ENVIRSCI 214 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Herbivore, Cleaner Fish, Keystone Species
2 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Keystone species have low biomass but large effects on community. Dominant species have significant effect on community by virtue of high biomass. Many coral reef fish have smaller organisms (cleaners) that remove parasites from the fish (clients) the benefit the client receives is greater than the energy benefit it could gain by eating the cleaner. Signaling by cleaner fish painted with blue colors and striped body patterns enticed more clients to pull up to a cleaning station. On the great barrier reef, cleaner fish were removed from 5 small reefs; no removal on controls. Parasites on client fish increased rapidly in the cleaner fish removal treatments. Cleaners at stations play an integral part in a healthy and diverse reef community. Indirect interactions: predator has a positive, indirect effect on the plant predation reduces abundance of feeding caterpillars. Changes in abundance of organisms at one trophic level can influence energy flow at multiple trophic levels.
