Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish
Abstract In mutualistic symbiosis, organisms often provide food to their partners. However, the processes and significance of food provisioning to hosts remain poorly understood. The anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii, which prefers larger hosts, has been suggested to provide food to its host the sea an...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85767-9 |
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| author | Yuya Kobayashi Yuki Kondo Masanori Kohda Satoshi Awata |
| author_facet | Yuya Kobayashi Yuki Kondo Masanori Kohda Satoshi Awata |
| author_sort | Yuya Kobayashi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In mutualistic symbiosis, organisms often provide food to their partners. However, the processes and significance of food provisioning to hosts remain poorly understood. The anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii, which prefers larger hosts, has been suggested to provide food to its host the sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor. In the present study, we investigated food provisioning by anemonefish and its effects on the symbiotic relationships. When given foods of various sizes and types in the field, anemonefish selectively consumed small animal food (krill, clams, squid, and fish) and green macroalgae of small size, while providing larger pieces of animal food to their hosts. Additionally, the anemonefish avoided either eating or providing brown macroalgae and sponges to the host anemone, which appeared to be unsuitable as food for both anemonefish and sea anemones. When repeatedly provided small pieces of animal food, the anemonefish initially consumed the food themselves, but upon satiety, increased provisioning to the host. Food provisioning positively influenced the growth of host anemones. These findings suggest that anemonefish actively provide food to host anemones based on the situation, adding to our knowledge of the mutual benefits of symbiosis among partners. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-47d31fb41fa04dbf83169c7e9845f76b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-47d31fb41fa04dbf83169c7e9845f76b2025-08-20T02:01:35ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-85767-9Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefishYuya Kobayashi0Yuki Kondo1Masanori Kohda2Satoshi Awata3Laboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan UniversityLaboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan UniversityLaboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan UniversityLaboratory of Animal Sociology, Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan UniversityAbstract In mutualistic symbiosis, organisms often provide food to their partners. However, the processes and significance of food provisioning to hosts remain poorly understood. The anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii, which prefers larger hosts, has been suggested to provide food to its host the sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor. In the present study, we investigated food provisioning by anemonefish and its effects on the symbiotic relationships. When given foods of various sizes and types in the field, anemonefish selectively consumed small animal food (krill, clams, squid, and fish) and green macroalgae of small size, while providing larger pieces of animal food to their hosts. Additionally, the anemonefish avoided either eating or providing brown macroalgae and sponges to the host anemone, which appeared to be unsuitable as food for both anemonefish and sea anemones. When repeatedly provided small pieces of animal food, the anemonefish initially consumed the food themselves, but upon satiety, increased provisioning to the host. Food provisioning positively influenced the growth of host anemones. These findings suggest that anemonefish actively provide food to host anemones based on the situation, adding to our knowledge of the mutual benefits of symbiosis among partners.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85767-9SymbiosisMutualismFood provisioningFishSea anemoneAmphiprion |
| spellingShingle | Yuya Kobayashi Yuki Kondo Masanori Kohda Satoshi Awata Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish Scientific Reports Symbiosis Mutualism Food provisioning Fish Sea anemone Amphiprion |
| title | Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish |
| title_full | Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish |
| title_fullStr | Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish |
| title_full_unstemmed | Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish |
| title_short | Active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish |
| title_sort | active provisioning of food to host sea anemones by anemonefish |
| topic | Symbiosis Mutualism Food provisioning Fish Sea anemone Amphiprion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85767-9 |
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