Reef fishes start their lives as free-floating (pelagic) eggs and larvae, drifting and swimming the open ocean before maturing into adults and settling on their own little patch of reef. Some species spend more time in this stage than others, and scientists have long theorized the more time a species spends in egg/larvae stage, the more likely they are to reach greater distances. However, past studies have failed to link the duration of pelagic stage with geographic coverage. A new research has discovered why.

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