ScienceDaily reports on a study published two weeks ago in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that demonstrates a new understanding and appreciation of the migrations of reef fish and the connectivity between different habitats. The study reveals that some commercial fish in the Red Sea are adaptable to many different habitats and often move between them—sometimes significant distances—to enable their species to survive. Their distribution as juveniles in coastal wetlands, reef, and continental islands was recorded through a unique and complex analysis of the ear bones of individual Ehrenberg’s snappers (Lutjanus ehrenbergii). Photo courtesy of Sciencedaily.com The team of scientists collected adult fish, analyzed the isotopic signatures recorded in the ear bone, and identified “with a high degree of accuracy the habitat an individual fish occupied as a juvenile.” These findings shine new light on the life cycle of fish and the impact of human activity on the seascape. Further research needs to be done to see if this is a pattern among species throughout the world, but it is already apparent that the protection of all marine environments is a vital to the survival of at least one fish that is of particularly important to us as a global food source. The team developed the innovative method and their findings are sure to be vital in the ongoing discussion of land management near reef ecosystems. As Biologist Simon Thorrold states, “Protecting the reef protects the adult fishes, but not an important component of their life history, as juveniles… It won’t work to protect the reef but, for example, allow a hotel to be built on the seagrass beds and mangroves.” Read more here!