Coral Reef Cleaning Stations
Relationships among marine species are not only about food. The health and survival of species also depend on “grooming” services from other species. In this feature, Dr Anjani Ganase looks at the functions of some coral reef inhabitants as cleaners for larger species. Divers often come across peculiar interactions between large fish or marine animals and smaller fish – Gobies, Wrasses – or with crustaceans, such as shrimps and crabs. These are not the typical predator-prey relationships but amicable associations, where the small fish or crustaceans can be seen moving about the body of the large predator foraging for ectoparasites and picking at dead tissue. The fish (the client) keeps as still as possible to avoid disrupting the activities of the smaller fish; it might even orient its head upwards and open its mouth and gills to give the fish or shrimp easy access to its cavities. The smaller fish or shrimp do not appear apprehensive at all about entering the mouth and picki...