Marine algae serve as arractants for invertebrates 

 (Hicks 1986). Juvenile lumpfish are not rapid or ef- 

 ficient swimmers, and thus cannot effectively pur- 

 sue active prey. It would seem advantageous for 

 such fish to live in concentrations of algae near con- 

 centrations of invertebrates. 



Second, unlike some species of tidepool fishes 

 (e.g., Oligocottus snyderi and Xererpes fucorum of 

 the Pacific coast), juvenile lumpfish show only 

 limited variations in color. The brown-orange color- 

 ation of juveniles may explain why they prefer algal 

 genera and species of similar coloration, such as 

 Laminaria. This explanation does not hold for the 

 large number of juveniles associating with Z. 

 marina, which is green. However, the strong asso- 

 ciation with Z. marina apparently holds only for 

 small lumpfish which feed heavily on small crusta- 

 ceans (Tables 1, 2). Brown (1986) recently found that 

 small juveniles (about 10 mm long) spent more time 

 attached to structures than was spent swimming. 

 Algae of any type or color may thus be especially 

 important to the smallest fish, particularly if avail- 

 ability of brown algae is reduced in a particular 

 locale (e.g.. West Side Pool, where 60% of the fish 

 were 15 mm, compared with 41% in Blueberry 

 Pool). As lumpfish size increases, there appear to 

 be increasing associations with brown algae and 

 decreasing associations with green-colored Z. 

 marina, even when both types are present (Table 



2). 



Third, Laminaria spp. can provide some protec- 

 tion for fish from direct wave action, perhaps more 

 than from other genera or algal species present (for 

 general concepts, see Wieser 1952, O'Connor et al. 

 1979, and Seed 1986). Laminaria often occurs in 

 clusters, resulting in a diffusing of wave action that 

 would otherwise displace fishes. The distribution of 

 L. saccharina. has been shown to be independent of 

 exposure (Sze 1982). Lumpfish associated with this 

 functional type of alga may be effectively protected 

 at flood tides from full wave action, and at ebb tides 

 from avian or terrestrial predators. 



Finally, the ability of lumpfish to attach to objects 

 has been well documented; juveniles of the sizes col- 

 lected in the tidepools of Schoodic Peninsula, ME 

 can adhere to objects and withstand water speeds 

 of up to 170 cm/s (Gibson 1969). Lumpfish use this 

 attachment ability to avoid the adverse impacts of 

 wave action (Alexander 1967). Suction efficiency 

 would be improved by adherence to a flat, somewhat 

 rigid surface, though several species of marine algae 

 have smooth, nonrippled fronds, species of Lami- 

 naria provide the most surface area of this type in 

 the pools examined. 



Acknowledgments 



This research was funded by the National Geo- 

 graphic Society, Grant 3145-85, The Nature Con- 

 servancy (Maine Chapter), and the University of 

 Maine through a Faculty Research Award. John H. 

 Dearborn, Department of Zoology, University of 

 Maine, and David A. Misitano, National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, kindly reviewed the manuscript. 



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