Chemical stimuli in coral reefs: how butterflyfishes find their food |
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| Authors: | David Lecchini Suzanne C Mills Christophe Brié Cedrik M Lo Bernard Banaigs |
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| Institution: | 1.Centre IRD Nouméa,Institut de Recherche pour le Développement,Noumea,New Caledonia;2.USR 3278 CNRS-EPHE, CBETM-CRIOBE,Université de Perpignan,Perpignan cedex,France;3.Tropical Fish Tahiti,Avatoru,French Polynesia;4.Service de la Perliculture,Rangiroa and Tahiti,French Polynesia;5.Laboratoire de Chimie des Biomolécules et de l’Environnement (EA 4215),University of Perpignan,Perpignan,France |
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| Abstract: | Animals use sensory stimuli either to assess and select habitats, mates or food, as well as for communication. The present
study aimed to understand the behavioural processes enabling several Chaetodon species (butterflyfishes) to locate one of their food sources (epibionts present on pearl oyster shells) at Rangiroa atoll
(French Polynesia). Among the five species tested, our 2-channel choice flume chamber experiments identified three species
that were attracted to their food source by chemical stimuli. HPLC experiments showed that pearl oysters and epibionts have
specific and unique chemical fingerprints, either one or nine specific peaks, respectively. Overall, chemical stimuli are
emitted by both epibionts (used directly by Chaetodon auriga, C. lunula and C. citrinellus) and live pearl oysters (used indirectly by C. auriga and C. lunula) to locate their food source. Biosynthesis of these chemical stimuli could be used to artificially attract butterflyfishes
to pearl oyster rearing stations in order to increase the natural cleaning of pearl oyster shells and thus reduce one large
cost for this aquaculture. |
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