Author(s): Paula, José Ricardo ; Repolho, Tiago ; Pegado, Maria Rita ; Thörnqvist, Per Ove ; Bispo, Regina ; Winberg, Svante ; Munday, Philip L. ; Rosa, Rui
Date: 2019
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/147029
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876/147321/PT; info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/SFRH/SFRH%2FBPD%2F94523%2F2013/PT;
Subject(s): General; SDG 14 - Life Below Water
This study was funded by Portuguese national funds through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, I.P., within the project MUTUALCHANGE - PTDC/MAR-EST/5880/2014, ASCEND - PTDC/BIA-BMA/28609/2017. FCT also supported this study through a PhD scholarship to JRP (SFRH/BD/111153/2015), Programa Investigador FCT to RR (IF/01373/2013). The Swedish Research Council (VR) supported SW. This study was co-funded by Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa, Portugal 2020 and the European Union within the project LISBOA01-0145-FEDER-028609.
Cleaning interactions are textbook examples of mutualisms. On coral reefs, most fishes engage in cooperative interactions with cleaners fishes, where they benefit from ectoparasite reduction and ultimately stress relief. Furthermore, such interactions elicit beneficial effects on clients’ ecophysiology. However, the potential effects of future ocean warming (OW) and acidification (OA) on these charismatic associations are unknown. Here we show that a 45-day acclimation period to OW (+3 °C) and OA (980 μatm pCO2) decreased interactions between cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus) and clients (Naso elegans). Cleaners also invested more in the interactions by providing tactile stimulation under OA. Although this form of investment is typically used by cleaners to prolong interactions and reconcile after cheating, interaction time and client jolt rate (a correlate of dishonesty) were not affected by any stressor. In both partners, the dopaminergic (in all brain regions) and serotoninergic (forebrain) systems were significantly altered by these stressors. On the other hand, in cleaners, the interaction with warming ameliorated dopaminergic and serotonergic responses to OA. Dopamine and serotonin correlated positively with motivation to interact and cleaners interaction investment (tactile stimulation). We advocate that such neurobiological changes associated with cleaning behaviour may affect the maintenance of community structures on coral reefs.
