DOCSLIB.ORG

Actiniaria: Actiniidae)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Actiniaria: Actiniidae) Cnidae sizes in the two morphotypes of the giant Caribbean anemone Condylactis gigantea (Actiniaria: Actiniidae) Ricardo González-Muñoz1*, Carlos Hernández-Ortiz2, Agustín Garese1, Nuno Simões3 & Fabián Horacio Acuña1 1. Laboratorio de Biología de Cnidarios, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Rodríguez Peña 4046, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina; [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 2. Departamento de Acuacultura y Biología Marina, Escuela de Ciencias Aplicadas del Mar, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo Nueva Esparta, Boca de Río, Isla de Margarita, Venezuela; [email protected] 3. Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación en Sisal (UMDI-Sisal), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Puerto de Abrigo, Sisal, 97356, Yucatán, México; International Chair of Coastal and Marine Studies in Mexico, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, TX, USA; Laboratorio Nacional de Resiliencia Costera (LANRESC); [email protected] Received 15-II-2018. Corrected 29-V-2018. Accepted 27-VI-2018. Abstract: The sea anemone Condylactis gigantea is an ecologically important member of the benthic com- munity in coral reefs of the tropical Atlantic, and displays two morphotypes with respect to the color in their tentacular tips: the green tip morphotype and the pink/purple tip morphotype. Although some molecular and ecological differences have been found between these morphotypes, no other morphological distinctions have been reported, and currently both are still considered a single taxonomic species. In the present study, we perform an exploration on the variability in the size of cnidae between these two morphotypes and performed statistical analyses to compare the 10 categories of cnidae from specimens hosted in the Cnidarian Collection of Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean, of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, which were previ- ously collected in several coral reefs localities of the Yucatán Peninsula. Results reveal no significant variation in cnidae size between the two morphotypes, but significant variations were found within each morphotype. In addition, we update the composition of the cnidom of C. gigantea, and the utility of the size of cnidae to dis- tinguish between morphotypes or closely related species is discussed. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(3): 1055-1064. Epub 2018 September 01. Key words: Cnidaria; Anthozoa; cnidom; coral reefs; morphotype; Condylactis gigantea. The giant Caribbean sea anemone Condy- shrimps (Silbiger & Childress, 2008; Colom- lactis gigantea (Weinland, 1860) (Actiniaria, bara, Quinn, & Chadwick, 2017), as well as Actiniidae) is one of the most common and symbiotic associations with some species of well-known actiniarian species that inhabits Caribbean fishes (Hanlon & Kaufman, 1976; in coastal and coral reefs environments of the Hanlon & Hixon, 1986). Moreover, this spe- Western Atlantic Ocean, and is distributed cies is also recognized as an important source from Bermuda to southeast Brazil, and along of biologically active compounds (e.g. Billen, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea Debaveye, Béress, Garateix, & Tytgat, 2010; (González-Muñoz, Simões, Sánchez-Rodrí- Romero et al., 2010; Santos et al., 2013) and, guez, Rodríguez, & Segura-Puertas, 2012). due to its brightly colors and attractive forms, it This species is an ecologically important is much appreciated in the aquarium trade (Chi- member of the benthic community providing appone, Swanson, & Miller, 2001; Sheridan, habitat for several species of caridean cleaner Fautin, & Garret, 2015). Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 66(3): 1055-1064, September 2018 1055 Fig. 1. Morphotypes of Condylactis gigantea: a. Green morphotype. b. Pink/Purple morphotype. Cnidom of C. gigantea per tissue type. Actinopharynx: c. small basitrich. d. large basitrich. Column: e. small basitrich. f. large basitrich. Filaments: g. small basitrich. h. large basitrich. i. microbasic b-mastigophore. j. microbasic p-mastigophore. Tentacles: k. basitrich. l. spirocysts. Condylactis gigantea displays two main Cook, Lang, Petelle, & Blumstein, 2012). morphotypes, particularly with respect to color However, no other morphological differences in the tentacular tips, which can be categorized between these two morphotypes have been as the green tip (Fig. 1A) and the pink/purple reported and both are currently considered a tip morphotypes (Fig. 1B), although some indi- single taxonomic species. viduals with whitish, yellowish, or bluish ten- Despite the size of cnidae alone is not tacular tips can be also rarely found. Previous necessarily a conclusive taxonomic