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The role of chemical cues in locating the host pelagic Sargassum spp. by the symbiotic fish Stephanolepis hispidus

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Abstract

Pelagic Sargassum spp. is important in the life histories of many economically and ecologically important associated organisms, which collectively form a symbiotic community with this alga serving as the primary host. Fishes play a vital role in these communities, but it is generally unknown how they locate these floating symbiotic habitats. This study examined the role of natural chemical cues from Sargassum spp. patches and a synthetic chemical dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) for an associated fish, the planehead filefish (Stephanolepis hispidus), and a control fish species not associated with Sargassum spp., the masked goby (Coryphopterus personatus). Choice trials with a Y-maze (olfactometer) apparatus determined that S. hispidus responded significantly to chemical cues from Sargassum spp. while C. personatus did not. DMSP cues did not result in significant behavioral responses for either fish species. Demonstrating that S. hispidus can respond to chemical cues from Sargassum spp. helps further our understanding of this unique floating algal reef and how fishes might locate it to establish this subcomponent of the holobiont (the collective symbionts in the association).

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to John Baldwin and Brian Lapointe for their helpful comments and suggestions throughout the completion of this project. Special thanks to Chelsea Bennice and Lorin West for their unending support ranging from field work to fish husbandry. This published work was derived from an MS Thesis project completed by the first author (Cox).

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  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA

    Derek Cox & W. Randy Brooks

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  1. Derek Cox
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Correspondence to W. Randy Brooks.

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• The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

• No funding was received for conducting this study.

• All handling and experiments with fishes were approved by the Florida Atlantic University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), established in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Animals.

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Cox, D., Brooks, W.R. The role of chemical cues in locating the host pelagic Sargassum spp. by the symbiotic fish Stephanolepis hispidus. Symbiosis 90, 151–158 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-023-00924-w

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