Abstract
BackgroundMarine cleaning interactions in which cleaner fish or shrimps remove parasites from visiting 'client' reef fish are a textbook example of mutualism. However, there is yet no conclusive evidence that cleaning organisms significantly improve the health of their clients. We tested the stress response of wild caught individuals of two client species, Chromis dimidiata and Pseudanthias squamipinnis, that had either access to a cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, or to cleaner shrimps Stenopus hispidus and Periclimenes longicarpus, or no access to cleaning organisms.ResultsFor both client species, we found an association between the presence of cleaner organisms and a reduction in the short term stress response of client fish to capture, transport and one hour confinement in small aquaria, as measured with cortisol levels.ConclusionIt is conceivable that individuals who are more easily stressed than others pay a fitness cost in the long run. Thus, our data suggest that marine cleaning mutualisms are indeed mutualistic. More generally, measures of stress responses or basal levels may provide a useful tool to assess the impact of interspecific interactions on the partner species.
Highlights
Marine cleaning interactions in which cleaner fish or shrimps remove parasites from visiting 'client' reef fish are a textbook example of mutualism
Our data suggest that marine cleaning mutualisms are mutualistic
Measures of stress responses or basal levels may provide a useful tool to assess the impact of interspecific interactions on the partner species
Summary
Marine cleaning interactions in which cleaner fish or shrimps remove parasites from visiting 'client' reef fish are a textbook example of mutualism. The issue became controversial when several attempts to repeat the original study failed to produce similar results [6,7,8,9] These failures promoted the proposal of an alternative hypothesis, namely that cleaner fish exploit the sensory system of their clients by being in almost constant body contact with their pelvic fins [2,10]. In this scenario, clients seek cleaners to receive a tactile reward. Losey [2,10] assumed that this tactile reward has no influence on client fitness and that interactions are overall more or less neutral to client fitness
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