UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA Elucidating Intrinsic Properties Of

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA Elucidating Intrinsic Properties Of UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA INSTITUTO DE NEUROETOLOGÍA Doctorado en Neuroetología Elucidating intrinsic properties of ant-plant mutualistic networks TESIS QUE PARA OBTENER EL GRADO DE DOCTOR EN NEUROETOLOGÍA Presenta: M. en C. Wesley Francisco Dáttilo da Cruz Director de tesis: Dr. Víctor Rico-Gray Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa, Veracruz, México, Agosto 2015 2 TUTORIAL COMMITTEE Dr. Víctor Rico-Gray (Advisor) Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa, Veracruz. Mexico Dra. Cecília Díaz-Castelazo Red de Interacciones Multifróficas Instituto de Ecología A.C. Xalapa, Veracruz. Mexico Dra. Laura Teresa Hernández Salazar Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa, Veracruz. Mexico Dr. Armando Martínez Chacón Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa, Veracruz. Mexico 3 "It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us." (Charles Darwin, 1859) 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS After three academic degrees, at three different universities (Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, and Universidad Veracruzana), in two different countries (Brazil and Mexico), I have learned one thing – I could never have done any of this, particularly the research and writing that went into this thesis, without the support and encouragement of a lot of people. Words can never be enough in expressing how grateful I am to those incredible people in my life that made this thesis possible. I would like an attempt to thank them for making my time during my research in the Institute of Neuroethology at Universidad Veracruzana an amazing period. First and foremost I want to thank my advisor PhD. Víctor Rico-Gray, especially by accepting a Brazilian student still unknown at that moment for him. It has been an honor to be his Ph.D. student. He has taught me, both consciously and unconsciously, how the good and old natural history can help us to understand complex patterns of species interactions. I appreciate all his contributions of time and ideas to make my Ph.D. experience productive and stimulating. The enthusiasm he has for his research was contagious and motivational for me, even during tough times in the Ph.D. I am also thankful for the excellent example he has provided as a successful ecologist and professor. I would also like to thank all my co-authors of the papers generated in this thesis, but especially to Dr. Thiago Izzo (Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Brazil) and Dr. Kléber Del Claro (Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Brazil), that even far were important throughout my training as a scientist in Mexico. I would also like to thank to Dr. Pedro Jordano, I am very appreciative of his generosity with his time, advice, data analysis and all help when I was a visiting student in 2014 into his lab at the Estación Biológica de Doñana in Seville, Spain. For this thesis I would like to thank my reading committee members: Dra. Laura Teresa Hernández Salazar (Universidad Veracruzana), Dr. Armando Jesús Martínez Chacón (Universidad Veracruzana) and Dra. Cecília Díaz Castelazo (Instituto de Ecología, A.C.) for 5 their time, interest, and insightful questions and comments. I gratefully acknowledge the funding sources that made my Ph.D. work possible. I was funded by the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT) through the fellowship no. 489746. Mexico is a wonderful country, full of culture and food (mainly peppers and tequila) and my time over the years was made enjoyable in large part due to the many friends that became a part of my life. I am grateful also to my friends and brothers Armando Aguirre, Dulce Rodríguez Morales and Juan C. Serio Silva who over the years have patiently endured my highs and lows and have kept me sane and entertained. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family for all their love and encouragement. Without your unending support and love from childhood to now, I never would have made it through this process or any of the tough times in my life. And most of all for my loving, supportive, encouraging, and patient wife Jessica Falcão whose faithful support during the final stages of this Ph.D. is so appreciated. Thank you for being there for me from the very beginning since my undergraduate studies. Thank you everybody for believing in me. 6 CONTENTS 1.) ABSTRACT. …………………………………………………………….. p. 7 2.) RESUMEN. ……………………………………………………………… p. 8 3.) General introduction. ………………………….……………….………. p. 9 4.) Chapter I – Strength of the modular pattern in Amazonian symbiotic ant-plant networks. ………………………………………………………….. p. 19 5.) Chapter II – Different tolerances of symbiotic and nonsymbiotic ant- plant networks to species extinctions. ……………………………………….. p. 27 6.) Chapter III – Soil and vegetation features determine the nested pattern of ant-plant networks in a tropical rainforest. ………………………………. p. 40 7.) Chapter IV – Importance of interaction frequency in analysis of ant- plant networks in tropical environments. ……………………………………. p. 48 8.) Chapter V – Ant dominance hierarchy determines the nested pattern in ant-plant networks. ……………………………………………………........... p. 53 9.) General conclusion………………………………………………………. p. 64 7 ABSTRACT: Ants and plants can interact positively in different ways, from facultative to highly specialized relationships. Over spatial and temporal scales different ant and plant species