EFFECTS OF MICROHABITAT ON RECRUITMENT VARIATION IN A GULF OF MAINE REEF FISH

Variation in recruitment of larvae can be important in determining temporal and spatial variation in adult demersal fish populations. This study examines how microhabitat use by newly settled cunner Tautogolabrus adspersus (Pisces: Labridae) influences small-scale recruitment variation. The microhabitat occupied by cunner recruits was characterized by quantifying 14 attributes of the microhabitat at 2 sites in Southern Maine, USA. Attributes at randomly selected sites were also recorded. Cunner recruits were distributed nonrandomly among microhabitats within sites. Recruit presence was positively associated with the presence of macrophytes and negatively associated with microhabitats of low structural complexity. Association with specific microhabitats differed among sites; however, microhabitats available also differed among sites. While presence or absence could be predicted by attributes of microhabitats, small-scale densities of fish could not. These data suggest that microhabitat use is nonrandom, and that the distribution of microhabitat types may influence small scale spatial patterns of recruitment in this species.