Symbiotic crabs maintain coral health by clearing sediments |
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Authors: | Hannah L Stewart Sally J Holbrook Russell J Schmitt Andrew J Brooks |
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Institution: | (1) Coastal Research Center, Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA;(2) Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA |
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Abstract: | Stony corals are the foundation of coral reef ecosystems and form associations with other reef species. Many of these associations
may be ecologically important and play a role in maintaining the health and diversity of reef systems, rendering it critical
to understand the influence of symbiotic organisms in mediating responses to perturbation. This study demonstrates the importance
of an association with trapeziid crabs in reducing adverse effects of sediments deposited on corals. In a field experiment,
mortality rates of two species of branching corals were significantly lowered by the presence of crabs. All outplanted corals
with crabs survived whereas 45–80% of corals without crabs died within a month. For surviving corals that lacked crabs, growth
was slower and tissue bleaching and sediment load were higher. Laboratory experiments revealed that corals with crabs shed
substantially more of the sediments deposited on coral surfaces, but also that crabs were most effective at removing grain
sizes that were most damaging to coral tissues. The mechanism underlying this symbiotic relationship has not been recognized
previously, and its role in maintaining coral health is likely to become even more critical as reefs worldwide experience
increasing sedimentation. |
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Keywords: | Crabs Corals Sediment Trapeziid Coral bleaching Symbiosis |
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