Ecological note on Troglocarcinus corallicola (Brachyura: Cryptochiridae) living in symbiosis with Manicina areolata (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) in the Mexican Caribbean
Coral reefs are considered the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet (Levinton 1982). Symbiotic interactions between phylogenetically unrelated organisms play a very important role in coral reef ecology (Carrera-Parra and Vargas-Herna´ ndez 1997), and stony corals host many organisms that live on their surface or within their skeletons (Abelson et al. 1991). Crabs are commonly associated with corals and may be totally dependent on coral for protection against predators, or as a food source either from coral mucus or trapped particulate material (Patton 1974; Castro 1976; Rinkevich et al. 1991). Cryptochiridae, or gall crabs as they are commonly known, are obligate symbionts of stony corals. These crabs can modify coral morphology by affecting growth (Simon-Blecher and Achituv 1997; Simon-Blecher et al. 1999). This, in turn, can alter local water flux and thus the movement of suspended particulate food (Abelson et al. 1991). Two forms of growth modification have been observed: depressions, called ''pits,'' in massive corals, and flattened spheres, called ''galls,'' made of two valves in branching corals. These two forms of coral growth modification are associated with the alimentary mechanisms of the crabs. Those feeders that form pits obtain food from material deposited in the depression while those that form galls are suspension feeders (Abelson et al. 1991).
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | Troglocarcinus corallicola, Manicina areolata, Simbiosis, Arrecifes de coral, Artfrosur, |
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| Summary: | Coral reefs are considered the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet (Levinton 1982). Symbiotic interactions between phylogenetically unrelated organisms play a very important role in coral reef ecology (Carrera-Parra and Vargas-Herna´ ndez 1997), and stony corals host many organisms that live on their surface or within their skeletons (Abelson et al. 1991). Crabs are commonly associated with corals and may be totally dependent on coral for protection against predators, or as a food source either from coral mucus or trapped particulate material (Patton 1974; Castro 1976; Rinkevich et al. 1991). Cryptochiridae, or gall crabs as they are commonly known, are obligate symbionts of stony corals. These crabs can modify coral morphology by affecting growth (Simon-Blecher and Achituv 1997; Simon-Blecher et al. 1999). This, in turn, can alter local water flux and thus the movement of suspended particulate food (Abelson et al. 1991). Two forms of growth modification have been observed: depressions, called ''pits,'' in massive corals, and flattened spheres, called ''galls,'' made of two valves in branching corals. These two forms of coral growth modification are associated with the alimentary mechanisms of the crabs. Those feeders that form pits obtain food from material deposited in the depression while those that form galls are suspension feeders (Abelson et al. 1991). |
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