Jeffrey S Shima

Victoria University of Wellington · School of Biological Sciences

Variation in the phenotype or "quality" of dispersing individuals can shape colonization success and thus local dynamics and patterns of connectivity in a metapopulation. In marine reef systems, larval dispersal typically connects fragmented populations, and larval quality may be shaped by developmental history at the natal reef (e.g., parental eff...

1. Movement pathways of individuals can be shaped by heterogeneity in the dispersal environment that separates origin and destination patches. However, effects of the dispersal environment on the phenotype (or future fitness) of dispersers is poorly known; individual experiences during dispersal may have latent effects on the performance or persist...

Parents are expected to make decisions about reproductive timing and investment that maximize their own fitness, even if this does not maximize the fitness of each individual offspring. When offspring survival is uncertain, selection typically favors iteroparity, which means that offspring born at some times can be disadvantaged, while others get l...

Most organisms reproduce in a dynamic environment, and life‐history theory predicts that this can favor the evolution of strategies that capitalize on good times and avoid bad times. When offspring experience these environmental changes, fitness can depend strongly upon environmental conditions at birth and at later life stages. Consequently, fitne...

Growth and survival of larval fishes is highly variable and unpredictable. Our limited understanding of this variation constrains our ability to forecast population dynamics and effectively manage fisheries. Here we show that daily growth rates of a coral reef fish (the sixbar wrasse, Thalassoma hardwicke ) are strongly lunar-periodic and predicted...

Lunar rhythms shape spawning phenology and subsequent risks and rewards for early life-history stages in the sea. Here, we consider a perplexing spawning phenology of the sixbar wrasse (Thalassoma hardwicke), in which parents spawn disproportionately around the new moon, despite the low survival of these larvae. Because primary sex determination in...

Coral reef fish species experience variable environments and may employ a range of reproductive strategies to help them maximize fitness. Here, we explore patterns of variation in size- and sex-dependent spawning strategies (pair spawning, group spawning, and streaking tactics) of a sex-changing, highly iteroparous fish (the sixbar wrasse Thalassom...

Pelagic eggs and larvae of many coral reef fishes will encounter a dynamic and risky environment as they disperse between the reef and offshore habitats. Life-history theory predicts that spawning adults should synchronize their reproductive effort with specific environmental conditions that facilitate offspring survival. Favourable conditions for...

Patterns of species richness and their structuring forces at multiple scales provide a critical context for research efforts focusing on ecology, evolution, and conservation. Diversity gradients have been demonstrated in tropical reef fish, but corresponding patterns and mechanisms remain poorly understood in temperate regions. We conducted hierarc...

Understanding how marine food webs are affected by anthropogenic stressors is an important steppingstone toward the improved management of natural resources. Stable isotope analysis of historical and modern samples spanning a century indicated that the niche width of an exploited fish community increased after the expansion of New Zealand fisheries...

The lunar cycle drives variation in nocturnal brightness. For the epipelagic larvae of coral reef organisms, nocturnal illumination may have widespread and underappreciated consequences. At sea, the onset of darkness coincides with an influx of mesopelagic organisms to shallow water (i.e. 'diel vertical migrants') that include predators (e.g. lante...

Understanding how marine food webs are affected by anthropogenic stressors is an important steppingstone toward the improved management of natural resources. Stable isotope analysis of historical and modern samples spanning a century indicated that the niche breadth of an exploited fish community increased after the expansion of New Zealand fisheri...

Phenotypic variation can lead to variation in the strength and outcome of species interactions. Variation in phenotypic traits can arise due to plastic responses to environmental stimuli, underlying genetic variation, or both, and may reflect differences in the focal organism or aspects of the extended phenotype (e.g., associated microbes). We used...

Light cycles and predatory threat define activity patterns (feeding/sleeping, activity/rest) in most diurnal fish species. Artificial light at night (ALAN) may disrupt natural cycles and biochemical processes, a mismatch which can eventually reduce condition and fitness. We evaluate the separate and joint effects of ALAN and predator threat on meta...

