Results of Kruskal-Wallis tests comparing <i>Stegastes partitus</i> early life history traits among different phases of lunar settlement (1 = first quarter; F = full moon; 3 = third quarter; N = new moon); and among three age groups (L = larvae; R = recruits 1–10 d post-settlement; J = juveniles 11–28 d post-settlement).

<p>Results of Kruskal-Wallis tests comparing <i>Stegastes partitus</i> early life history traits among different phases of lunar settlement (1 =  first quarter; F  =  full moon; 3 =  third quarter; N  =  new moon); and among three age groups (L  =  larvae; R  =  recruits 1–10 d post-settlement; J  =  juveniles 11–28 d post-settlement).</p

Relationship between new recruit density and mean water temperature over the juvenile period for all monthly cohorts of <i>Stegastes partitus</i> where recruit density was estimated.

<p>Relationship was significant when one outlier (o) was removed.</p

Mean otolith-derived (a) larval growth, (b) pelagic larval duration (PLD), (c) size-at-settlement, and (d) early (2 d) juvenile growth of <i>Stegastes partitus</i> settlement-stage larvae, recruits (1–10 d post settlement), and juveniles (11–28 d) by lunar phase of settlement.

<p>Effect of temperature was minimized by including only 25 monthly cohorts collected from May 2003 to August 2008 with mean water temperatures of >28°C. Error bars represent SE. Different letters above the bars indicate significant relationships among age groups, within lunar phases. Different letters within the bars indicate significant relationships among lunar phases, within age groups (capital A, B denote differences within larvae, lowercase a, b denote differences within 1–10 d old recruits, lowercase x, y denote differences within 11–28 d old juveniles). Settlement-stage larvae are not included in the last panel because they had not yet settled so did not exhibit juvenile growth.</p

Daily back-calculated settlement of <i>Stegastes partitus</i> in reef and rubble habitat at Pickles and Sand Island Reefs combined (bars).

<p>Timing of settlement of collected recruits was adjusted for monthly density estimates and estimated post-settlement mortality. Maximum tidal amplitude is indicated by a line, and new moons by solid circles. Asterisks indicate months when sampling did not take place.</p

CCA ordination of <i>Stegastes partitus</i> early life history traits (mean larval growth, PLD, size-at-settlement, and mean juvenile growth during 0–5 d) and physical environmental factors (near-reef water temperature averaged over larval period and juvenile period, chlorophyll a concentration, wind speed, alongshore, and cross-self current velocity data).

<p>CCA ordination of <i>Stegastes partitus</i> early life history traits (mean larval growth, PLD, size-at-settlement, and mean juvenile growth during 0–5 d) and physical environmental factors (near-reef water temperature averaged over larval period and juvenile period, chlorophyll a concentration, wind speed, alongshore, and cross-self current velocity data).</p

Characteristics of Settling Coral Reef Fish Are Related to Recruitment Timing and Success

<div><p>Many marine populations exhibit high variability in the recruitment of young into the population. While environmental cycles and oceanography explain some patterns of replenishment, the role of other growth-related processes in influencing settlement and recruitment is less clear. Examination of a 65-mo. time series of recruitment of a common coral reef fish, <i>Stegastes partitus</i>, to the reefs of the upper Florida Keys revealed that during peak recruitment months, settlement stage larvae arriving during dark lunar phases grew faster as larvae and were larger at settlement compared to those settling during the light lunar phases. However, the strength and direction of early trait-mediated selective mortality also varied by settlement lunar phase such that the early life history traits of 2–4 week old recruit survivors that settled across the lunar cycle converged to more similar values. Similarly, within peak settlement periods, early life history traits of settling larvae and selective mortality of recruits varied by the magnitude of the settlement event: larvae settling in larger events had longer PLDs and consequently were larger at settlement than those settling in smaller pulses. Traits also varied by recruitment habitat: recruits surviving in live coral habitat (vs rubble) or areas with higher densities of adult conspecifics were those that were larger at settlement. Reef habitats, especially those with high densities of territorial conspecifics, are more challenging habitats for young fish to occupy and small settlers (due to lower larval growth and/or shorter PLDs) to these habitats have a lower chance of survival than they do in rubble habitats. Settling reef fish are not all equal and the time and location of settlement influences the likelihood that individuals will survive to contribute to the population.</p></div

Relationship between mean otolith-derived (a) larval growth and (b) size-at-settlement of <i>Stegastes partitus</i> recruits and adult conspecific density from June 2007 to August 2008.

<p>Relationship between mean otolith-derived (a) larval growth and (b) size-at-settlement of <i>Stegastes partitus</i> recruits and adult conspecific density from June 2007 to August 2008.</p

Results of GLM comparing <i>Stegastes partitus</i> otolith-derived traits (PLD and mean larval growth rate) among age groups (larvae, L; recruits, R; intermediate, I; survivors, S) for three different seasonal periods.

<p>Where significant relationships occurred, Tukey tests revealed where traits varied significantly among age groups.</p

Results of least-squares regressions between early life history traits and mean water temperature for 16 monthly cohorts of <i>Stegastes partitus</i>; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001.

<p>Results of least-squares regressions between early life history traits and mean water temperature for 16 monthly cohorts of <i>Stegastes partitus</i>; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001.</p

Results of Mann-Whitney U tests comparing <i>Stegastes partitus</i> early life history traits between small and large settlement events for larvae, recruits (1–10 d post-settlement), and juveniles (1–28 d post-settlement); and among age groups (L = larvae; R = recruits; J = juveniles).

<p>Results of Mann-Whitney U tests comparing <i>Stegastes partitus</i> early life history traits between small and large settlement events for larvae, recruits (1–10 d post-settlement), and juveniles (1–28 d post-settlement); and among age groups (L =  larvae; R  =  recruits; J =  juveniles).</p