Preference of Ctenogobius boleosoma on habitats with and without sea grasses

• In Event: Poster Presentation and Judging for: Biomedical; Cell & Molecular Biology; Chemistry & Biochemistry; Marine Science; Systematics & Evolutionary Biology.
  In Poster Session: Marine Science Poster Session

Abstract

Global warming reveals that rising sea levels can negatively affect aquatic grass beds and cause fish populations to migrate to new environments. This, in turn, can confuse and add stress to aquatic life by exposing prey fish to different predators and other antagonisms. Habitat preferences reveal trends in aquatic biodiversity as well as behaviors in both predatory and prey fish. Aquatic organisms belonging to the Gobiidae (goby) family can be found in a variety of coastal environments, such as oyster beds and a number of different grass beds. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how goby fish (Ctenogobius boleosoma) select different habitats; namely habitats with and without vegetation. Thus, studying the habitat preference of these fish can help the scientific community be better equipped to predict future trends in biodiversity and decide which kinds of habitats will be vital to preserve. Because the gobies used for this study were found in heavily vegetated environments, it was hypothesized that they would prefer the habitat with vegetation. Each goby was individually presented with two different habitats to select, one with vegetation and one without. After a twenty-four hour period the habitat preference was measured. A one-way ANOVA and a Chi Square statistic were used to analyze the data. Results of the analysis indicate a preference towards habitats containing vegetation, but the significance is marginal. Further testing of habitat selection will investigate the abundance of the vegetation as well as diversity of different sea grasses present.

Author

• Roberto Cesar Robles, Saint Edwards University