#PhycologyFriday CCA = crustose coralline #algae. These were the CCA ASVs 🧬 I found on the #Scarus_spinus bite cores. I also managed to photograph some CCA tetraspores in their conceptacles on the bite cores of another #parrotfish species.

I scraped the bite cores surfaces to look for microorganisms using microscopy 🔬& 16S 🧬 NGS. We were interested in which filamentous #cyanobacteria were on the #Scarus_spinus bite cores. I made this phylogenetic tree in #iTOL to display the filamentous cyanobacteria ASVs (Amplicon Sequence Variants)

We measured the bite marks of Scarus spinus under a microscope. They are on CCA. Previously the dimensions of #parrotfish bites have been measured in situ on the reef - parrotfish bite volumes are used to calculate 'G' in the #ReefBudget equation to estimate whether #reefs are eroding or accreting.

We used Local Moran’s index for PGLS residuals of 26 GBR #parrotfish species for the 9 cranial traits - AMMM mass was not solely driven by #phylogenetic_relatedness.

AMMM may limit or facilitate feeding substrata bitten. Ie dead coral and CCA are hard, heavily bioeroded dead coral is crumbly ☠️ 🪸

I plotted a bivariate scatter plot to investigate the relationship between the #trohic_cranial_morphology and the bitecore characteristics.

We found that the #adductor_mandibulae_muscle_mass was correlated to the hardness of the feeding substrate.

We drilled #reef bite cores where each #parrotfish bit. I analysed the 404 #bitecores in the lab for 3 ecological factors.

I made this #violin_plot to visualise the differences in feeding substrata for the 15 parrotfish species.

Cetoscarus bit live coral but all parrotfish fed on dead coral ☠️ 🪸

This is the same #cranial_morphometric data for the 15 species of #parrotfish 🐠 with the third principle component which I added in to create a rotating #3D_phylomorphospace (#phytools, Liam Revell 2012)

Hello 🦋

Introducing my #PhD research one paper at a time. 🐠 Part II

My 1st PhD paper looked at the #cranial_morphometrics of 15 species of syntopic #parrotfish.

I used #R to create a PCA #phylomorphospace to depict the phylogenetic relatedness of these 9 cranial traits.

Here are the photos of the Scarus spinus bites on CCA on dead coral from Lizard Island Great Barrier Reef (Photos KDC). Photographs were taken immediately after each bite was observed.

Hello 🦋

Introducing my #PhD research one paper at a time. 🐠 If you want to learn more check out my website:
www.parrotfishresearch.org

We found that #Scarus_spinus fed surprisingly on crustose coralline algae #CCA, the pink paint that grows on dead coral ☠️ 🪸

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#fishsky
⁉️DYK: This rule also applies to #parrotfish:-

1 parrotfish: "parrotfish"

Multiple parrotfish of the same species: "parrotfish"

Multiple parrotfish of multiple parrotfish species: "parrotfishes"

🎉My final PhD chapter is out today with #Coral_Reefs entitled: "A role for encrusting, #endolithic sponges in the feeding of the parrotfish #Scarus_rubroviolaceus? " Our 18S #bitecore 🧬 results indicated spongivory in 5 #parrotfish species so we investigated #sponge and #spongeassociated_microbiota.