Enduring marriages forged in hell: Insidious symbioses and coral reef conservation
Les Kaufman
Boston University Marine Program
5 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215
U.S.A.
Coral reefs are famous for sophisticated mutualisms involving cnidarians and their partners, such as zooxanthellae, anemonfishes, and various coral-defending arthropods and fishes. Less appreciated but much more prevalent are a host of similar relationships, here termed “insidious symbioses,” whose outcomes are highly sensitive to environmental change and physical disturbance. Algal-gardening damselfishes and endolithic fungi offer two illustrative examples. The relationship between coral host and inquiline can range from true mutualism through commensalism and parasitism, all the way to out and out war, usually to the detriment of the coral. Insidious symbioses offer a wealth of new approaches to coral reef monitoring and restoration. First, however, they must be recognized, characterized, and understood.