Wave action shapes species distributions and ecological interactions within the intertidal- and shallow-subtidal zone. Empirical estimates of wave exposure within these zones are limited by logistical constraints and/or cost. Hydrodynamic models of wave action poorly resolve fine-scale heterogeneity in wave energetics that are important for biology...

Handling methods are an important determinant of translocation success. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, tangata whenua traditionally used insulated kete to translocate aquatic animals to new environments as part of ahumoana tawhito (ancient aquaculture). In this study we investigated the influence of three transport methods (traditional [flax kete], moder...

Many freshwater organisms have a life-history stage that can disperse through seawater. This has obvious benefits for colonization and connectivity of fragmented sub-populations, but requires a physiologically challenging migration across a salinity boundary. We consider the role of landscape boundaries between freshwater and seawater habitats, and...

Predators, through their effects on prey densities, sizes, and behaviors, can shape ecological communities. Thus, quantitative assessments of predator−prey relationships are key to understanding these effects. Here, we documented the patterns and processes underlying the effects of 2 predatory muricid gastropods, Mancinella armigera and Menathais t...

Phenotypic variation is prevalent in the early life-history stages of many organisms and provides the basis for selective mortality on size and growth-related traits of older life stages. Densities of organisms can vary widely at important life-history transitions, raising additional questions about the interplay between selection and density-depen...

Moonlight mediates trophic interactions and shapes the evolution of life‐history strategies for nocturnal organisms. Reproductive cycles and important life‐history transitions for many marine organisms coincide with moon phases, but few studies consider the effects of moonlight on pelagic larvae at sea. We evaluated effects of moonlight on growth o...

Rebuilding and maintaining sufficient spawning stock to ensure recruitment is a key strategy for fisheries management and ecological restoration. We evaluated variation in Ostrea chilensis recruitment across seasons and sites over 4−6 yr in Foveaux Strait (New Zealand) to infer the relative importance of determinants of population recruitment. Recr...

Identifying sources of variation in individual reproductive success is crucial to our understanding of population dynamics and evolutionary ecology. We evaluated sources of variation in reproductive success of the common triplefin Forsterygion lapillum, a species with male parental care. We characterised breeding success of adult males during the b...

How landscape context influences density-dependent processes is important, as environmental heterogeneity can confound estimates of density dependence in demographic parameters. Here we evaluate 19 populations in a shoaling temperate reef fish (Trachinops caudimaculatus) metapopulation within a heterogeneous seascape (Port Phillip Bay, Australia) t...

Ceraesignum maximum (G.B. Sowerby I, 1825), formerly Dendropoma maximum, was subject to a sudden, massive die-off in the Society Islands, French Polynesia, in 2015. On Mo’orea, where we have detailed documentation of the die-off, these gastropods were previously found in densities up to 165 m−2. In July 2015, we surveyed shallow back reefs of Mo’or...

The vermetid Ceraesignum maximum is a sessile tube-dwelling snail with a wide geographic distribution that can strongly reduce the growth and survival of corals, alter coral morphology, and shift coral species composition. Thus, this species has the potential to drive dramatic changes in coral reef ecosystems; yet, very little basic demographic inf...

An organism’s home range dictates the spatial scale on which important processes occur (e.g. competition and predation) and directly affects the relationship between individual fitness and local habitat quality. Many reef fish species have very restricted home ranges after settlement and, here, we quantify home-range size in juveniles of a widespre...

Larval dispersal is disproportionately important for marine population ecolgy and evolution, yet our inability to track individuals severely constrains our understanding of this key process. We analyze otoliths of a small reef fish, the common triplefin ( Forsterygion lapillum ), to reconstruct individual dispersal histories and address the followi...

Intraspecific variation in coral colony growth forms is common and often attributed to phenotypic plasticity. The ability of other organisms to induce variation in coral colony growth forms has received less attention, but has implications for both taxonomy and the fates of corals and associated species (e.g. fishes and invertebrates). Variation in...

The local diversity and global richness of coral reef fishes, along with the diversity manifested in their morphology, behaviour and ecology, provides fascinating and diverse opportunities for study. Reflecting the very latest research in a broad and ever-growing field, this comprehensive guide is a must-read for anyone interested in the ecology of...

