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Interspecific coral competition does not affect the symbiosis of gall crabs (Decapoda: Cryptochiridae) and their scleractinian hosts

Bähr, Susanne ; Meij, Sancia E. T. ; Terraneo, Tullia I. ; Xu, Tao ; Benzoni, Francesca

Ecology and evolution, 2023-05, Vol.13 (5), p.e10051-n/a [Periódico revisado por pares]

England: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

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  • Título:
    Interspecific coral competition does not affect the symbiosis of gall crabs (Decapoda: Cryptochiridae) and their scleractinian hosts
  • Autor: Bähr, Susanne ; Meij, Sancia E. T. ; Terraneo, Tullia I. ; Xu, Tao ; Benzoni, Francesca
  • Assuntos: associated fauna ; Biodiversity Ecology ; Bleaching ; Colonies ; Competition ; Coral reefs ; Corals ; Crabs ; Crustaceans ; Cryptochiridae ; Decapoda ; Deoxyribonucleic acid ; DNA ; Dwellings ; Evolutionary Ecology ; Gall ; Gene sequencing ; Host specificity ; Interspecific ; Microenvironments ; Morphology ; Nature Notes ; New records ; Opecarcinus ; Pavona ; Porites ; Symbiosis ; Taxonomy ; Zoology
  • É parte de: Ecology and evolution, 2023-05, Vol.13 (5), p.e10051-n/a
  • Notas: ObjectType-Article-1
    SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
    ObjectType-Feature-2
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  • Descrição: Coral reefs accommodate a myriad of species, many of which live in association with a host organism. Decapod crustaceans make up a large part of this associated fauna on coral reefs. Among these, cryptochirid crabs are obligately associated with scleractinian corals, in which they create dwellings where they permanently reside. These gall crabs show various levels of host specificity, with the majority of cryptochirids inhabiting a specific coral genus or species. Here, we report the first records of gall crabs living in association with two different Porites species in the Red Sea. Crescent‐shaped dwellings were observed in Porites rus and a Porites sp. in situ, and colonies with crabs were collected for further study in the laboratory. Using a combination of morphology and DNA barcoding, the crabs were identified as belonging to Opecarcinus, a genus only known to inhabit Agariciidae corals. The coral skeleton was bleached and studied under a stereo microscope, which revealed that the Porites corals overgrew adjoining agariciid Pavona colonies. We hypothesize that the gall crab originally settled on Pavona, its primary host of choice. Due to coral interspecific competition the Porites colony overgrew the adjacent Pavona colonies, resulting in a secondary and never before reported association of Opecarcinus with Porites. These findings suggest that cryptochirid crabs can adapt to the new microenvironment provided by a different coral host and survive competition for space on coral reefs. We report the first observation of coral‐dwelling gall crabs inhabiting corals of the family Poritidae in the central Red Sea. Based on examination of the coral skeletons containing the crab dwellings, we hypothesize that the crabs initially settled on their preferred host (Agariciidae), which was subsequently outcompeted and overgrown by the Porites colonies. These findings give interesting insights into the adaptive potential of gall crabs to changes in their microenvironment and their ability to survive competition for space on coral reefs.
  • Editor: England: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
  • Idioma: Inglês
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  • Realização: ABCD-USP USP   Logos de Redes Sociais: Freepik

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