Related Media Releases
Baby fish breathe easier around large predators Baby fish feeling the heat Baby fish ‘steer by the sun’ Sediment makes it harder for baby Nemo to breathe easy
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Baby reef fish have an internal magnetic ‘compass’ that directs them home at night, world-first research has revealed.
Professor Mike Kingsford from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University collaborated with colleagues in Germany to find out how tiny Cardinal fish, the size of a fingernail, are able to swim towards home when there’s no sun or stars to guide them.
“This study is the first clear demonstration that reef fish larvae possess magnetic senses to orient them at night,” says Professor Kingsford. “Up until now, we only knew adult birds, marine mammals, sharks and boney fish have this in-built sense of direction.”
“We collected Cardinal fish, less than one cm long, from One Tree Island on the Great Barrier Reef and tested their orientation in total darkness using the same magnetic field as the Reef,” Professor Kingsford says.
“Normally, fish orientated to the south east, but when we altered the magnetic field clockwise by 120 degrees, there was a significant change in the direction the fish swam. They all turned further west, thinking they were still on track to their destination.”
“Our results show that larvae can use their magnetic senses to point them in the right direction when it’s night time.
“We know from our previous research that once they start to get closer to their target, a ‘homing process’ begins, where the larvae rely on odor, sounds and landmarks to find and settle on a reef.”
Reef fish hatch from eggs into a larval form and disperse for days to months in the ocean before either returning home or finding another reef to settle. Once they get to a reef they generally stay there for a lifetime.
“The study tells us these baby fish actually have brains. They know where they are going and are strong swimmers. As a result they have some control over the reef they end up on. It’s not just about being led by the currents.”
“Knowing this, we can develop more accurate models of where larvae go to determine the best way to protect and maintain sustainable fish stocks.”
The study has been published in Current Biology and is available to view here.
http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31279-9
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rriu9g7s1x0fv8m/AAAnzPEA8y_qTHv27pcElzxia?dl=0
Professor Michael Kingsford,
Chief Investigator
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University
Phone: 61 (07) 47 814312 or 0438 731 694
Email: michael.kingsford@jcu.edu.au
Kylie Simmonds
Communications Manager
Phone: 0428 785 895
Email: kylie.simmonds1@jcu.edu.au
The most extensive reef survey of the Coral Sea Marine Park ever undertaken will continue this week as scientists from ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (Coral C
Scientists have used modern genetic techniques to prove age-old assumptions about what sizes of fish to leave in the sea to preserve the future of local fisheries. “We’ve known for decades that
Scientists say outdated assumptions around gender continue to hinder effective and fair policymaking and action for climate mitigation and adaptation. Lead author of a new study, Dr Jacqueline Lau
For the first time, scientists have assessed how many corals there are in the Pacific Ocean—and evaluated their risk of extinction. While the answer to “how many coral species are there?” is
Abstract: Neonate sharks experience high predation during early ontogeny. For this reason, predator avoidance is the major driver of shallow-water habitat use in neonate sharks. When a predator encoun
Abstract: Humans have been harvesting predators and other creatures from the global oceans for millennia. More recently, conservation measures, such as marine reserves, have been established to restor
Abstract: We frequently hear about demise and decline in fisheries systems. This narrative can inadvertently shift thefocus of research and funding away from the opportunities and benefits avail
Abstract: Multiple habitats in a tropical seascape are increasingly recognized as interconnected to one another. Mangroves, seagrass beds, and macroaglal beds are important components of a tropical se
Abstract: Current conservation goals for reef-building corals under climate change involve boosting desirable traits like heat tolerance and fast growth in natural and restored coral populations. This
Abstract: Coral reefs are threatened by local and global stressors, and critical to managing corals for persistence is understanding the components of how coral populations resist and recover from st
Abstract: The vast majority of reef fishes have a life history consisting of a pelagic larval phase of typically 20 to 60 days, followed by larval settlement where they remain through their juvenile a
Abstract: Social networks have been and remain important across the Pacific Islands, and beyond, for building and maintaining social-ecological resilience. However, there is little quantitative infor
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au