Larval dispersal can connect distant subpopulations, with important implications for marine population dynamics and persistence, biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. However, different dispersal pathways may affect the final phenotypes, and thus the performance and fitness of individuals that settle into subpopulations. Using otolith...

Individuals vary in their phenotype and propensity for growth and survival, but the demographic consequences of this remain poorly understood. We extend previous theoretical work on benthic marine populations and formulate a new model to evaluate how demographic heterogeneity among newly settled reef fish affects population stability. We simulated...

Dendropoma maximum is a vermetid gastropod (a sessile tube-forming snail) commonly associated with living corals throughout shallow-water reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Recent work suggests that, once established, this species can adversely affect growth and survival of corals. Here, we test the hypotheses that disturbances to live coral substrates (e....

Parasitism is hypothesized to reduce reproductive success in heavily parasitized males because females may preferentially mate with less parasitized males (parasite-mediated sexual selection) or parasites may compromise male competitiveness. In marine systems, this hypothesis is largely unexplored. This paper provides the first confirmed record of...

Many marine organisms have pelagic larval stages that settle into benthic habitats occupied by older individuals; however, a mechanistic understanding of intercohort interactions remains elusive for most species. Patterns of spatial covariation in the densities of juvenile and adult age classes of a small temperate reef fish, the common triplefin (...

Geochemical and stable isotope tags are often used to attribute individual animals in a sample of mixed origins to distinct sources, be it spawning, overwintering or foraging habitats. In order for individuals to be uniquely classified to one source, modelling approaches generally assume that all potential sources have been characterized in terms o...

The strength of species interactions is a key driver of ecological dynamics, yet relatively little is known about spatial, temporal, or among-individual variation in interspecific interactions. Here, we evaluate variability in the strength of interactions between a guild of sessile vermetid gastropods and a reef-building coral, Pocillopora verrucos...

Interspecific competition is often asymmetric, and it can limit the spatial distributions of competitively inferior species within a community. When asymmetric competition involves 2 or more component species, the ranking of species' competitive abilities may form competitive hierarchies (all species of higher rank out-compete all species of lower...

Background/Question/Methods In marine reef fishes, intraspecific competition for predator free space can be a main driver of density dependent mortality during settlement. In species where adults and juveniles overlap significantly in their habitat use, intercohort competition (adults competing with new settlers) may be more intense than intracoh...

Many estimates of ‘marine protected area (MPA) effects’ may be confounded by environmental heterogeneity between MPA and ‘Control’ sites. However, the magnitude and extent of such confounding is generally unknown. Here, the effects of microhabitat availability on estimates of MPA performance were explicitly explored. Abundance of a reef fish specie...

Animals vary in their level of site fidelity and ability (or motivation) to return to a home site when displaced. Homing behaviour may be advantageous when the costs (e.g., associated with traversing a potentially hostile landscape) are outweighed by the collective benefits (e.g., access to resources and stable social interactions) of returning to...

For organisms with complex life cycles, the transition between life stages can act as a significant demographic and selective bottleneck. Variation in developmental and growth rates among individuals present in one stage (e.g. larvae), due to initial differences in parental input and/or environmental conditions experienced, can propagate to future...

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly used as tools to conserve biodiversity, manage fishing effort, and facilitate recovery of degraded ecosystems (Roberts et al., 2001; Sale, 2002; Hastings and Botsford, 2003; Cinner et al., 2006). Marine protected areas are expected to produce long-lasting local increases in the density, size, diversity...

Background/Question/Methods In temperate reef systems, larval dispersal typically connects fragmented populations, and larval quality may be shaped by developmental history at the natal reef (e.g., parental effects) and/or by conditions in the pelagic environment (e.g., food, temperature, hydrodynamics, predator regime). We use otoliths of the co...

1. Competition theory predicts that community structure may be shaped by resource partitioning between co-occurring species. As such, quantifying the degree of resource partitioning (i.e., niche overlap) is a key component of studies examining community structure and species coexistence. 2. For many organisms, multiple resource axes quantify niche...

