Cleaning Symbiosis Between Hawksbill Turtles and Reef Fishes at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, off Northeast Brazil

Grossman, Alice; Sazima, Cristina; Bellini, Cláudio; Sazima, Iván

doi:10.2744/1071-8443(2006)5[284:csbhta]2.0.co;2

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Zoobenthivorous species likely seek small invertebrates, be it on the shell in the case of grunts, Haemulidae (present study), or on the skin in the case of wrasses, Labridae (Booth & Peters, 1972;Losey et al, 1994). Omnivorous species, such as sergeant majors (Pomacentridae), probably seek both algae and small invertebrates, feeding on epibionts both on the shell and skin (Booth & Peters, 1972;Grossman et al, 2006;present study). Irrespective of their feeding category, fish species that forage on epibionts and/or tissues of turtles likely consider these latter as extensions of their foraging grounds, even if temporary.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…However, it has been suggested that this type of association might be localized in space and/or time, or restricted to specific populations of turtles and/or fishes (Losey et al, 1994;Grossman et al, 2006). Herein we report on additional instances of reef fishes cleaning sea turtles off northeastern Brazil, tropical Southwestern Atlantic, and evaluate the above-mentioned suggestion by presenting a summary on reef fishes cleaning and grazing on epibionts of sea turtles and, thus, provide a better view of this association.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…These organisms are likely disadvantageous to the turtles since, besides removing the organisms by themselves (e.g. Losey et al, 1994;Schofield et al, 2006), the turtles allow reef fishes to feed on these epibionts (Booth & Peters, 1972;Smith, 1988), and also seek particular cleaning stations on the reef to be cleaned by fishes and even shrimps (Losey et al, 1994;Grossman et al, 2006;Schofield et al, 2006). While the fishes feed on the organisms, the turtles get rid of the inconvenient epibionts and, thus, cleaning and grazing on turtles by reef fishes is regarded as an association that benefits both involved parts.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Three species of turtles of the Cheloniidae are recorded associated with reef fishes that graze on or clean epibionts (including ectoparasites), and presumably also remove diseased/dead tissue, namely the green turtle, Chelonia mydas (Booth & Peters, 1972;Losey et al, 1994;, the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata (Smith, 1988;Grossman et al, 2006) and the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta (Schofield et al, 2006). On the other hand, at least 12 reef fish species within five families are recorded feeding on epibionts of sea turtles (Booth & Peters, 1972;Smith, 1988;Losey et al, 1994;Grossman et al, 2006;Schofield et al, 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Booth & Peters, 1972;Grossman et al, Table 1. Reef fishes recorded cleaning sea turtles in the Atlantic (A) or the Pacific (P) oceans.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Turtle cleaners: reef fishes foraging on epibionts of sea turtles in the tropical Southwestern Atlantic, with a summary of this association type

Sazima

Grossman²,

Sazima

2010

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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In the present study we record several instances of reef fish species foraging on epibionts of sea turtles (cleaning symbiosis) at the oceanic islands of Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and near a shipwreck, both off the coast of Pernambuco State, northeast Brazil. Nine reef fish species and three turtle species involved in cleaning are herein recorded. Besides our records, a summary of the literature on this association type is presented. Postures adopted by turtles during the interaction are related to the habits of associated fishes. Feeding associations between fishes and turtles seem a localized, albeit common, phenomenon.No presente estudo registramos diversos episódios de peixes recifais alimentando-se de epibiontes sobre o corpo de tartarugas marinhas (simbiose de limpeza) nas ilhas oceânicas do arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha e próximo a um naufrágio na costa de Pernambuco, nordeste do Brasil. Nove espécies de peixes recifais e três espécies de tartarugas envolvidas nas associações são aqui registradas. Além de nossos registros, apresentamos também um resumo da literatura sobre o tema. As posturas adotadas pelas tartarugas durante as interações estão relacionadas com os hábitos dos peixes associados. Associações alimentares entre peixes e tartarugas podem ser consideradas como um fenômeno local, embora comum.

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mentioning

confidence: 85%

mentioning

confidence: 85%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Booth & Peters, 1972;Grossman et al, Table 1. Reef fishes recorded cleaning sea turtles in the Atlantic (A) or the Pacific (P) oceans.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Turtle cleaners: reef fishes foraging on epibionts of sea turtles in the tropical Southwestern Atlantic, with a summary of this association type

Sazima

Grossman²,

Sazima

2010

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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Behaviours of Sea Turtles in Shipwrecks in Northeast Brazil

da Silva Leitão,

de Oliveira Alves,

dos Santos

et al. 2024

Aquatic Conservation

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Shipwrecks are one of the most common types of artificial reefs. They are home to several sea creatures, including sea turtles. Here, we aim to understand the relationship between sea turtles and shipwrecks by investigating species occurrence, behaviours and food availability in artificial reefs in Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. To map sea turtle occurrence in shipwrecks, we considered data from the literature, and we inspected 54,145 photos resulting from 867 recreational dives performed in 19 shipwrecks. We then selected four wrecks for systematic behavioural observations through 97 h and 56 min of passive video recordings. We also investigated potential food resources for turtles in these shipwrecks. We identified three turtle species (i.e., Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata and Caretta caretta), but most records were juvenile Chelonia mydas individuals using conserved wrecks. We recorded nine behaviours. ‘Resting’ was the predominant activity for all three species, representing over 60% of the records for all species. Their overall activity pattern varied. The wrecks were predominantly encrusted with ascidia, octocoral, sponge and algae—organisms that are part of sea turtles' diet. We highlight the ecological role of the shipwrecks for sea turtles since they may serve as shelter (especially for the juveniles of Chelonia mydas), potentially protecting them against predators and strong currents. The wrecks may also serve as potential feeding areas for sea turtles. We reinforce the need to establish appropriate regulations for recreational dive tourism in shipwrecks in Brazil to avoid disturbing sea turtles in this ecologically important artificial reef.

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