Positive interspecific associations consistent with social information use shape juvenile fish assemblages

Social information obtained from heterospecifics can enhance individual fitness by reducing environmental uncertainty, making it an important driver of mixed-species grouping behavior. Heterospecific groups are well documented among fishes, yet are notably more prevalent among juveniles than more advanced life stages, implying that the adaptive value of joining other species is greater during this developmental period. We propose this phenomenon can be explained by the heightened ecological relevance of heterospecifically produced cues pertaining to predation risk and or resources, as body-size uniformity inherent in early ontogeny yields greater overlap in predator and prey guild membership across juveniles of disparate taxa. To evaluate the putative role of information in shaping juvenile fish assemblages, we employed a joint species distribution model (JSDM), identifying nonrandom relationships among fishes collected in 785 seine hauls within the shallow littoral zones of a subtropical island. After accounting for species–environment relationships, which explained 39% of observed covariation in the abundance of 11 taxa, we detected high rates of positive association (84% of significant correlations) predominantly between mutual foraging guild members, consistent with assemblage patterns predicted to evolve under widespread interspecific information use. Affiliations occurred primarily between species characterized by neutral (i.e., noninteracting) or negative (i.e., predator–prey) relationships in later life stages, supporting the notion that heightened niche overlap due to body size homogeneity acted to increase the pertinence of information among juveniles. Taxa exerted varying degrees of influence on assemblage structure; however Eucinostomus spp., a gregarious generalist with exceptional information-production potential, had an effect several times that of all other species combined, further evidencing the likely role of information in motivating observed relationships. Co-occurrence and qualitative behavioral data inferred from remote underwater video surveys reinforced these conclusions. Collectively, these results suggest that positive interactions linked to information exchange can be among the principal factors organizing juvenile fish assemblages at local scales, highlighting the role of ontogeny in mediating the relevance and exploitation of information across species.