Compensatory cleaner-seeking behavior following spawning in female yellowtail damselfish

Abstract

Marine reef fishes may spend a significant proportion of their daily activity budgets visiting cleaning stations. Nevertheless, the roles of ectoparasites and of interactions with cleaners in shaping patterns of diel activity in these fishes have been largely ignored, possibly because the importance of cleaning for the hosts remains controversial. In diurnal species, a peak in ectoparasite infestation exists at dawn, suggesting that higher rates of cleaner-seeking during this time should be beneficial to hosts. In this study, we quantified the diel pattern of visitations to cleaners, as well as other major activities, in female yellowtail damselfish Microspathodon chrysurus on a Barbadian fringing reef. Females of this species leave their territories near dawn at 3 d intervals to spawn on male territories. On non-spawning days, cleaning peaked at dawn, when fish spent > 20% of their time with cleaners, and declined thereafter, averaging over 11% of the time budget during the entire day. Supplemental observations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also revealed dawn peaks in cleaner-seeking activity. Feeding and territory defense together occupied less than 3% of the time budget at dawn, and never seemed frequent enough to interfere with cleaning. On spawning days, 30% of females visited cleaners at male nests or while traveling back to their territories, and 24% visited cleaners on their own territories during revisitation trips before spawning was completed; nevertheless, they spent < 1 ⁄ 3 as much time with cleaners as did non-spawning females. Reduced cleanerseeking indicates that spawning competes with cleaner visitation in damselfish time budgets, producing a tradeoff between cleaning and reproduction. In the 30 min after spawning, females significantly increased their rate of interaction with cleaners, compared with the same time on nonspawning days, and regained about 68% of the missed time with cleaners; feeding and aggression did not differ between spawning and non-spawning females. Compensatory postspawning visiting of cleaners supports the hypothesis that cleaning at dawn is important, probably because of negative consequences of the dawn peak in parasite loads.

The Meaning of Jolts by Fish Clients of Cleaning Gobies

“…The bulk of the sharknose goby diet consists of ectoparasites gleaned from visiting client species (Whiteman & Côté 2002). As a focal client, we selected yellowtail damselfish because they are among the most frequent visitors to cleaning stations and they usually have a relatively higher ectoparasite loads than other client species at this location (Sikkel et al. 2000, 2005; Soares et al.…”

Comparison of sampling methodologies and estimation of population parameters for a temporary fish ectoparasite

“…Gnathiids on coral reefs appear to be host generalists ( Jones et al., 2007 , Nagel and Grutter, 2007 , Coile and Sikkel, 2013 ) and are therefore highly connected within their communities (for a discussion of measures of connectivity see Ings et al., 2008 ). These gnathiids participate in cleaning symbioses as the major food item of cleaners ( Losey, 1974 , Cheney and Côté, 2003 , Becker and Grutter, 2004 , Clague et al., 2011 , Waldie et al., 2011 ) and appear to influence the interaction between host and cleaners ( Grutter, 1999a , Sikkel et al., 2004 , Sikkel et al., 2005 ). In high numbers, gnathiids can reduce hematocrit and even kill adult fish ( Jones and Grutter, 2005 , Hayes et al., 2011 ).…”

Biologia reprodutiva do peixe-donzela, Stegastes fuscus Cuvier, em arrecifes rochosos no nordeste do Brasil

“…O predomínio de machos de Stegastes diencaeus (Jordan & Rutter, 1897) em Barbados (Índia Ocidental) parece estar relacionado às exigências específicas de cada sexo, resultantes de recursos ambientais, como local apropriado para construção de ninhos, proximidade às estações de limpeza e procura por limpadores, dependendo da carga parasitária (CHENEY & CÔTÉ 2003). Desse modo, uma possível estratificação da população parece ser a explicação mais adequada para justificar a diferença observada na proporção sexual e esta variação intra-específica é uma característica bastante comum entre os peixes recifais (NEMTZOV 1997, SIKKEL et al 2005. As espécies que residem em arrecifes pertencem a um habitat submetido a grandes influências de fatores externos (temperatura, luminosidade, precipitação, entre outros) durante as marés baixas (CLEVELAND & MOTGOMERY 2003).…”

“…Nas últimas décadas, numerosas investigações vêm sendo realizadas sobre diversas espécies de Pomacentridae, abordando aspectos da alimentação (LASSUY 1984, GALETTO & BELLWOOD 1994, CLEVELAND & MONTGOMERY 2003), reprodução (RICHARDSON et al 1997, ASOH 2004), comportamento (ITZKOWITZ et al 2000, SIKKEL et al 2005) e genética (LACSON & CLARK 1995, QUENOUILLE et al 2004, porém estes estudos estão restritos à região dos Estados Unidos e Austrália. O presente trabalho investiga a biologia reprodutiva de Stegastes fuscus, nos arrecifes da praia de Búzios, Nísia Floresta, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil, abordando a proporção sexual, comprimento de primeira maturação gonadal, fecundidade, variação da relação gonadossomática durante o período de estudo e descrição de aspectos morfológicos gonadais.…”