Stony corals provide important structural habitat for microbes, invertebrates, and fishes, which in some cases has led to the evolution of beneficial interactions that may protect corals from environmental factors such as thermal stress, nutrient limitation, competitors, or predators. For example, guard crabs (Trapezia spp.) protect corals (Pocillo...

Indirect effects of predators on primary producers may arise when predators suppress herbivore abundance and/or alter the behaviour patterns of herbivores in ways that reduce grazing pressure. Most studies highlight the role of predators in reducing herbivore abundance (i.e. density-mediated interactions), while behavioural effects (i.e. trait-medi...

Although there is wide appreciation for the influence of variable larval transport on recruitment, few studies have investigated the relationship between recruitment intensity and the origin(s) of recruits. We evaluate this relationship for the common triplefin Forsterygion lapillum in Wellington Harbour (a semi-enclosed bay) and the adjacent open...

Elemental signatures of the otoliths of fishes are increasingly used in connectivity studies to infer the natal origins of settlers or recruits. We evaluated the utility of this approach by assessing variability in trace element signatures within otoliths of hatchlings of the common triplefin Forsterygion lapillum. We sampled hatchling otoliths fro...

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse systems on the planet; yet, only a small fraction of coral reef species have attracted scientific study. Here, we document strong deleterious effects of an often overlooked species-the vermetid gastropod, Dendropoma maximum-on growth and survival of reef-building corals. Our surveys of vermetids on Moorea (Fr...

Vermetidae are sessile molluscs with tubular shells cemented to the substrate. Although they are common inhabitants of coral reefs and rocky shores, little is known about the basic biology of most species. Dendropoma maximum is the largest vermetid species and is common across its Indo-Pacific range. Here we report on a study of reproductive and mo...

Stable isotopes are increasingly used to infer sources of nutrient enrichment and trophic linkages in coastal marine systems, although the utility of these tools often depends upon a predictable expression of delta N-15 and delta C-13 signatures by primary producers. Accordingly, we examined how tissue delta N-15 and delta C-13 values change in the...

Metapopulation models have historically treated a landscape as a collection of habitat patches separated by a matrix of uniformly unsuitable habitat. This perspective is still apparent in many studies of marine metapopulations, in which recruitment variation is generally assumed to be primarily the result of variability in ocean currents and intera...

Sewage effluent contains both dissolved and particulate matter that can affect coastal ecosystems and cascade through food webs. We used δN and δC ratios to explore performance of a kelp (Carpophyllum maschalocarpum) and two invertebrates (a grazing isopod, Amphoroidea media, and a filter-feeding crab, Petrolisthes elongatus) as bioindicators along...

Several long-standing hypotheses purport variation in recruitment to be positively correlated with pelagic environmental conditions that enhance larval growth, survival, and/or delivery to recruitment sites. However, the relationship between recruitment intensity and larval environmental conditions (or more directly, larval condition) is difficult...

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been promoted as effective management tools to protect biodiversity at local and global scales, but there remains considerable scientific uncertainty about effects of MPAs on species abundances and biodiversity. Commonly used assessment designs typically fail to provide irrefutable evidence of positive effects. In...

Heterogeneity in site quality can play an important role in patterns of abundance and population dynamics. Yet, estimating site quality in natural systems can be problematic because site quality can (1) vary through ontogeny for a focal organism, leading to shifts in site quality with age, (2) be confounded with (or masked by) variation in traits o...

The behavior of marine larvae during and after settlement can help shape the distribution and abundance of benthic juveniles and therefore the intensity of ecological interactions on reefs. Several laboratory choice-chamber experiments were conducted to explore sensory capabilities and behavioral responses to ecological stimuli to better understand...

Quantitative surveys of habitat associations of New Zealand's common triplefin fish Forsterygion lapillum suggest that young settlers disproportionately occur within the fronds of the large brown algae Cystophora retroflexa and C. torulosa (hereafter collectively referred to as Cystophora). This apparent preference is specific to Cystophora (i.e. f...