character genetic comparisons with DNA sequence data to differentiate between species due to its vari- have found some differences between these ability within conspecific individuals (Fautin, two morphotypes from specimens of different 2009; Garese, Carrizo, & Acuña, 2016), some depths and reef areas, as well as differences in studies consider them as an additional specific UV absorbance capacities, suggesting reduced taxonomic characteristic to distinguish between gene flow and ecological differentiation among closely related species, but only when these the green and the pink/purple morphotypes at differences are accompanied by other mor- a small geographic scale (Stoletzki & Schi- phological or ecological distinctions (Fautin, erwater, 2005). Other differences between 1988). Some studies including quantitative these morphotypes have also been observed on analyses of the size of cnidae to distinguish personality and habitat segregation (Hensley, between closely related species or between 1056 Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 66(3): 1055-1064, September 2018 morphotypes suggests results of two opposite actinopharynx, mesenteric filaments, and mid sorts. Some studies found significant statistical column. Terminology follows Östman (2000). differences in cnidae sizes comparisons (e.g. From each of the four squash preparations, the Allcock, Watts, & Thorpe, 1998; Watts & Thor- length and width of 30 undischarged capsules pe, 1998; Manchenko, Dautova, & Latypov, (replicates) of each type of cnidae were ran- 2000; Watts, Allcock, Lynch, & Thorpe, 2000), domly measured using DIC microscopy 1 000x while other attempts did not find statistical sup- oil immersion (following Williams, 1996). Cni- port to clearly separate species or morphotypes dae preparations were deposited in the same based on cnidae size differences (e.g. Solé- Cnidarian collection. Cava & Thorpe, 1987; Chintiroglou & Karalis, Cnidae samples were ordered in a bi- 2000; González-Muñoz et al., 2015; González- dimensional space using principal component Muñoz, Garese, Tello-Musi, & Acuña, 2017). analysis (PCA). Differences in ordination In the present study, we performed an given by morphotype and individual specimens exploration on the variability in the size of cni- within each morphotype were analyzed using a dae and statistically analyze them to compare permutational multivariate analysis of variance between the two morphotypes of C. gigantea, (PERMANOVA) procedure (Anderson, 2001). from preserved specimens of the Collection of Differences among cnidae size were analyzed Cnidarians of the Gulf of Mexico and Mexi- for each type of cnidae and tissue separately. can Caribbean, of the Universidad Nacional The PERMANOVA procedure was applied on Autónoma de México (UNAM). In addition, resemblance matrices based on the Euclidian we update the composition of the cnidom of C. distance between samples. Although length and gigantea, and discuss about the utility of the width of the capsules were in the same mea- size of cnidae to distinguish between closely related species or between morphotypes. surement unit, data were normalized prior to analyses. The statistical model used was given by: Yijkl= Mi+I(M)j(i)+Tk+MTik+I(M)Tj(i)k+eijkl, MATERIALS AND METHODS where Y is the response matrix with n samples * P = 2 variables (number of columns: length and Five specimens of each of the two mor- width); M is a fixed factor representing mor- photypes were selected from the Collection photype (with two levels); I is a random factor of Cnidarians of the Gulf of Mexico and representing individuals nested in M (with five Mexican Caribbean Sea (Registration code: YUC-CC-254-11) of the Unidad Multidisci- levels); T is the fixed factor representing type plinaria de Docencia e Investigación - Sisal of cnidae and is orthogonal to M and I; MT and (UMDI-Sisal) at the UNAM. Specimens were I(M)T are corresponding interactions terms; selected based on the photographs of the living and e is the residual matrix. Permutation pro- specimens which are included in each record cedures were applied to obtain appropriate dis- of the collection. All specimens were collected tributions for the pseudo-F statistic under the in coastal coral reefs localities along the Yuca- null hypothesis. All analyses were performed tán Peninsula (Appendix). Pedal disc diam- using 999 permutations of residuals under the eter and column height of the samples were reduced model. The experimental design was measured from living specimens (Appendix); balanced in every case, and the partitioning of however, comparisons between morphotypes variation was achieved so that the statistic test were made regardless the size of the specimens represents the proportion of the variation in the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Protection of Host Anemones by Snapping Shrimps: a Case for Symbiotic Mutualism?
