4. Cleaner Wrasses and Their “Clients”: The Reef’s Cleaning Stations
By their symbiotic interactions with a great range of marine life, cleaner wrasses are essential for preserving the health of coral reef ecosystems. Larger fish, even sea turtles and sharks, come to have parasites, dead skin, and other trash expelled from their bodies at “cleaning stations” set up by these little, vibrant fish on the reef. The relationship is mutualistic since the cleaner wrasses eat while their “clients” get a comprehensive cleaning that increases their health and lowers their risk of infection. The degree of trust involved in this connection intrigues me especially. Many of the fish that attend cleaning stations are predators who might readily consume the cleaner wrasses, but instead let these small fish swim into their mouths and gills free from damage. Some predatory fish will even wait in queue for their turn at well-known cleaning stations because of this learnt habit. This symbiosis not only helps the individual animals involved but also contributes to the general health of the reef ecosystem by controlling parasite populations and so preventing the spread of diseases. The cleaner wrasses have unique colouration and perform a “dance” to advertise their services. They have also been observed to remember and preferably service “repeat customers.” These wrasses’ produced cleaning stations become significant centres of activity on the reef, highlighting the intricate network of connections making coral reef ecosystems so intriguing and varied.