Award: OCE-2022955

Coral reefs are iconic and biodiverse ecosystems that provide economic benefits and storm protection services to local communities, including several United States territories and states. This project examines the role of cleanerfish, marine fish who provide broad cleaning services to remove dead skin, ectoparasites, and infected tissue from client fish, to maintaining the health of coral reef ecosystems, and specifically coral reef microbial communities. This is the first study to examine the larger role of cleaning behavior on coral reef microbial ecology. One outcome of this project was the development of new experimental methodology to study the transfer of microorganisms between cleaning and client fish. In particular, we identified an antibiotic (Nitrofurazone) that was ideal for reducing microbial diversity on fish. In addition to applications for this research, this antibiotic may be ideal for aquaculture and experiments seeking to disrupt fish microorganisms. We also conducted field and laboratory experiments to examine the importance of cleanerfish to client and larger coral reef microbial communities. We identified that fish-to-fish direct contact and specifically, access to a diverse clientele, influences the skin microbial diversity and structure of field populations of cleaner fish. Our studies examining the impacts of cleaning stations on corals showed that results are specific species and island-level effects also play a role in these processes. This project produced new sequencing data about coral reef microorganisms which were submitted to public repositories and results are either published or in preparation for open-access journals. Participation in international and national scientific conferences were supported by this project, which fostered experiences for early career scientists. This project supported a large team of scientists of varied career stages including two PIs, a female post-doc, a female graduate student and two female technicians who became PhD students in the project lab during the course of the year. Concepts from this project were presented to elementary school children, which engaged diverse midwestern and coastal audiences in knowledge about coral reefs, symbiosis and biological resilience. Last Modified: 07/19/2023 Submitted by: Amy Apprill