Dietary partitioning promotes the coexistence of planktivorous species on coral reefs

We use a molecular approach to investigate inter- and intra-specific dietary partitioning among three sympatric species - a branching coral (Pocillopora eydouxi) and two species of damselfish (Dascyllus flavicaudus, Chromis viridis) that use the coral as a structural refuge from predators. We targeted a ~313bp fragment of the hypervariable mitochondrial Cytochrome c. Oxidase subunit I gene (COI) using PCR.