An assemblage of the host anemone <i>Heteractis magnifica</i> in the northern Red Sea, and distribution of the resident anemonefish

Brolund, Thea Marie; Tychsen, Anders; Nielsen, Lis Engdahl; Arvedlund, Michael

doi:10.1017/s0025315404009737h

Cited by 23 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…We also conclude that competition for E. quadricolor structures populations of A. bicinctus in the northern Red Sea, with potential impacts on fish survival and growth due to variation in host traits. Patterns of microhabitat choice by cnidarian-associated fishes vary among geographic regions (Dirnwöber & Herler 2007), so host use and preference by A. bicinctus may be more complex further south in the Red Sea, where a third host, H. magnifica, also occurs (Brolund et al 2004). Our observations on morphology and behavior of E. quadricolor support the idea that this host is the most highly coevolved with fish associates, in addition to being inhabited by a higher diversity of anemonefishes than other anemones (Fautin 1991).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Amphiprion bicinctus, the ratio of body standard length (SL) to body depth is about 1.8:1 to 1.9:1 (Allen 1972). As such, large adult A. bicinctus (9 cm SL; Brolund et al 2004) have a body depth of about 4.7 cm, which is greater than the tentacle length of EQB anemones; a fish with this body depth would protrude from among the tentacles instead of hiding under their tips. In contrast, juvenile and small adult fish (e.g.…”

Section: Anemone Morphology and Fish Concealmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Host preference and habitat segregation among Red Sea anemonefish: effects of sea anemone traits and fish life stages

Huebner¹,

Dailey²,

Titus³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Competition drives habitat segregation between adults and juveniles in many types of organisms, but little is known about this process in anemonefish that compete for host sea anemones which differ in habitat quality. We performed field and laboratory experiments to determine causes of habitat segregation in 2-band anemonefish Amphi prion bicinc tus on coral reefs in the northern Red Sea, where juvenile fish mainly occupy leathery sea ane mones Heteractis crispa, and breeding adults almost exclusively inhabit bulb-tentacle sea anemones Entac maea quadricolor. E. quadricolor were usually larger than H. crispa, and expanded more in response to fish presence. Adult fish visually concealed a larger proportion of their body surface area among the relatively thick tentacles of E. quadricolor than among the thinner tentacles of H. crispa, while juveniles were concealed equally well in both hosts. During field experiments, vacated E. quadricolor were colonized rapidly by fish, whereas H. crispa were not. In laboratory choice experiments, fish at all post-settlement life stages preferred E. quadricolor, and large individuals monopolized this host and relegated subordinates to H. crispa. We conclude that competitive exclusion drives habitat segregation among life stages of this anemonefish and that host anemone traits underlie this process. The non-preferred host H. crispa may func tion as a refuge for juvenile fish while they wait for space to become available in the preferred host E. quadricolor, where they are able to attain sexual maturity. The tentacles of the sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor offer optimal cover for anemonefish Amphiprion bicinctus.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Anemone Morphology and Fish Concealmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host preference and habitat segregation among Red Sea anemonefish: effects of sea anemone traits and fish life stages

Huebner¹,

Dailey²,

Titus³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…The majority of anemones had an oval shape, so the longest axial length and shortest axial length (measured to the nearest centimetre) were multiplied by p/4 [30]. Field surveys were completed between 10.00 and 15.00 h to minimize any diel variation in changing tentacle size [31]. For the three most common anemones on Hoga reefs (Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis crispa and Heteractis magnifica), the surface areas of three individuals per species were measured repeatedly over 3 days to determine natural variation in size.…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Clownfish Cohabitation Frequencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Cohabitation promotes high diversity of clownfishes in the Coral Triangle

