Facts about Symbiotic Relationships in Coral Reefs

1. 05

   Some coral reef sponges harbor cyanobacteria internally, fixing nitrogen that supplements the nutrient-poor waters surrounding tropical reef ecosystems.

   Symbiotic Relationships in Coral ReefsJun 6sharemutualismbiologyecology
2. 04

   Pistol shrimps and goby fish share burrows in reef sediments, with the nearly blind shrimp maintaining the burrow while the goby acts as a lookout for predators.

   Symbiotic Relationships in Coral ReefsJun 6sharemutualismbiologybehavior
3. 03

   Anemonefish, such as clownfish, are protected from their host sea anemone's stinging tentacles by a layer of mucus on their skin.

   Symbiotic Relationships in Coral ReefsJun 6sharemutualismbiologymarine
4. 02

   Cleaner wrasses operate dedicated 'cleaning stations' on reefs where larger fish queue to have parasites and dead tissue removed from their bodies.

   Symbiotic Relationships in Coral ReefsJun 6sharemutualismbiologybehavior
5. 01

   The mutualistic relationship between corals and zooxanthellae algae provides corals with up to 90 percent of their energy through photosynthesis.

   Symbiotic Relationships in Coral ReefsJun 6sharebiologymutualismmarine