Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)

Living together in Reefs

Coral Reef in New Caledonia

Come what may Symbiosis: living together of two different organisms for mutual advantage. Symbioses are very common in coral reefs. Different organisms join forces, for instance: - Algae and corals - Clownfishes and anemones - Cleaners and their customers

„Beginning to bloom“; polyps of a stony coral, coloured brown by unicellular algae within their tissue

Giant clams (Tridacna sp.) as well accomodate unicellular algae within their tissue

Subtenancy Stony corals are the best example of symbiosis. They live together with tiny, unicellular algae, which flourish well protected within the polyp tissue. While the algae are fertilised by waste products of the coral, the polyps utilise carbonhydrates produced by the algae. A similar symbiosis you can found in: - anemones         - giant clams - marine snails     - sponges - marine worms

A fiery home Even tough tentacles of anemones have venomous stinging cells, clownfishes like to stay between them. Their trick; they rub themselves carefully with the mucus of the anemone. This chemical camouflage prevents the anemone from recognising the clownfish as a stranger. A perfect alliance. While the clownsfish chase away predators from the anemone, it is protected by the stinging tentacle of its landlord.

"My anemone is my castle“; the clownfish Amphiprion frenatus in the anemone Entacmaea quadricolor

Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) and Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)

Cleaners Cleaner fishes and shrimp are specialised on cleaning of other fishes. At cleaner stations, they work and remove skin parasites from their customers. Predators of the reef are peaceful at cleaner stations and even let cleaners clean their teeth.

back

next

© Marc Kochzius