A series of recent surveys worked to highlight the important relationships between host corals, crabs, and Christmas tree worms. Studies were conducted off the coasts of Sint Eustatius, Curaçao, and Bonaire. Understanding the relationship between reef inhabitants and their host corals could be critical in designing conservation efforts for reefs into the future.
Many marine species depend on corals for food, substrate, and shelter. Each coral species may act as a host for particular species of fish, crabs, shrimps, snails, worms, or other kinds of invertebrates. In a time when coral species are becoming increasingly threatened with extinction, it is even more important to take inventory of their associated fauna. Many marine species live within crevices of the coral skeleton while others hide underneath or in between corals. Some species are easy to spot because of their bright colors or their sudden movements, while others remain quiet and well hidden. To understand these associations and the ecological role of coral species in coral reef biodiversity, scientists need to study each coral in a systematic way. It is important that researchers are able to not only identify each species of coral but understand any relationships to species they host.
Recently, a team of researchers from Naturalis Biodiversity Center, ANEMOON Foundation, and colleagues from various institutes, performed several biodiversity surveys in the Dutch Caribbean (Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Eustatius). These expeditions were organized by professor Bert Hoeksema, who is the coral expert at Naturalis and honorary professor of tropical marine biodiversity at the University of Groningen. The team discovered, amongst others, some new associations for Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus spp.) as symbionts within different coral species. These worms live partly inside the host coral and appeared to be able to survive when it becomes covered by encrusting animals, who then serve as a secondary host. Surprisingly, most discoveries were made in very shallow water (less than 2 m depth), where scuba divers may spend less time when compared to greater depths.
Scientists also looked at how associated fauna may affect the morphology and the condition of the host corals. Some species of coral, again in very shallow water, appeared to host crabs that make large cavities inside the coral skeleton. The same crab species (Domecia acanthophora) appeared to make different types of holes within elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, than in the fire coral Millepora complanata. These host coral species are not closely related, which makes one wonder how the host selection of these crabs has evolved.