    Symbiosis DOI 10.1007/s13199-014-0289-8 Protection of host anemones by snapping shrimps: a case for symbiotic mutualism? AmberM.McCammon& W. Randy Brooks Received: 4 June 2014 /Accepted: 29 July 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 Abstract The sea anemone Bartholomea annulata is an eco- especially common in marine environments (Roughgarden logically important member of Caribbean coral reefs which host 1975; Poulin and Grutter 1996;Côté2000). Mutualism; a a variety of symbiotic crustacean associates. Crustacean type of symbiotic relationship in which both partners derive exosymbionts typically gain protection from predation by dwell- some benefit from the association, are also widespread across ing with anemones. Concurrently, some symbionts may provide taxa (Boucher et al. 1982). The benefit(s) of symbiont- protection to their host by defending against anemone predators mediated protection of host species from microbial disease, such as the predatory fireworm, Hermodice carunculata,which parasites, and predators is increasingly evident (Haine 2008). can severely damage or completely devour prey anemones. Protection mechanisms are diverse and include various sym- Herein we show through both field and laboratory studies that biont derived chemical defenses (Haine 2008) as well as anemones hosting the symbiotic alpheid shrimp Alpheus armatus maintenance behaviors (Heil and McKey 2003; Stier et al. are significantly less likely to sustain damage by H. carunculata 2012) and defensive social interactions (Glynn 1980; Brooks than anemones without this shrimp. Our results suggest that the and Gwaltney 1993; Heil and McKey 2003;McKeonetal. association between A. armatus and B. annulata, although com- 2012). Previous studies have demonstrated that some crusta- plex because of the numerous symbionts involved, may be closer ceans will actively defend host cnidarians in their natural to mutualism on the symbiotic continuum.
    [Show full text]
  • Condylactis Gigantea (Giant Caribbean Sea Anemone)
    UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Ecology Condylactis gigantea (Giant Caribbean Sea Anemone) Order: Actiniaria (Sea Anemones) Class: Anthozoa (Corals and Sea Anemones) Phylum: Cnidaria (Corals, Sea Anemones and Jellyfish) Fig. 1. Giant Caribbean sea anemone, Condylactis gigantea. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Condylactis_gigantea_(giant_Caribbean_sea_anemone)_(San_Salvador_I sland,_Bahamas)_7_(16085678735).jpg, downloaded 10 March 2016] TRAITS. The giant Caribbean sea anemone, also called the pink or purple-tipped anemone, as well as giant golden anemone has a distinct purple or pink colour at the tip of its tentacles (Zahra, n.d.) (Fig. 1). Contrastingly, behind its tip straight down to its base, the tentacles are brown or greenish in colour. This organism may possess either male or female reproductive organs, or more rarely both (hermaphrodite). Its size is estimated at 15cm high and 30cm wide with a disc as wide as approximately 40cm (Wikipedia, 2015). This large column-shaped animal has 100 or more tentacles (free floating) around its mouth which is hidden at the centre of all the tentacles on an oral disc, leading to the gastrovascular cavity. Cnidocysts (stinging organelles that inject poison) are present in the tentacles (Hickman et al., 2002, 119). The basal disc is UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Ecology firmly connected to the substrate causing the organism to be sessile or fixed into location (Zahra, n.d). The giant Caribbean sea anemone lacks a medusa (jellyfish-like) stage in the life cycle. DISTRIBUTION. Largely found in the Caribbean, that is, mainly in the West Indies, as well as they span the western Atlantic Ocean, including Bermuda (Silva, 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • Sea Anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) Toxins: an Overview
    Mar. Drugs 2012, 10, 1812-1851; doi:10.3390/md10081812 OPEN ACCESS Marine Drugs ISSN 1660-3397 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs Review Sea Anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria) Toxins: An Overview Bárbara Frazão 1,2, Vitor Vasconcelos 1,2 and Agostinho Antunes 1,2,* 1 CIMAR/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas 177, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal; E-Mails: [email protected] (B.F.); [email protected] (V.V.) 2 Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +351-22-340-1813; Fax: +351-22-339-0608. Received: 31 May 2012; in revised form: 9 July 2012 / Accepted: 25 July 2012 / Published: 22 August 2012 Abstract: The Cnidaria phylum includes organisms that are among the most venomous animals. The Anthozoa class includes sea anemones, hard corals, soft corals and sea pens. The composition of cnidarian venoms is not known in detail, but they appear to contain a variety of compounds. Currently around 250 of those compounds have been identified (peptides, proteins, enzymes and proteinase inhibitors) and non-proteinaceous substances (purines, quaternary ammonium compounds, biogenic amines and betaines), but very few genes encoding toxins were described and only a few related protein three-dimensional structures are available. Toxins are used for prey acquisition, but also to deter potential predators (with neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity effects) and even to fight territorial disputes. Cnidaria toxins have been identified on the nematocysts located on the tentacles, acrorhagi and acontia, and in the mucous coat that covers the animal body.