can interact with each other and generate complex ecological networks of interactions. In this doctoral thesis, the text was divided into five interrelated chapters to evaluate how different biotic and abiotic factors and the specialization level among species structuring ecological networks involving ants and plants with extrafloral nectaries (nonsymbiotic interactions) and myrmecophytes (symbiotic interactions). Moreover, I also evaluated the robustness of such networks to simulated species extinctions and disturbances caused by human modification of the landscape. I showed for the first time that symbiotic ant-plant networks are highly specialized and with low overlap in the use of partners. Consequently, such symbiotic networks were less robust for both ants and plants species extinction compared to nonsymbiotic networks (i.e, those involving ants and plants with extrafloral nectaries). In addition, soil pH was an important factor structuring the nested pattern in nonsymbiotic networks. However, unlike binary networks, quantitative networks are often significantly non-nested. I also show that although ants have an extremely territorial effect only near their nests, competition among ants is strong enough to structure ant-plant networks. Specifically, I found that ant position within the nested ant-plant network can be predicted only by differences among the competitive ability (numerical dominance and recruitment) of ant species. In short, my results in this doctoral thesis highlight the importance of the level of specialization and abiotic and biotic factors in the maintenance of the structure of ant-plant mutualistic networks. Keywords: ant-plant interactions, dominance hierarchy, mutualistic networks, modularity, nestedness, and robustness. 8 RESUMEN: Las hormigas y las plantas interactuan positivamente de diferente manera, desde facultativa hasta relaciones altamente especializadas. A lo largo de diferentes escalas espaciales y temporales, diferentes especies de hormigas y plantas pueden interactuar entre sí y generar redes ecológicas complejas de interacciones. En esta tesis de doctorado, el texto se divide en cinco capítulos interrelacionados para evaluar cómo los diferentes factores bióticos y abióticos y el nivel de especialización entre las especies estructuran las redes ecológicas que involucran hormigas y plantas con nectarios extraflorales (interacciones no simbióticas) y mirmecófitas (interacciones simbióticas). Por otra parte, también evalué la robustez de dichas redes para la extinción simulada de especies y para las perturbaciones causadas por la modificación humana del paisaje. Muestro por primera vez que las redes simbióticas hormiga- planta son altamente especializadas y con una baja superposición en el uso de los socios. En consecuencia, este tipo de redes simbióticas fueron menos robustas tanto para la extinción de especies de hormigas y plantas en comparación con las redes no simbióticas (es decir, las interacciones entre hormigas y plantas con nectarios extraflorales). Además, el pH del suelo fue un factor importante para estructurar el patrón anidado en las redes no simbióticas. Sin embargo, a diferencia de las redes binarias, las redes cuantitativas fueron frecuentemente no- anidadas. También muestro que aunque las hormigas tienen un efecto marcadamente territorial sólo cerca de sus nidos, la competencia entre las hormigas es fuerte y lo suficiente para estructurar las redes no simbióticas involucrando hormigas y plantas. Específicamente, muestro que la posición de las hormigas dentro de la red anidada puede predecirse sólo por las diferencias entre la capacidad competitiva (dominancia numérica y reclutamiento) de las especies de hormigas. En resumen, mis resultados en esta tesis doctoral ponen de relieve la importancia del nivel de especialización
Recommended publications
  • Cleaning Symbiosis Among California Inshore Fishes
    CLEANING SYMBIOSIS AMONG CALIFORNIA INSHORE FISHES EDMUNDS. HOBSON' ABSTRACT Cleaning symbiosis among shore fishes was studied during 1968 and 1969 in southern California, with work centered at La Jolla. Three species are habitual cleaners: the seAoriF, Ozyjulis californica; the sharpnose seaperch, Phanerodon atripes; and the kelp perch, Brachyistius frenatus. Because of specific differences in habitat, there is little overlap in the cleaning areas of these three spe- cies. Except for juvenile sharpnose seaperch, cleaning is of secondary significance to these species, even though it may be of major significance to certain individuals. The tendency to clean varies between in- dividuals. Principal prey of most members of these species are free-living organisms picked from a substrate and from midwater-a mode of feeding that favors adaptations suited to cleaning. Because it is exceedingly abundant in a variety of habitats, the seiiorita is the predominant inshore cleaning fish in California. Certain aspects of its cleaning relate to the fact that only a few of the many seiioritas present at a given time will clean, and that this activity is not centered around well-defined cleaning stations, as has been reported for certain cleaning fishes elsewhere. Probably because cleaners are difficult to recognize among the many seiioritas that do not clean, other fishes.generally do not at- tempt to initiate-cleaning; rather, the activity is consistently initiated by the cleaner itself. An infest- ed fish approached by a cleaner generally drifts into an unusual attitude that advertises the temporary existence of the transient cleaning station to other fish in need of service, and these converge on the cleaner.
