Survival and growth rates of the anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris: A transfer experiment

Abstract

Amphiprion ocellaris individuals were removed from their host anemones on three coral reefs and transferred to a recipient site lacking anemonefish. Return surveys were conducted around 7 days and 330 days after transfer. Survival rates 1 week after transfer were high. The fish surviving 330 days after transfer were those that were shorter. This contrasted with the control fish where survivors had significantly longer initial lengths than non-survivors. Relative length gain of transferred fish increased with decreasing total length, also contrasting with the control individuals. Percent survival rates were significantly lower in largest transferred fish, relative to the largest control individuals. Relative length gains of transferred fish were highest in the smaller fish contrasting with the growth of the control fish.