et al. 2016

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Global marine biodiversity peaks within the Coral Triangle, and understanding how such high diversity is maintained is a central question in marine ecology. We investigated broad-scale patterns in the diversity of clownfishes and their host sea anemones by conducting 981 belt-transects at 20 locations throughout the Indo-Pacific. Of the 1508 clownfishes encountered, 377 fish occurred in interspecific cohabiting groups and cohabitation was almost entirely restricted to the Coral Triangle. Neither the diversity nor density of host anemone or clownfish species alone influenced rates of interspecific cohabitation. Rather cohabitation occurred in areas where the number of clownfish species exceeds the number of host anemone species. In the Coral Triangle, cohabiting individuals were observed to finely partition their host anemone, with the subordinate species inhabiting the periphery. Furthermore, aggression did not increase in interspecific cohabiting groups, instead dominant species were accepting of subordinate species. Various combinations of clownfish species were observed cohabiting (independent of body size, phylogenetic relatedness, evolutionary age, dentition, level of specialization) in a range of anemone species, thereby ensuring that each clownfish species had dominant reproductive individuals in some cohabiting groups. Clownfishes are obligate commensals, thus cohabitation is an important process in maintaining biodiversity in high diversity systems because it supports the persistence of many species when host availability is limiting. Cohabitation is a likely explanation for high species richness in other obligate commensals within the Coral Triangle, and highlights the importance of protecting these habitats in order to conserve unique marine biodiversity.

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“…As giant sea anemones are more or less dependent on the photosynthate produced by the endosymbionts (Dunn 1981;Steen 1988), shallow reefs can be better habitats for these species than deep reefs. However, several species of giant sea anemones are found at depths of 40 m or more (Fricke 1974;Dunn 1981;Brolund et al 2004). Furthermore, small individuals are frequently found in shallow reefs (Dunn 1981;Fautin and Allen 1992;Richardson et al 1997;Srinivasan et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Information on the vertical distribution pattern of these species in relation to size distribution is lacking (Richardson et al 1997;Brolund et al 2004). Water flow may affect sea anemone body size because it can provide anemones with more prey and lower physiological stress (Sebens 1987(Sebens , 2002Brolund et al 2004). The outer reef slopes of coral reefs, but not the shallow reefs, might be better habitats for giant sea anemones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of the giant sea anemone Heteractis crispa with symbiotic anemonefish on a fringing coral reef

Hattori

2005

J Ethol

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Vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of the giant sea anemone Heteractis crispa with symbiotic anemonefish on a fringing coral reef ARTICLE Abstract The distribution patterns of the leathery sea anemone, Heteractis crispa, which contains an algal endosymbiont (zooxanthellae) and anemonefish, were investigated in relation to size distribution on a shallow fringing reef (3.2 ha, 0-4 m depth) in Okinawa, Japan. Individual growth and movements were also examined. Large individuals (>1,000 cm 2 ) inhabited reef edges up to a depth of 4 m, while small anemone (<500 cm 2 ) inhabited shallow reefs including inner reef flats. Individuals rarely moved, and their sizes were significantly correlated with their water depths. Growth of small anemones was negatively correlated with their distance from the reef edge, suggesting that reef edges provide more prey and lower levels of physiological stress. This study suggested that deep reef edges are suitable habitats for H. crispa. Large anemones were inhabited by large Amphiprion perideraion or large Amphiprion clarkii, both of which are effective defenders against anemone predators. Anemones that settle in deep reef edges may enjoy a higher survival rate and attain a large size because of their symbiotic relationship with anemonefish. However, early settlers do not harbor anemonefish. Their mortality rate would be higher in the deep edges than in shallow edges, the complicated topography of which provides refuge.

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An assemblage of the host anemone Heteractis magnifica in the northern Red Sea, and distribution of the resident anemonefish

Cited by 23 publications

References 8 publications

Host preference and habitat segregation among Red Sea anemonefish: effects of sea anemone traits and fish life stages

Host preference and habitat segregation among Red Sea anemonefish: effects of sea anemone traits and fish life stages

Cohabitation promotes high diversity of clownfishes in the Coral Triangle

Vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of the giant sea anemone Heteractis crispa with symbiotic anemonefish on a fringing coral reef

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