    [Show full text]
  • Fish Cognition: a Primate's Eye View
    Anim Cogn (2002) 5:1–13 DOI 10.1007/s10071-001-0116-5 REVIEW Redouan Bshary · Wolfgang Wickler · Hans Fricke Fish cognition: a primate’s eye view Received: 8 February 2001 / Accepted after revision: 6 September 2001 / Published online: 20 November 2001 © Springer-Verlag 2001 Abstract We provide selected examples from the fish lit- erature of phenomena found in fish that are currently be- Introduction ing examined in discussions of cognitive abilities and evolution of neocortex size in primates. In the context of Recently increased interest in cognitive aspects of the be- social intelligence, we looked at living in individualised haviour of animals is connected with advances in the de- groups and corresponding social strategies, social learning velopment of both theoretical frameworks and methodol- and tradition, and co-operative hunting. Regarding envi- ogy. Cognitive psychologists have adopted a more evolu- ronmental intelligence, we searched for examples concern- tionary approach to cognitive research (see historical re- ing special foraging skills, tool use, cognitive maps, mem- view in Kamil 1998). The major contribution of primatol- ory, anti-predator behaviour, and the manipulation of the ogy to cognitive psychology was arguably the develop- environment. Most phenomena of interest for primatolo- ment of the social intelligence hypothesis (Humphrey 1976; gists are found in fish as well. We therefore conclude that Byrne and Whiten 1988; Dunbar 1992), which states that more detailed studies on decision rules and mechanisms the evolution of cognitive skills together with a large neo- are necessary to test for differences between the cognitive cortex in primates was caused by the social complexity abilities of primates and other taxa.
    [Show full text]
  • Cheaters Must Prosper: Reconciling Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives on Cheating in Mutualism
    Ecology Letters, (2015) 18: 1270–1284 doi: 10.1111/ele.12507 REVIEW AND SYNTHESIS Cheaters must prosper: reconciling theoretical and empirical perspectives on cheating in mutualism Abstract Emily I. Jones,1,2,3† Cheating is a focal concept in the study of mutualism, with the majority of researchers considering Michelle E. Afkhami,4 Erol Akßcay,5 cheating to be both prevalent and highly damaging. However, current definitions of cheating do Judith L. Bronstein,6 Redouan not reliably capture the evolutionary threat that has been a central motivation for the study of Bshary,7 Megan E. Frederickson,4 cheating. We describe the development of the cheating concept and distill a relative-fitness-based Katy D. Heath,8 Jason D. definition of cheating that encapsulates the evolutionary threat posed by cheating, i.e. that chea- Hoeksema,9 Joshua H. Ness,10 ters will spread and erode the benefits of mutualism. We then describe experiments required to 11 conclude that cheating is occurring and to quantify fitness conflict more generally. Next, we dis- M. Sabrina Pankey, Stephanie S. ‡ cuss how our definition and methods can generate comparability and integration of theory and Porter,12 Joel L. Sachs,12 Klara experiments, which are currently divided by their respective prioritisations of fitness consequences Scharnagl13 and Maren L. and traits. To evaluate the current empirical evidence for cheating, we review the literature on sev- Friesen13*,† eral of the best-studied mutualisms. We find that although there are numerous observations of low-quality partners, there is currently very little support from fitness data that any of these meet our criteria to be considered cheaters.