    [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]
  • Species Delimitation in Sea Anemones (Anthozoa: Actiniaria): from Traditional Taxonomy to Integrative Approaches
    Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 10 November 2019 doi:10.20944/preprints201911.0118.v1 Paper presented at the 2nd Latin American Symposium of Cnidarians (XVIII COLACMAR) Species delimitation in sea anemones (Anthozoa: Actiniaria): From traditional taxonomy to integrative approaches Carlos A. Spano1, Cristian B. Canales-Aguirre2,3, Selim S. Musleh3,4, Vreni Häussermann5,6, Daniel Gomez-Uchida3,4 1 Ecotecnos S. A., Limache 3405, Of 31, Edificio Reitz, Viña del Mar, Chile 2 Centro i~mar, Universidad de Los Lagos, Camino a Chinquihue km. 6, Puerto Montt, Chile 3 Genomics in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile. 4 Nucleo Milenio de Salmonidos Invasores (INVASAL), Concepción, Chile 5 Huinay Scientific Field Station, P.O. Box 462, Puerto Montt, Chile 6 Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avda. Brasil 2950, Valparaíso, Chile Abstract The present review provides an in-depth look into the complex topic of delimiting species in sea anemones. For most part of history this has been based on a small number of variable anatomic traits, many of which are used indistinctly across multiple taxonomic ranks. Early attempts to classify this group succeeded to comprise much of the diversity known to date, yet numerous taxa were mostly characterized by the lack of features rather than synapomorphies. Of the total number of species names within Actiniaria, about 77% are currently considered valid and more than half of them have several synonyms. Besides the nominal problem caused by large intraspecific variations and ambiguously described characters, genetic studies show that morphological convergences are also widespread among molecular phylogenies.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of Toxins from Cnidaria
    marine drugs Review A Review of Toxins from Cnidaria Isabella D’Ambra 1,* and Chiara Lauritano 2 1 Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy 2 Marine Biotechnology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-081-5833201 Received: 4 August 2020; Accepted: 30 September 2020; Published: 6 October 2020 Abstract: Cnidarians have been known since ancient times for the painful stings they induce to humans. The effects of the stings range from skin irritation to cardiotoxicity and can result in death of human beings. The noxious effects of cnidarian venoms have stimulated the definition of their composition and their activity. Despite this interest, only a limited number of compounds extracted from cnidarian venoms have been identified and defined in detail. Venoms extracted from Anthozoa are likely the most studied, while venoms from Cubozoa attract research interests due to their lethal effects on humans. The investigation of cnidarian venoms has benefited in very recent times by the application of omics approaches. In this review, we propose an updated synopsis of the toxins identified in the venoms of the main classes of Cnidaria (Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Cubozoa, Staurozoa and Anthozoa). We have attempted to consider most of the available information, including a summary of the most recent results from omics and biotechnological studies, with the aim to define the state of the art in the field and provide a background for future research. Keywords: venom; phospholipase; metalloproteinases; ion channels; transcriptomics; proteomics; biotechnological applications 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Host Selection by the Cleaner Shrimp Ancylomenes Pedersoni: Do Anemone Host Species, Prior Experience Or the Presence of Conspecific Shrimp Matter?
    Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 413 (2012) 87–93 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Host selection by the cleaner shrimp Ancylomenes pedersoni: Do anemone host species, prior experience or the presence of conspecific shrimp matter? Maite Mascaró a,⁎, Lizbeth Rodríguez-Pestaña b, Xavier Chiappa-Carrara a, Nuno Simões a a Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Sisal, Yucatán, México b Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F. México article info abstract Article history: In the symbiotic association that exists between cleaner shrimp Ancylomenes pedersoni (=Periclimenes peder- Received 13 February 2011 soni) and host sea anemones, specificity varies among populations, and shrimp are believed to search among Received in revised form 23 November 2011 different individual hosts for favourable positions from which to attract client fish. Four laboratory-based exper- Accepted 25 November 2011 iments were conducted to test host selection of A. pedersoni between the following: i) Bartholomea annulata Available online xxxx (corkscrew anemone) and Condylactis gigantea (condy anemone), ii) B. annulata, with or without a conspecific resident, iii) a previously known or unknown B. annulata, and iv) a previously known or unknown C. gigantea. Keywords: Ancylomenes (=Periclimenes) pedersoni Preference (active selection) was distinguished from mere passive association by comparing shrimp acclimation Bartholomea annulata to anemones offered in choice and no-choice (control) situations. The results were analysed using asymmetrical Cleaner shrimp χ2 contingency tables (in each experiment, n=60) where expected frequencies were obtained with maximum Condylactis gigantea likelihood estimators.
    [Show full text]
  • Cytolytic Peptide and Protein Toxins from Sea Anemones (Anthozoa
    Toxicon 40 2002) 111±124 Review www.elsevier.com/locate/toxicon Cytolytic peptide and protein toxins from sea anemones Anthozoa: Actiniaria) Gregor Anderluh, Peter MacÏek* Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, VecÏna pot 111,1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Received 20 March 2001; accepted 15 July 2001 Abstract More than 32 species of sea anemones have been reported to produce lethal cytolytic peptides and proteins. Based on their primary structure and functional properties, cytolysins have been classi®ed into four polypeptide groups. Group I consists of 5±8 kDa peptides, represented by those from the sea anemones Tealia felina and Radianthus macrodactylus. These peptides form pores in phosphatidylcholine containing membranes. The most numerous is group II comprising 20 kDa basic proteins, actinoporins, isolated from several genera of the fam. Actiniidae and Stichodactylidae. Equinatoxins, sticholysins, and magni- ®calysins from Actinia equina, Stichodactyla helianthus, and Heteractis magni®ca, respectively, have been studied mostly. They associate typically with sphingomyelin containing membranes and create cation-selective pores. The crystal structure of Ê equinatoxin II has been determined at 1.9 A resolution. Lethal 30±40 kDa cytolytic phospholipases A2 from Aiptasia pallida fam. Aiptasiidae) and a similar cytolysin, which is devoid of enzymatic activity, from Urticina piscivora, form group III. A thiol-activated cytolysin, metridiolysin, with a mass of 80 kDa from Metridium senile fam. Metridiidae) is a single representative of the fourth family. Its activity is inhibited by cholesterol or phosphatides. Biological, structure±function, and pharmacological characteristics of these cytolysins are reviewed. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Cytolysin; Hemolysin; Pore-forming toxin; Actinoporin; Sea anemone; Actiniaria; Review 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Condylactis Gigantea)
    Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 426–427 (2012) 1–4 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Personality and habitat segregation in giant sea anemones (Condylactis gigantea) Nicholai M. Hensley, Taylor C. Cook, Mason Lang, Matthew B. Petelle, Daniel T. Blumstein ⁎ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095‐1606, USA article info abstract Article history: Animal personality is described as consistent differences in individual behavior across time or context, and Received 6 February 2012 may vary spatially. Bolder animals are more likely to migrate, grow slowly, or explore than shyer animals. Received in revised form 11 May 2012 Personality types within a population can also differ between discrete habitats or continuously across an en- Accepted 16 May 2012 vironmental gradient. We examined the distribution of giant sea anemone (Condylactis gigantea) responses Available online xxxx to disturbance across a continuous habitat gradient to determine whether anemones' habitat selection is explained by individual variation. On four different occasions we induced individual anemones to retract Keywords: Sea anemone their tentacles by touching them with a model blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and recorded the time for Animal personality their tentacles to relax into their original state. We also recorded several environmental variables associated Habitat segregation with each anemone. We found that individual anemones behaved in consistently different ways and that a Condylactis gigantea combination of seagrass measurements and the number of close conspecifics, as well as their tentacle Boldness color, significantly explained this variation.
