Characterization of the Interactions within Cleaning Stations of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and their Vertebrate Clients
“Cleaning stations are a beneficial service to the many occupants of the coral reef. Like the reef itself, the interactions between species at such cleaning stations can be quite diverse. Several dives were completed off the coast of Roatán, Honduras in order to observe coral reef cleaning stations and characterize the species-specific interactions between cleaner and client fish. Our study had three objectives: (1) to determine the species that frequented stations the most, (2) to characterize the orientation at which specific species posed when cleaned, and (3) to quantify the frequency of flinching behavior and whether it correlates with how many other clients are nearby.”
-Erin Collins and Kat Quintanilla