    [Show full text]
  • Geographic Variation in the Behaviour of the Cleaner Fish Labroides Dimidiatus (Labridae)
    Ethology 108, 353—366 (2002) Ó 2002 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin ISSN 0179–1613 Geographic Variation in the Behaviour of the Cleaner Fish Labroides dimidiatus (Labridae) Carley Bansemer*, Alexandra S. Grutter & Robert Poulinà *Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Moreton Bay Marine Park, Cleveland, Queensland, Australia; Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; àDepartment of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Abstract Geographical variation in the outcome ofinterspecific interactions has a range ofproximate ecological causes. For instance, cleaning interactions between coral reeffishes can result in benefits forboth the cleaner and its clients. However, because both parties can cheat and because the rewards of cheating may depend on the local abundance ofectoparasites on clients, the interaction might range from exploitative to mutualistic. In a comparative analysis ofbehavioural measures ofthe association between the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus and all its client species, we compared cleaning interactions between two sites on the Great Barrier Reefthat differ with respect to mean ectoparasite abundance. At Heron Island, where client fish consistently harbour fewer ectoparasites, client species that tended to pose for cleaners were more likely to receive feeding bites by cleaners than client species that did not pose for cleaners. This was not the case at Lizard Island, where ectoparasites are significantly more abundant. Client fish generally spent more time posing for cleaners at Lizard Island than their conspecifics at Heron Island. However, fish at Heron Island were inspected longer on average by cleaners than conspecifics at Lizard Island, and they incurred more bites and swipes at their sides per unit time from cleaners.
    [Show full text]
  • The False Cleanerfish Relies on Aggressive Mimicry to Bite Fish Fins
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN The false cleanerfsh relies on aggressive mimicry to bite fsh fns when benthic foods are scarce in their local habitat Misaki Fujisawa1,2 ✉ , Yoichi Sakai1,3 & Tetsuo Kuwamura4,5 The false cleanerfsh, Aspidontus taeniatus (Blenniidae), is known for its morphological resemblance to the bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus (Labridae). It has been suggested that A. taeniatus, which acts as a mimic, can easily bite the fns of other fshes that are deceived into requesting cleaning from it or allowing it to approach them. In fact, A. taeniatus frequently utilises benthic food items, such as damselfsh eggs, the Christmas tree worm Spirobranchus giganteus, and the boring clam Tridacna crocea. Although geographical variation in the reliance on aggressive mimicry (fn biting) has been reported, the factors have not been determined. We hypothesised that one of the factors is the abundance of benthic food items. To examine our hypothesis, we compared the feeding behaviour of A. taeniatus at two locations showing contrasting abundances of benthic food items in Okinawa, southern Japan. The frequency of fn biting by the small A. taeniatus in Ishigaki Island, where S. giganteus and T. crocea were very rare, was signifcantly higher than that in Sesoko Island, where the two food items were abundant. We conclude that the importance of aggressive mimicry in A. taeniatus varies depending on local food conditions. Aggressive mimicry is a form of imitation in which a predator or parasite (mimic) closely copies another organ- ism (model) that is attractive or harmless to a third organism (dupe) to gain enhanced access to prey.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Theecological Systemsof Puerto Rico
    United States Department of Agriculture Guide to the Forest Service Ecological Systems International Institute of Tropical Forestry of Puerto Rico General Technical Report IITF-GTR-35 June 2009 Gary L. Miller and Ariel E. Lugo The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Authors Gary L. Miller is a professor, University of North Carolina, Environmental Studies, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804-3299.
    [Show full text]
  • From Mutualistic Partner to Hunted Prey?
    Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 2019, 9, 88-96 http://www.scirp.org/journal/ojas ISSN Online: 2161-7627 ISSN Print: 2161-7597 From Mutualistic Partner to Hunted Prey? Erich K. Ritter Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL, USA How to cite this paper: Ritter, E.K. (2019) Abstract From Mutualistic Partner to Hunted Prey? Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 9, 88-96. Sharks and sharksuckers maintain a mutualistic symbiotic relationship; thus, https://doi.org/10.4236/ojas.2019.91008 it is surprising to observe a lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, killing a sharksucker, Echeneis lucrates, which has been recorded during a dive with Received: October 19, 2018 lemon sharks. Does this observation indicate that the symbiosis between the Accepted: January 7, 2019 Published: January 10, 2019 two species may shift occasionally? The awkwardness of the recorded kill, combined with its comparatively long duration, suggests this bout be a freak Copyright © 2019 by author and incident, rather than a common occurrence; thus, the mutualistic relationship Scientific Research Publishing Inc. needs not be questioned. What triggered the bout, however, can only be spe- This work is licensed under the Creative culated. Although the caloric value of the killed sharksucker is not known, a Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). feeding-oriented behavior can likely be rejected as the potential cause based http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ on the teleost’s rather small size, and an irritation related issue is more likely Open Access to have triggered this bout. Keywords Irritation, Kill, Mutualistic, Shark, Sharksucker, Symbiosis 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Aerial-And-Underwater-Surveys Schofield.Pdf
    Vol. 575: 153–164, 2017 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published July 20 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12193 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Aerial and underwater surveys reveal temporal variation in cleaning-station use by sea turtles at a temperate breeding area Gail Schofield1,*, Kostas Papafitsoros2, Rebecca Haughey1, Kostas Katselidis3 1Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Warrnambool, VIC 3280, Australia 2Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics, Mohrenstrasse 39, 10117 Berlin, Germany 3National Marine Park of Zakynthos, Zakynthos 29100, Greece ABSTRACT: Many animals invest time and energy in removing unwanted organisms from their body surface; however, the benefits of symbiotic cleaning associations to ‘clients’ are disputed. We used aerial (unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs) and underwater surveys to investigate whether log- gerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta actively or incidentally invested in using fish-cleaning stations at a temperate breeding area (Zakynthos, Greece), although they are expected to minimize move- ment to divert energy to egg development. If the former, we hypothesized that turtles would swim into the station (UAV surveys), visit multiple times and compete for access (underwater surveys). Underwater surveys showed that station location changed annually, ruling out usage of a long- term cognitive memory. UAV surveys showed that turtles began using the station immediately after mating activity decreased (mid-May), with use remaining high until females departed (July). Wind direction (primarily southerly) was correlated with the frequency of use (UAV and under - water surveys) and direction of movement through the station (from upwind to downwind); how- ever, turtles swam actively (i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • A Critical Companion to Zoosemiotics BIOSEMIOTICS
    A Critical Companion to Zoosemiotics BIOSEMIOTICS VOLUME 5 Series Editors Marcello Barbieri Professor of Embryology University of Ferrara, Italy President Italian Association for Theoretical Biology Editor-in-Chief Biosemiotics Jesper Hoffmeyer Associate Professor in Biochemistry University of Copenhagen President International Society for Biosemiotic Studies Aims and Scope of the Series Combining research approaches from biology, philosophy and linguistics, the emerging field of biosemi- otics proposes that animals, plants and single cells all engage insemiosis – the conversion of physical signals into conventional signs. This has important implications and applications for issues ranging from natural selection to animal behaviour and human psychology, leaving biosemiotics at the cutting edge of the research on the fundamentals of life. The Springer book series Biosemiotics draws together contributions from leading players in international biosemiotics, producing an unparalleled series that will appeal to all those interested in the origins and evolution of life, including molecular and evolutionary biologists, ecologists, anthropologists, psychol- ogists, philosophers and historians of science, linguists, semioticians and researchers in artificial life, information theory and communication technology. For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/7710 Dario Martinelli A Critical Companion to Zoosemiotics People, Paths, Ideas 123 Dario Martinelli University of Helsinki Institute of Art Research Faculty of Arts PL 35 (Vironkatu 1)
    [Show full text]
  • The Macroecology of Marine Cleaning Mutualisms 76, 105–111 SERGIO R
    Journal of Animal Blackwell Publishing Ltd Ecology 2007 The macroecology of marine cleaning mutualisms 76, 105–111 SERGIO R. FLOETER*§, DIEGO P. VÁZQUEZ*† and ALEXANDRA S. GRUTTER‡ *National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, 735 State Street, Suite 300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA; †Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas, CC 507, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina; ‡School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia Summary 1. Marine cleaning mutualisms generally involve small fish or shrimps removing ectoparasites and other material from cooperating ‘client’ fish. We evaluate the role of fish abundance, body size and behaviour as determinants of interactions with cleaning mutualists. 2. Data come from eight reef locations in Brazil, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Australia. 3. We conducted a meta-analysis of client–cleaner interactions involving 11 cleaner and 221 client species. 4. There was a strong, positive effect of client abundance on cleaning frequency, but only a weak, negative effect of client body size. These effects were modulated by client trophic group and social behaviour. 5. This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting a central role of species abundance in structuring species interactions. Key-words:abundance, body size, cleaning interactions, ectoparasites, reef fish, symbiosis. Journal of Animal Ecology (2007), 76, 105–111 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2006.01178.x Recent studies have linked broad-scale macroecological Introduction variables with community-wide patterns of species Cleaning mutualisms occur frequently among terres- interactions (Cohen, Jonsson & Carpenter 2003; Vázquez trial vertebrates (Dickman 1992) and are widespread et al.
