Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Coral reef fish larvae settle close to home.

Geoffrey P Jones1, Serge Planes, Simon R Thorrold

  • 1Centre for Coral Reef Biodiversity, School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. geoffrey.jones@jcu.edu.au

Current Biology : CB
|July 30, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Clownfish larvae (Amphiprion polymnus) surprisingly return to their natal area, with many settling less than 100m from birth. This local retention highlights marine reserves

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Methods for tagging whale sharks: insights into performance and best practices with a focus on clamp attachments.

Animal biotelemetry·2026
Same author

Basking sharks overlap with primary and secondary deep scattering layers during overwintering migration in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Hidden in Plain Sight: Decades of Industrial-Scale Fishing in the Ocean's Twilight Zone.

Global change biology·2026
Same author

Optimizing a Novel eDNA-Based Framework for Reef Fish Biodiversity Monitoring Using an Autonomous Filtration System and in situ Nanopore Sequencing.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Coral microbiomes as reservoirs of unknown genomic and biosynthetic diversity.

Nature·2026
Same author

Correction: Fernandez et al. Metabarcoding Reveals Diversity of Potentially Toxic Algae in Papeete Port (Tahiti). <i>Toxins</i> 2025, <i>17</i>, 424.

Toxins·2026

Area of Science:

  • Marine Ecology
  • Population Genetics
  • Conservation Biology

Background:

  • Larval dispersal is crucial for marine population dynamics and reserve design.
  • Direct estimates of larval dispersal and natal origins are scarce for marine species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the natal origin of clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus) recruits.
  • To quantify larval dispersal patterns and local retention in a marine fish species.

Main Methods:

  • Mass-marking of clownfish larvae using tetracycline immersion.
  • Parentage analysis via DNA genotyping of adults and recruits.
  • Tracking settlement locations of marked juveniles.

Main Results:

  • One-third of settled clownfish juveniles returned to a 2-hectare natal area.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Many juveniles settled <100m from their birth site, despite a 9-12 day larval duration.
  • This study identified the smallest-scale dispersal for a marine fish with a pelagic larval phase.

    • Conclusions:

    • Clownfish exhibit significant local retention, indicating small-scale dispersal.
    • Marine reserves can offer recruitment benefits within their boundaries due to local retention.
    • Findings inform marine reserve management and population connectivity models.