Data from: Ecological release from aquatic predation is associated with the emergence of marine blenny fishes onto land

An ecological release from competition or predation is a frequent adaptive explanation for the colonization of novel environments, but empirical data are limited. On the island of Rarotonga, several blenny fish species appear to be in the process of colonizing land. Anecdotal observations have implied that aquatic predation is an important factor in prompting such amphibious fish behavior. We provide evidence supporting this hypothesis by demonstrating that amphibious blennies shift their abundance up and down the shoreline to remain above predatory fishes that periodically move into intertidal areas during high tide. A predation experiment using blenny mimics confirmed a high risk of aquatic predation for blennies, significantly higher than predation experienced on land. These data suggest that predation has played an active role in promoting terrestrial activity in amphibious blennies and provide a rare example of how ecological release from predation could drive the colonization of a novel environment.竞争或捕食介导的生态释放（ecological release）是当前解释物种定植新兴环境的主流适应性假说之一，但相关实证研究数据仍较为有限。在拉罗汤加岛（Rarotonga）上，多种鳚鱼（blenny fish）似乎正处于向陆地定植的进程中。此前的零星观测曾提出，水生捕食是推动这类两栖鱼类形成陆地活动行为的重要诱因。本研究通过观测证实，两栖鳚鱼会沿海岸线调整种群分布的上下位置，以始终避开涨潮时会周期性侵入潮间带（intertidal areas）的掠食性鱼类活动范围，从而为该假说提供了实证支持。后续利用鳚鱼模拟物开展的捕食实验进一步确认，两栖鳚鱼面临的水生捕食风险极高，显著高于其在陆地环境中遭遇的捕食压力。上述研究结果表明，捕食压力在推动两栖鳚鱼演化出陆地活动行为的过程中扮演了积极角色，同时也为“捕食释放可驱动物种定植新兴环境”这一生态学理论提供了罕见的实证案例。