Evidence for a consistent use of external cues by marine fish larvae for orientation

Igal Berenshtein (1) , Robin Faillettaz (2) , Jean-Olivier Irisson (3, 4) , Moshe Kiflawi (5) , Ulrike Siebeck (6) , Jeffery Leis (7) , Claire B. Paris (1)

1 RSMAS - Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
2 DECOD - Dynamique et durabilité des écosystèmes : de la source à l’océan
3 IMEV - Institut de la Mer de Villefranche
4 LOV - Laboratoire d'océanographie de Villefranche
5 BGU - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
6 School of Biomedical Sciences
7 Ecology and Biodiversity Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies [Australia]

Abstract The larval stage is the main dispersive process of most marine teleost species. The degree to which larval behavior controls dispersal has been a subject of debate. Here, we apply a cross-species meta-analysis, focusing on the fundamental question of whether larval fish use external cues for directional movement (i.e., directed movement). Under the assumption that directed movement results in straighter paths (i.e., higher mean vector lengths) compared to undirected, we compare observed patterns to those expected under undirected pattern of Correlated Random Walk (CRW). We find that the bulk of larvae exhibit higher mean vector lengths than those expected under CRW, suggesting the use of external cues for directional movement. We discuss special cases which diverge from our assumptions. Our results highlight the potential contribution of orientation to larval dispersal outcomes. This finding can improve the accuracy of larval dispersal models, and promote a sustainable management of marine resources.

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

Igal Berenshtein, Robin Faillettaz, Jean-Olivier Irisson, Moshe Kiflawi, Ulrike Siebeck, et al.. Evidence for a consistent use of external cues by marine fish larvae for orientation. Communications Biology, 2022, 5 (1), pp.1307. ⟨10.1038/s42003-022-04137-7⟩. ⟨hal-03954337⟩