    [Show full text]
  • SNAPPING SHRIMP PROTECT HOST ANEMONES from PREDATORS by Amber Mccammon
    SNAPPING SHRIMP PROTECT HOST ANEMONES FROM PREDATORS by Amber McCammon A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida May 2010 Copyright by Amber McCammon 2010 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express her sincere thanks and love to family and friends for their support and encouragement throughout the writing of this manuscript. The author is grateful to the staff at the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS), the McLean Marine Science Center and the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (CMES) of the University of the Virgin Islands, and Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex for logistic support and use of their facilities. Many thanks to A. Parr, G. Rivera, W. Sears, B. Tuttle, B. Weldon, and volunteers from the 2008 and 2009 Virgin Islands Earthwatch teams for assisting with the collection of data. National Park Service permit no. VIIS-2008-SCI-0025, Florida Fish and Wildlife permit no. SAL-09-1124-SRP, Department of Planning and Natural Resources permit no. STT-072-09. iv ABSTRACT Author: Amber McCammon Title: Snapping Shrimp Protect Host Anemones from Predators Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. W. Randy Brooks Degree: Master of Science Year: 2010 The sea anemone Bartholomea annulata, is an ecologically important member of Caribbean coral reefs. This anemone serves as symbiotic host to crustacean associates, some of which may control parasite loads by “cleaning” reef fishes. Associates may gain protection from predation by dwelling with anemones.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparative Diversity of Anemone-Associated Fishes and Decapod Crustaceans in a Belizean Coral Reef and Seagrass System
    Marine Biodiversity (2019) 49:2609–2620 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-019-00993-5 ORIGINAL PAPER Comparative diversity of anemone-associated fishes and decapod crustaceans in a Belizean coral reef and seagrass system Rohan M. Brooker1,2 & William E. Feeney3,4 & Tiffany L. Sih5,6 & Maud. C. O. Ferrari7 & Douglas P. Chivers2 Received: 16 April 2019 /Revised: 5 July 2019 /Accepted: 12 July 2019/Published online: 19 August 2019 # Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung 2019 Abstract Within tropical coastal habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows, sea anemones (Actiniaria) provide microhabitats for a diverse range of fauna. However, the mechanisms that enable these interactions, and how actiniarian diversity and abundance mediates associate assemblages, remains poorly understood. Here, we compared sea anemone species richness and abundance with that of their associated decapod crustaceans and teleost fishes across adjacent coral reef and seagrass habitats at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. At least 16 decapod and seven fish species were associated with anemones across both habitats, including several previously undocumented associations. While overall anemone-associate richness did not differ between habitats, seagrass anemones had the greatest mean abundance and diversity of both decapod and fish associates. This suggests that the importance of anemones as microhabitat reflected broader benthic complexity and shelter availability, with species aggregating on sea anemones when access to alternative shelter, such as corals, was limited. Patterns of associate distributions on anemones were also highly structured, in terms of both associate and anemone species, with these patterns likely reflecting a combination of associate specialization, intraspecific competition, and anemone morphology and toxicity.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Ecology Progress Series 470:55
    Vol. 470: 55–68, 2012 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published December 6 doi: 10.3354/meps10030 Mar Ecol Prog Ser OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS Ecological traits of Caribbean sea anemones and symbiotic crustaceans P. Briones-Fourzán1,*, M. Pérez-Ortiz2, F. Negrete-Soto1, C. Barradas-Ortiz1, E. Lozano-Álvarez1 1Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo 77580, Mexico 2Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, Distrito Federal 04360, Mexico ABSTRACT: In Caribbean coral reefs, many crustacean species associate with sea anemones, but only a few are anemone symbionts. We examined several ecological traits of 3 anemone species (Bartholomea annulata, Condylactis gigantea, Lebrunia danae) and their crustacean symbionts (6 species) on a coral reef at Puerto Morelos, Mexico. On average, C. gigantea was the largest and B. annulata the most abundant of the 3 anemone species. Season did not affect the density distri- bution of any species, whereas reef zone (back reef, fore reef, reef channels) significantly affected density and mean size of B. annulata and C. gigantea, but only density of L. danae. The probability of harboring crusta ceans increased with anemone size in all species, but varied with reef zone and season in B. annulata only. These patterns may be due to different microhabitat requirements, reproductive strategies, or photosynthetic plasticity of dinoflagellate endosymbionts among hosts, and different flow regimes among reef zones. Alpheus armatus and Ancylomenes pedersoni were strongly associated with B. annulata, and Periclimenes rathbunae with L. danae. Thor amboinen- sis and Mithraculus cinctimanus occurred more often in C.
    [Show full text]