Protection of a Hermit Crab by its Symbiotic Sea Anemone Calliactis tricolor
McLean RB and Mariscal RN. 1973. Protection of a Hermit Crab by its Symbiotic Sea Anemone Calliactis tricolor. Separatum Experientia. 29:128 - 130
For over a century, the symbiosis between hermit crabs and sea anemones has been studied by various workers, the results of which have recently been reviewed. In these partnerships, one or more anemones, usually of the same species, attach by their pedal disc to a gastropod shell inhabited by a hermit crab. The sea anemone has been suggested to protect the hermit crab from predators, but virtually no experimental work has been conducted to test this hypothesis, with the exception of Ross' recent study. The purpose of the present study is to present experimental evidence that the presence of a sea anemone on its shell does appear to protect a hermit crab from one of its natural predators.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- McLean, R; Mariscal, R
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Crustacean, marine ecosystem, partnership