Cleaner fish really do clean

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 398; no. 6729; pp. 672 - 673
• Main Author: Grutter, Alexandra S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group 22.04.1999
• Subjects: Analysis of covariance; Cleaning; Experiments; Fish parasites; Hemigymnus melapterus; Hypotheses; Isopoda; Labroides dimidiatus; Marine; Mutualism; Parasites; Quantitative research

The cleaning of client fish by cleaner fish is one of the most highly developed interspecific communication systems known. But even though it is a seemingly obvious mutualism, several quantitative studies have failed to show any benefit for the clients, leading to the hypothesis that cleaner fish ar...