Martin, Jake
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Deakin University
- Monash University
Abstract
Cleanerfish support coral reef ecosystems by providing important services to client fishes. Cleanerfish species often coexist, but how interspecies dynamics influence cleaning networks across life-history stages remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of interspecific competition on the behaviour of two juvenile cleaner wrasses, Labroides dimidiatus and Labroides bicolor. Under competitive scenarios, L. dimidiatus exhibited higher levels of client association compared to L. bicolor, while no differences were observed under non-competitive conditions. These behavioural differences likely facilitate resource partitioning and coexistence, supporting the stability of coexisting mutualistic networks in coral reef ecosystems.
Keywords
coral reefs; Labroides; mutualisms
Published in
Biology Letters
2025, volume: 21, number: 7, article number: 20250079
Publisher: ROYAL SOC
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Fish and Aquacultural Science
Ecology
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0079
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/143101