Journal article 142 views 22 downloads
Impact of marine hitchhiker load on host energy intake
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Kimberley Stokes,
Nicole Esteban
Marine Biology, Volume: 172, Issue: 12
Swansea University Authors:
Nupur Kale, Lulah Quinn, Kimberley Stokes, Nicole Esteban
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s00227-025-04741-1
Abstract
Determining the energetic and fitness trade-offs associated with symbiotic relationships (mutualism, commensalism or parasitism) can reveal the implications of symbiosis for species and ecosystem health. To identify hitchhiker impact on sea turtles, this study reviewed global literature and examined...
| Published in: | Marine Biology |
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| ISSN: | 0025-3162 1432-1793 |
| Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70527 |
| Abstract: |
Determining the energetic and fitness trade-offs associated with symbiotic relationships (mutualism, commensalism or parasitism) can reveal the implications of symbiosis for species and ecosystem health. To identify hitchhiker impact on sea turtles, this study reviewed global literature and examined the association between remoras (Echeneis naucrates) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at a high-density foraging site in the Red Sea using SCUBA and video (n = 71 observations) in October 2023. Previous evidence of remora-sea turtle association is limited to qualitative observations from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The results show that depth significantly impacted the number of remoras per turtle (p < 0.05). Turtle grazing rate was affected by remora load (p < 0.05), decreasing by ~ 30% across the load range from a mean of 22.8 bites min−1 (0 remoras) to 15.6 bites min−1 (3 remoras). There was little evidence of benefit to turtles, with only one observation of a remora cleaning a turtle carapace. The observed reduction in grazing effort suggests potential impacts on green turtle body condition over time, which may affect growth, reproduction, and population health, warranting long-term investigation. These findings present the first quantitative evidence that the remora-sea turtle relationship shifts from commensalism to parasitism as remora load increases, demonstrating the potential costs of hitchhikers for sea turtles. |
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| Keywords: |
Epibionts; Interspecific; Live sharksucker; Marine turtles; Phoresis; Suckerfish |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This work was supported by the Bertarelli Foundation as part of the Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science (grant number 820633). |
| Issue: |
12 |