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Vertebrate growth plasticity in response to variation in a mutualistic interaction

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Theresa RuegerORCiD, Dr Amit Bhardwaj

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© 2022, The Author(s).Vertebrate growth can be phenotypically plastic in response to predator–prey and competitive interactions. It is unknown however, if it can be plastic in response to mutualistic interactions. Here we investigate plasticity of vertebrate growth in response to variation in mutualistic interactions, using clown anemonefish and their anemone hosts. In the wild, there is a positive correlation between the size of the fish and the size of the anemone, but the cause of this correlation is unknown. Plausible hypotheses are that fish exhibit growth plasticity in response to variation in food or space provided by the host. In the lab, we pair individuals with real anemones of various sizes and show that fish on larger anemones grow faster than fish on smaller anemones. By feeding the fish a constant food ration, we exclude variation in food availability as a cause. By pairing juveniles with artificial anemones of various sizes, we exclude variation in space availability as a single cause. We argue that variation in space availability in conjunction with host cues cause the variability in fish growth. By adjusting their growth, anemonefish likely maximize their reproductive value given their anemone context. More generally, we demonstrate vertebrate growth plasticity in response to variation in mutualistic interactions.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Rueger T, Bhardwaj AK, Turner E, Barbasch TA, Trumble I, Dent B, Buston PM

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Scientific Reports

Year: 2022

Volume: 12

Issue: 1

Online publication date: 18/07/2022

Acceptance date: 10/06/2022

Date deposited: 01/08/2022

ISSN (electronic): 2045-2322

Publisher: Nature Research

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14662-4

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14662-4

PubMed id: 35851041


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