Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Standard Standard

Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae). / Dunkley, Katie; Ellison, Amy; Mohammed, Ryan S. et al.
In: Coral Reefs, Vol. 38, No. 2, 01.04.2019, p. 321-330.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

HarvardHarvard

Dunkley, K, Ellison, A, Mohammed, RS, van Oosterhout, C, Whittey, KE, Perkins, SE & Cable, J 2019, 'Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae)', Coral Reefs, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9

APA

Dunkley, K., Ellison, A., Mohammed, R. S., van Oosterhout, C., Whittey, K. E., Perkins, S. E., & Cable, J. (2019). Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae). Coral Reefs, 38(2), 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9

CBE

Dunkley K, Ellison A, Mohammed RS, van Oosterhout C, Whittey KE, Perkins SE, Cable J. 2019. Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae). Coral Reefs. 38(2):321-330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9

MLA

VancouverVancouver

Dunkley K, Ellison A, Mohammed RS, van Oosterhout C, Whittey KE, Perkins SE et al. Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae). Coral Reefs. 2019 Apr 1;38(2):321-330. Epub 2019 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9

Author

Dunkley, Katie ; Ellison, Amy ; Mohammed, Ryan S. et al. / Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae). In: Coral Reefs. 2019 ; Vol. 38, No. 2. pp. 321-330.

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae)

AU - Dunkley, Katie

AU - Ellison, Amy

AU - Mohammed, Ryan S.

AU - van Oosterhout, Cock

AU - Whittey, Kathryn E.

AU - Perkins, Sarah E.

AU - Cable, Jo

PY - 2019/4/1

Y1 - 2019/4/1

N2 - Cleaning interactions, which involve a cleanerremoving ectoparasites and other material from the body of a heterospecific (client), are iconic symbiotic interactions observed on coral reefs worldwide. These small cleaners play a disproportionately large role in the structuring and function of coral reefs, influencing species interaction networks, client health and biodiversity. Cleaning patterns, however, are likely to be context-dependent and highly heterogeneous, and although we have some understanding about their spatial variation, longer-term temporal changes in cleaning interactions have remained understudied. Given that coral reefs are globally threatened and are currently experiencing large shifts in their biodiversity, it is vital that we determine which clients are consistently most important for maintaining cleaning. Using a long-term, 8-yr data set (2010–17) on the cleaning behaviour of the predominant Caribbean cleaner, the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evely-nae), we investigated whether cleaner fish from the same reef show consistent patterns in their interactions with client species over time. Here we conclusively show that cleaning behaviour is highly plastic, as no single species or family was cleaned consistently more than others, in terms of cleaning frequency and duration, across all years. Only 40% of the species were cleaned more than others, and we also observed ca. one-third of species experience inconsistent cleaning patterns across years. Our study thus quantifies how dynamic cleaner–client relationships are on the same reef across years and highlights the importance of long-term data.

AB - Cleaning interactions, which involve a cleanerremoving ectoparasites and other material from the body of a heterospecific (client), are iconic symbiotic interactions observed on coral reefs worldwide. These small cleaners play a disproportionately large role in the structuring and function of coral reefs, influencing species interaction networks, client health and biodiversity. Cleaning patterns, however, are likely to be context-dependent and highly heterogeneous, and although we have some understanding about their spatial variation, longer-term temporal changes in cleaning interactions have remained understudied. Given that coral reefs are globally threatened and are currently experiencing large shifts in their biodiversity, it is vital that we determine which clients are consistently most important for maintaining cleaning. Using a long-term, 8-yr data set (2010–17) on the cleaning behaviour of the predominant Caribbean cleaner, the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evely-nae), we investigated whether cleaner fish from the same reef show consistent patterns in their interactions with client species over time. Here we conclusively show that cleaning behaviour is highly plastic, as no single species or family was cleaned consistently more than others, in terms of cleaning frequency and duration, across all years. Only 40% of the species were cleaned more than others, and we also observed ca. one-third of species experience inconsistent cleaning patterns across years. Our study thus quantifies how dynamic cleaner–client relationships are on the same reef across years and highlights the importance of long-term data.

U2 - 10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9

DO - 10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9

M3 - Article

VL - 38

SP - 321

EP - 330

JO - Coral Reefs

JF - Coral Reefs

SN - 0722-4028

IS - 2

ER -