    [Show full text]
  • PHYSIS VOL 3 COMPLETE.Pub
    PHYSIS Journal of Marine Science CIEE RESEARCH STATION BONAIRE TROPICAL MARINE ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION PROGRAM VOL. III SPRING 2008 φύσις PHYSIS Journal of Marine Science CIEE RESEARCH STATION BONAIRE TROPICAL MARINE ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION PROGRAM VOL. III SPRING 2008 φύσις Physis (φύσις), is the Greek word for nature, used to describe the natural growth of living organisms. Physis is capable of generating great change within an individual while maintaining the integrity of its species. It is physis which transforms the tiny fish egg into the transparent, drifting larvae, to the juvenile hiding in the roots of the mangrove, to the quick, silver tarpon glinting in the darkness. Our time in Bonaire has been focused on the place where all life began: the oceans. Over the past fifteen weeks, we have studied marine ecology, developed skills that have enabled us to conduct our own independent research and learned of the many conservation issues plaguing the marine environment. We have sorted through beach trash and looked upon raw sewage, contemplating the possibilities of a sustainable future. We have been given the opportunity to use science as a gateway for reaching a greater understanding of the world that we live in. The following pages are the culmination of that research. Through our experiences within the classroom and in the field, we have developed a stronger understanding of the connections between all of Earth’s systems. As sure as the desert dust of Africa blows over the ocean, the rivers of the Great Plains will reach the sea. Thoreau thought of physis as the movement from darkness into light; as we fall in step with the rhythm of the earth we begin to walk our own path towards a brighter future.
    [Show full text]
  • Cleaner Fishes and Shrimp Diversity and a Re‐Evaluation of Cleaning Symbioses
    Received:10June2016 | Accepted:15November2016 DOI: 10.1111/faf.12198 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Cleaner fishes and shrimp diversity and a re- evaluation of cleaning symbioses David Brendan Vaughan1 | Alexandra Sara Grutter2 | Mark John Costello3 | Kate Suzanne Hutson1 1CentreforSustainableTropicalFisheries andAquaculture,CollegeofScienceand Abstract EngineeringSciences,JamesCookUniversity, Cleaningsymbiosishasbeendocumentedextensivelyinthemarineenvironmentover Townsville,Queensland,Australia the past 50years. We estimate global cleaner diversity comprises 208 fish species 2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,theUniversity ofQueensland,StLucia,Queensland,Australia from106generarepresenting36familiesand51shrimpspeciesfrom11generarep- 3InstituteofMarineScience,Universityof resentingsixfamilies.Cleaningsymbiosisasoriginallydefinedisamendedtohighlight Auckland,Auckland,NewZealand communication between client and cleaner as the catalyst for cooperation and to Correspondence separatecleaningsymbiosisfromincidentalcleaning,whichisaseparatemutualism DavidBrendanVaughan,Centrefor precededbynocommunication.Moreover,weproposetheterm‘dedicated’tore- SustainableTropicalFisheriesand Aquaculture,CollegeofScienceand place‘obligate’todescribeacommittedcleaninglifestyle.Marinecleanerfisheshave Engineering,JamesCookUniversity, dominatedthecleaningsymbiosisliterature,withcomparativelylittlefocusgivento Townsville,Queensland,Australia. Email:[email protected] shrimp.Theengagementofshrimpincleaningactivitieshasbeenconsideredconten- tiousbecausethereislittleempiricalevidence.Plasticityexistsintheuseof‘cleaner
    [Show full text]