Interspecific, Spatial and Temporal Variability of Self-Recruitment in Anemonefishes

<div><p>Polymorphic microsatellite DNA parentage analysis was used to investigate the spatio-temporal variability of self-recruitment in populations of two anemonefishes: <i>Amphiprion ocellaris</i> and <i>A. perideraion</i>. Tissue samples of <i>A. ocellaris</i> (<i>n</i> = 364) and <i>A. perideraion</i> (<i>n</i> = 105) were collected from fringing reefs around two small islands (Barrang Lompo and Samalona) in Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia. Specimens were genotyped based on seven microsatellite loci for <i>A. ocellaris</i> and five microsatellite loci for <i>A. perideraion</i>, and parentage assignment as well as site fidelity were calculated. Both species showed high levels of self-recruitment: 65.2% of juvenile <i>A. ocellaris</i> in Samalona were the progeny of parents from the same island, while on Barrang Lompo 47.4% of <i>A. ocellaris</i> and 46.9% of <i>A. perideraion</i> juveniles had parents from that island. Self-recruitment of <i>A. ocellaris</i> in Barrang Lompo varied from 44% to 52% between the two sampling periods. The site fidelity of <i>A. ocellaris</i> juveniles that returned to their reef site in Barang Lompo was up to 44%, while for <i>A. perideraion</i> up to 19%. In Samalona, the percentage of juveniles that returned to their natal reef site ranged from 8% to 11%. Exchange of progeny between the two study islands, located 7.5 km apart, was also detected via parentage assignments. The larger Samalona adult population of <i>A. ocellaris</i> was identified as the parents of 21% of Barrang Lompo juveniles, while the smaller adult population on Barrang Lompo were the parents of only 4% of Samalona juveniles. High self-recruitment and recruitment to nearby island reefs have important implications for management and conservation of anemonefishes. Small MPAs, preferably on every island/reef, should ensure that a part of the population is protected to enable replenishment by the highly localised recruitment behaviour observed in these species.</p>