Habitat selection and the colonization of new territories by Chromis viridis

The settlement and recruitment patterns of Chromis viridis were followed during three consecutive seasons along the reefs of Eilat, Red Sea. The findings, based on intensive field surveys and a translocation experiment, indicated a strong and repeatable preference for some, but not other, colonies of the branching coral Acropora eurystoma; with significantly more larvae settling onto preferred colonies that house conspecific adults and juveniles. Furthermore, these findings showed that, given high recruitment rates, settlement-site selection could drive migration by adults and older juveniles. As only some C. viridis schools received direct settlement, it was suggested that settlement-driven migration is responsible for the replenishment of those schools that do not receive settlement and to the colonization of previously unoccupied coral colonies.