Date of Award
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Brooks, W. Randy
Abstract
The ecosystem created by pelagic Sargassum is important in the life histories of a number of economically and ecologically important associated organisms. Fishes play a vital role in this food web and nutrient flow within these systems, but it is unknown how they locate these floating habitats. This study examined the role of natural chemical cues from Sargassum patches and the synthetic chemical Dimethylsulfonionpropionate (DMSP) for an associated fish, the planehead filefish (Stephanolepis hispidus) and a control fish species not associated with Sargassum, the masked goby (Coryphopterus personatus). Choice trials with a Y-maze apparatus determined that S. hispidus responded significantly to chemical cues from Sargassum while C. personatus did not. DMSP cues did not result in any significant behavioral responses for either fish. Demonstrating that S. hispidus can respond to chemical cues from Sargassum helps further our understanding of this unique floating algal reef and how fishes may locate it.
Extent
49 p.
Recommended Citation
Cox, Derek, "The Role of Chemical Cues in Locating Pelagic Sargassum by the Associated Fish Stephanolepis hispidus" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 1593.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/1593
Identifier
FA00004684
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.