Functional Distinctions in Feeding Behavior of Two Herbivorous Reef Fish Lineages.
- 1Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- 2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
- 3Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA.
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms and variation of how herbivorous fishes feed is key to understanding the dynamics of herbivory on coral reefs. In our comparative study of closely related nominally herbivorous fishes, we investigate the use of 10 distinct behaviors used to support feeding on algae. We found that species within Siganidae share 5 out of the 10 behaviors with Acanthuridae while also exhibiting two additional family-specific behaviors: presence of nibbling and extra jaw closure. Siganids predominantly use movements of the jaws whereas acanthurids also employ body and head movements while detaching algae from the substrate. A comparison among siganid species revealed an axis of diversity in the frequency and extent of their feeding behaviors, with the main axis of variation being strongly associated with sociality (schooling vs. pairing) and morphology (short-snouted vs. long-snouted). Overall, we show that siganids and acanthurids display distinct behaviors during feeding. Thus, our results suggest potential niche differences between 2 major groups of herbivorous reef fishes.
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BibTeX
@article{luenenborg2026functional,
title = {{Functional Distinctions in Feeding Behavior of Two Herbivorous Reef Fish Lineages.}},
author = {Ava Luenenborg and Michalis Mihalitsis and Peter C Wainwright},
journal = {Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/iob/obag056},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953456},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Functional Distinctions in Feeding Behavior of Two Herbivorous Reef Fish Lineages.
AU - Ava Luenenborg
AU - Michalis Mihalitsis
AU - Peter C Wainwright
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England)
DO - 10.1093/iob/obag056
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953456
AB - Understanding the mechanisms and variation of how herbivorous fishes feed is key to understanding the dynamics of herbivory on coral reefs. In our comparative study of closely related nominally herbivorous fishes, we investigate the use of 10 distinct behaviors used to support feeding on algae. We found that species within Siganidae share 5 out of the 10 behaviors with Acanthuridae while also exhibiting two additional family-specific behaviors: presence of nibbling and extra jaw closure. Siganids predominantly use movements of the jaws whereas acanthurids also employ body and head movements while detaching algae from the substrate. A comparison among siganid species revealed an axis of diversity in the frequency and extent of their feeding behaviors, with the main axis of variation being strongly associated with sociality (schooling vs. pairing) and morphology (short-snouted vs. long-snouted). Overall, we show that siganids and acanthurids display distinct behaviors during feeding. Thus, our results suggest potential niche differences between 2 major groups of herbivorous reef fishes.
SN - 2517-4843
ER -