MCR LTER: Coral Reef Resilience: Herbivore Bite Rates on the North Shore Forereef July-August 2010

These data describe bite rates of two abundant species of roving herbivorous
fishes found on the forereef, Chlorurus sordidus (Scaridae), and Ctenochaetus
striatus (Acanthuridae). During several days in July and August 2010, a SCUBA diver
followed individual focal fish for a period of up to 5 minutes and recorded the
number of bites taken as well the types of substrates bitten. Upon randomly locating
a focal individual, divers estimated the total length of that individual as well as
their depth at the initiation (and termination) of the observation. Data are
organized in two data tables. The first data table (Focal_Herbivore_Bite_Rates)
contains individuals that were observed at two depths (~ 10 m and ~ 17 m) at LTER 1
as part of a balanced sampling design (see Sampling Protocol/Design). The second
data table (Additional_Bite_Rate_Data) contains individuals that were observed
opportunistically at LTER 1 and Resilience 2. To minimize
the effect of time of day on fish behavior, all data were collected between 10:00
and 16:00, a period of time which corresponds with peak feeding rates for many
herbivorous fishes. *** This is an offline dataset (LTER Network Type II). Data may be made available through arrangement with the dataset owner. ***