Colonization of a fringing reef of Reunion Island by coral fish larvae

The colonization of a fringing reef of Reunion Island by fish larvae takes place essentially from August to February with two peaks, in August-September, when the water temperatures are coldest, and in February when they are at a maximum. The number of fishes, as well as the number of sampled species, present similar values over two consecutive years with, nevertheless, a strong variation in the species involved. In Reunion Island, the number of post-larvae which colonise the reef is one hundred to four hundred times lower than on larger and more structured reefs. This phenomenon could be explained by the geographical characteristics of the island. The stock control of the adult fish in Reunion could largely be the result of the arrival of post-larvae on reefs and would correspond to the model of "recruitment limitation". (C) 2002 Ifemer/CNRS/IRD/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.