选择合适的微生境时对化学线索做出反应。珊瑚和非珊瑚相关物种可能会对不同的刺激做出反应，随着幼虫定居并熟悉珊瑚礁环境，线索可能会发生变化。在这里，在金贝湾 (PNG) 测试了晚期幼虫和新定居的幼鱼对微栖息地气味的化学感应反应，包括四种专性珊瑚栖息物种（Dascyllus melanurus、D. reticulatus、Chrysiptera arnazae 和 Pomacentrus moluccensis）四种栖息在瓦砾中的物种（ Pomacentrus adelus 、 P. simsiang 、 Chrysiptera cyanea 和 C. rollandi ）。使用双通道选择水槽对雀鲷进行一系列成对化学感应选择试验。后期幼虫（预先定居）对来自其首选微栖息地类型的化学线索的反应反映了最近定居的幼虫所表现出的反应。所有四种栖息在瓦砾中的雀鲷都表现出对来自珊瑚微生境的化学线索的显着厌恶，它们更喜欢留在接种了来自瓦砾的化学线索的水中，或未播种的（对照）水中。在对海水进行测试时，专性栖息于珊瑚的雀鲷倾向于避开碎石并选择珊瑚线索，但出乎意料的是，当在珊瑚和碎石气味之间做出选择时，它们表现出中性反应。这些结果表明，珊瑚和居住在瓦砾中的雀鲷在吸引或避免非首选微生境的吸引力方面存在差异。这两个因素都可能在定居选择中发挥作用。我们的结果表明，对于某些物种，新定居​​的幼鱼可以作为测试幼虫行为特征的合适替代品。