Times of the Islands Summer 2023

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
C.E. O’BRIEN
A banded clinging crab (Mithraculus cinctimanus) hangs onto the tentacles of a giant anemone (Condylactis gigantea).
cations on the distribution of red snapping shrimp and
corkscrew anemone symbiosis throughout the Western
Atlantic.
Every species plays a greater role in its ecosystem,
including our perfect pair. Unfortunately, due largely to
human activity, the corkscrew anemone is under threat.
Anemone populations have been found to rely on frequent
recruitment, the replenishment of young anemone
into the existing population to promote individual growth
and sustain viable populations. Sea anemones have short
lifespans, and they need to be constantly adding more
individuals to their population. In Florida, researchers
concluded that survival and recruitment rates of corkscrew
anemones were higher among areas less impacted
by humans and with cooler summer water temperatures.
Rising ocean temperatures and human impact, defined as
areas easily accessible to human traffic or visibly polluted
with debris, pose threats to the corkscrew anemone populations.
Corkscrew anemones are harvested and sold to
aquariums for decorative purposes, but without further
research conservation efforts and management cannot be
supported. Investigating the population dynamics of the
anemone is also important to understanding the implications
for the shrimp symbiont.
In the world of the big blue ocean, it must be nice to
have a place to call home, and a companion that has your
back. The symbiotic relationship between the red snapping
shrimp and corkscrew anemone is a great example
of obligatory mutualism in the Western Atlantic—each
species benefits the other, making life in the ocean a little
easier for both. As we continue to learn about these species,
we can better understand how our human activity
affects them and how we can better protect them.
In the long run, a healthy ecosystem tends to be better
for everyone involved, especially humans who call the
Western Atlantic home. Overall, the fascinating relationship
between the red snapping shrimp and the corkscrew
anemone warrants further investigation (and perhaps its
own blockbuster animated film). a
For detailed article references or more information
about The School for Field Studies, contact Director Heidi
Hertler on South Caicos at hhertler@fieldstudies.org or
visit www.fieldstudies.org.
40 www.timespub.tc