The relationship between clownfish and sea anemones is a beloved and iconic
example of marine symbiosis. However, ecological information in the eastern
Red Sea about the endemic Red Sea clownfish, Amphiprion bicinctus, and its
host sea anemones remains relatively incomplete. For example, previous studies
report that A. bicinctus forms mutualistic relationships with three to five host
anemone species in the Red Sea. But the reported number and combination of
host anemone species varies substantially among sources and little is known
about host anemone distributions at different scales on the eastern coastline. To
better understand the ecology of A. bicinctus and its host sea anemones, we
conducted 70 surveys in three regions of Saudi Arabia and one region in Djibouti.
We then analyzed distribution patterns for all anemone species observed in
these regions, to attain deeper knowledge of anemone habitat usage and relative
abundance. We recorded six host sea anemone species associated with A.
bicinctus in the Red Sea, one of which represents a new case of symbiosis, and
we identified differences in species composition and abundance across different
reef scales. We noted patterns of decreasing anemone diversity with increasing
latitude, beginning at 20° N, and greater overall anemone abundance in the
central Red Sea. We also used field and laboratory observations to examine anemonefish abundance, survival, and fecundity on different species of anemones at different life history stages. In sum, this thesis collectively identifies eastern Red Sea anemone hosts for A. bicinctus, evaluates their regional and
fine-scale distributions, and assesses how different anemone species impact their anemonefish occupants on different levels.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:kaust.edu.sa/oai:repository.kaust.edu.sa:10754/662764 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Bennett-Smith, Morgan |
| Contributors | Berumen, Michael L., Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, Jones, Burton, Wonka, Peter |
| Source Sets | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | 2021-05-06, At the time of archiving, the student author of this thesis opted to temporarily restrict access to it. The full text of this thesis will become available to the public after the expiration of the embargo on 2021-05-06. |
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