Larvae of marine organisms play an important role in the dynamics of populations, are generally sensitive to environmental stressors, and vary dramatically among species in life history traits. We examined the effects of suspended sediments from terrestrial runoff on larval development, survival, and settlement of New Zealand sea urchins Evechinus...

Many lines of evidence suggest coral communities worldwide are changing rapidly. Responses of coral reef fish populations to such changes will, in part, depend upon how vital demographic rates of fish populations respond to changing coral communities. Our previous work on the reef fish Thalassoma hardwicke suggests the strength of density-dependent...

As coral reefs change in their composition, the dynamics of organisms that depend on them will likely also be affected. Traditionally, marine ecologists have recognized that settlement of fishes (and invertebrates) is tremendously variable in space and time, and changes in coral communities might therefore be expected to operate through effects on...

Survival and reproductive rates in fish are often a function of body size. Consequently, spatial-and sex-specific variation in somatic growth rates can have important consequences for popula-tion growth and resilience. We used otolith-based approaches to estimate geographic-and sex-specific growth rates of yellow-eyed mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri)...

Sensory abilities and preferences exhibited by mobile larvae during their transition to juvenile habitats can establish spatial heterogeneity that drives subsequent species interactions and dynamics of populations. We conducted a series of laboratory and field experiments using coral reef fish larvae (Chromis viridis) to determine: ecological deter...

The importance and strength of density dependence continue,,, to engender debate because of its central importance to Population dynamics and regulation. Here, we show how confounding effects of site quality can mask strong effects of density dependence. In particular, we explore spatiotemporal variation and covariation among (1) densities of newly...

The importance and strength of density dependence continues to engender debate because of its central importance to population dynamics and regulation. Here, we show how confounding effects of site quality can mask strong effects of density dependence. In particular, we explore spatio-temporal variation and covariation among (1) densities of newly...

Larvae of marine reef organisms settling into benthic habitats may vary greatly in individual quality. We evaluated potential effects of variation in larval growth rate (1 metric of quality) on larval duration, size-at-settlement, and post-settlement survival of recently settled kelp bass Para- labrax clathratus. We sampled kelp bass daily and week...

The majority of shallow-water marine species have a two-phase life cycle in which relatively sedentary, demersal adults produce pelagic larvae. Because these larval stages are potentially subject to dispersal by ocean currents, it has been widely accepted that local populations are open, with recruitment resulting from the arrival of larvae from no...

Density-dependent post-settlement losses are a common feature of many reef fish populations, and resent observations suggest that losses may also scale with population size independent of density (i.e. 'number-dependence'). Despite the potential importance of these two forms of compensatory loss, there have been relatively few attempts to determine...

The majority of shallow-water marine species have a two-phase life cycle in which relatively sedentary, demersal adults produce pelagic larvae. Because these larval stages are potentially subject to dispersal by ocean cur-rents, it has been widely accepted that local populations are open. with recruitment resulting from the arrival of larvae from n...

Multiple processes typically influence patterns of abundance. Despite this widely accepted view, many studies continue to approach ecological questions from a single- factor, or, at most, a two-factor perspective. Here, I evaluate the consequences of consid- ering, separately and jointly, the effects of three factors (larval settlement, reef resour...

Multiple processes typically influence patterns of abundance. Despite this widely accepted view, many studies continue to approach ecological questions from a single-factor, or, at most. a two-factor perspective. Here, I evaluate the consequences of considering, separately and jointly, the effects of three factors (larval settlement, reef resources...

Density-dependent mortality can regulate local populations - effectively minimizing the likelihood of local extinctions and unchecked population growth. It is considered particularly important for many marine reef organisms with demographically open populations that lack potential regulatory mechanisms tied to local reproduction. While density-depe...

Multiple processes can act together to determine abundance of organisms and structure of communities. Recently, appreciation of this fact has motivated development of conceptual and statistical frameworks that quantitatively assess the relative importance of multiple causal factors. However, little consideration has been given to variability in the...

ABSTRACT ,The importance and strength of density dependence continues to engender debate because of its central importance to population dynamics and regulation. Here, we show how confounding effects of site quality can mask strong effects of density dependence. In particular, we explore spatio-temporal variation and covariation among (1) densities...