Anemone fish use visual signals to communicate. The patterns on anemonefish, which are white bars against an orange, red, or black background, influence their aggressive behavior and may be related to the color patterns of cohabitating fish. The behavioral responses and social interactions govern the community.
The function of color patterns on fish is much more than their aesthetic appeal. Prey, competition, and the choice of mates are some of the factors that govern these patterns.
Communication tools such as color patterns are used in highly transparent water. These patterns are used by many fish to monitor their interactions with other fish. Bars, stripes, and spots are just some of the color patterns produced by fish coral reefs.
The anemonefish is characterized by white bars on an orange, red, or black background when it enters the sea. The function of these bars in anemonefish has not been fully understood.
Marine biologists include Dr. Kina Hayashi and Dr.Vincent Laudet. The findings from this study were published in a journal. Banding patterns of fish in the vicinity of an anemone influence the behavior of other fish.
The team conducted field surveys at five different locations on the Ryukyus Archipelago. The Amphiprion ocellaris species of anemonefish is found in each study area. They studied the inhabitants of 49 S. gigantea individuals and 49 scleractinian corals. Although anemonefish aggressively defend their host anemone, a host anemone can still be a temporary home for other fish.
Some fish in these anemone hosts had stripes or spots, but not vertical bar patterns. The anemone fish were playing a game. According to Dr. Hayashi, it was possible they were not including fish because of their color patterns.
The team conducted a behavioral experiment to document aggressive behavior of anemonefish by dangling plastic fish toys close to an anemonefish colony. The toys were painted with horizontal white stripes or vertical white bars. Aggressive behavior was recorded when they werechasing orbiting them.
There were no fish that sought shelter in host anemones. There was a variety of species in the surrounding corals. Only 39% of the anemones were used as shelter by fish other than anemonefish. The anemonefish responded to the fish toys with gusto. The duration of this aggressive behavior was more towards the vertical bar model than the horizontal stripe model.
According to Dr. Hayashi, it is likely that the fish community around host anemones is affected by the differences in aggressiveness of anemonefish towards invaders.
The future implications of these findings are unknown. Understanding the relationship between color pattern recognition ability and aggression displayed by anemonefish will give useful insights on the mechanisms of coexistence employed by coral reef fish. It is possible to understand the interactions between inhabitants of coral reefs in order to conserve them.
The researchers don't know how color patterns are recognized and what basic rules govern signaling. They firmly believe that future investigations on how the rules of color patterns influence fish behavior can help protect coral reefs from climate change
More information: Kina Hayashi et al, Colour patterns influence symbiosis and competition in the anemonefish–host anemone symbiosis system, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1576 Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B
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