一项新的研究表明,居住在珊瑚礁旁边的清洁鱼,它们穿着特殊的“制服”,显示自己清洁工身份并保护自己不被食鱼型“客户”吃掉。
几种熟为人知的小珊瑚鱼如像虾虎鱼和濑鱼,经常光顾一些大鱼的身体,并将大鱼的身体当成垃圾站,它们梳洗大鱼的身体,并去除大鱼身体表面的寄生虫。但是食鱼型“客户”如何识别清洁鱼的身份,同时又不吃掉它的问题长期以来一直困扰着科学家。
澳大利亚昆士兰大学的生物学家克伦·切尼(Karen Cheney)和她的同事提出了以下的假设:清洁鱼是靠身体的颜色和形状来使“客户”识别自己的身份的。
研究小组发现,清洁鱼经常炫耀自己身上间杂蓝色和黄色的暗色边纹。切尼在一封邮件中说"研究表明,清洁鱼炫耀其间杂绿色和黄色的暗色边纹的行为是为了使它们更容易在珊瑚礁里被“客户”发现。”
切尼和她的同事研究了在澳大利亚大堡礁边上经常光顾清洁鱼的几种野生鱼。大堡礁是世界上最大的活珊瑚礁,分布在澳大利亚东北海岸,由北向南绵延2000公里。同时,研究小组在大堡礁边上放置了一些喷涂了各种颜色和具有各种形状的仿真鱼。小组还使用了一种众所周知的模型,这种模型可以让鱼看到颜色并做出反应。研究小组研究了三种不同的“客户鱼”(梭鱼,小热带鱼和刺尾鱼科鱼)对不同的颜色的反应。研究结果显示,尽管“客户鱼”有不同形式的视觉系统,但对它们来说,蓝色是和珊瑚礁反差最大的颜色,而黄色是和蓝色水面及暗色边纹有极大反差的颜色。这就揭示了为什么间杂有绿色和黄色暗色边纹清洁鱼能够被“客户鱼”轻易发现的原因。
尽管没有一个人清楚清洁鱼所穿“制服”和清洁鱼的清洁工行为之间的确切关系,但切尼说:"她的最新研究显示:清洁鱼在穿“制服”之前,其清洁工身份就存在了。随着时间的推移,清洁鱼为了吸引更多的“客户”,就“穿”上了这种间杂黄蓝的“制服”。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推荐原始出处:
Current Biology, Volume 19, Issue 15, 1283-1287, 09 July 2009 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.06.028
Blue and Yellow Signal Cleaning Behavior in Coral Reef Fishes
Karen L. Cheney1,,,Alexandra S. Grutter1,Simon P. Blomberg1andN. Justin Marshall2
1 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
2 School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Marine cleaning symbioses are classic examples of mutualism: cleaners remove and consume ectoparasites from client fish, while clients benefit from a reduction in ectoparasites [1,2]. However, how clients recognize cleaners and decide not to eat them is unclear. Color and body pattern are thought to be important in signaling cleaning services to coral reef fish [1,3,4]; in this study, we tested the long-held belief that cleaner fish display a blue guild coloration [5,6,7]. Via color analytical techniques and phylogenetic comparisons, we show that cleaner fish are more likely to display a blue coloration, in addition to a yellow coloration, compared to noncleaner fish. Via theoretical vision models, we show that, from the perspective of potential signal receivers, blue is the most spectrally contrasting color against coral reef backgrounds, whereas yellow is most contrasting against blue water backgrounds or against black lateral stripes. Finally, behavioral experiments confirm that blue within the cleaner fish pattern attracts more client reef fish to cleaning stations. Cleaner fish have evolved some of the most conspicuous combinations of colors and patterns in the marine environment, and this is likely to underpin the success of the cleaner-client relationship on the reef.