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Data from: You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish

Abstract [Related Publication]: The vast majority of research into the mechanisms of camouflage has focused on forms that confound visual perception. However, many organisms primarily interact with their surroundings using chemosensory systems and may have evolved mechanisms to 'blend in' with chemical components of their habitat. One potential mechanism is 'chemical crypsis' via the sequestration of dietary elements, causing a consumer's odour to chemically match that of its prey. Here, we test the potential for chemical crypsis in the coral-feeding filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris, by examining olfactory discrimination in obligate coral-dwelling crabs and a predatory cod. The crabs, which inhabit the corals consumed by O. longirostris, were used as a bioassay to determine the effect of coral diet on fish odour. Crabs preferred the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral over the odour of filefish fed a non-preferred coral, suggesting coral-specific dietary elements that influence odour are sequestered. Crabs also exhibited a similar preference for the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral and odour directly from that coral, suggesting a close chemical match. In behavioural trials, predatory cod were less attracted to filefish odour when presented alongside the coral it had been fed on, suggesting diet can reduce detectability. This is, we believe, the first evidence of diet-induced chemical crypsis in a vertebrate.

Data consists of 1 file: Data_RSPB_RMB_etal.xlsx

Dryad data package includes README file for interpretation of data:

Sheet A) crab bioassays

Crab spp.:  Trapezia cymodoce; Tetralia glaberimma

 

Trial: 1-7

Crab no.: 1-16

Side: L- Left; R- Right; C- Centre

 

Habitat selected:

Trials 1,2,3,4,6,7: PD- Pocillopora damicornis; AS- Acropora spathulata; NC- No choice

 

Trial 5: F- Fish; C- Coral; NC- No choice

Key

TrialCrab spp.Odours

1Both        A. spathulata coral odour vs. P. damicornis coral odour

2Both        A. spathulata fish odor vs. P. damicornis fish odour

3Both        A. spathulata fish odour vs.A. spathulata fish odour

4Both        P. damicornis fish odour vs. P. damicornis fish odour

5T. cymodoceP. damicornis coral odour vs. P. damicornis fish odour

5T. glaberimmaA. spathulata coral odour vs.A. spathulata fish odour

6Both        P. damicornis fish odour vs. A. spathulata coral odour

7Both        A. spathulata fish odour vs. P. damicornis coral odour

 

Sheet B) Predators- activity level

Fish: 21-27

Treatment: 1-6

Key

Treatment   Corals                     Diet of associated fish

1     a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora   a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora

2     a) Acropora    b) Acropora     a) Acropora    b) Acropora

3     a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora   a) Pocillopora b) Acropora

4     a) Acropora    b) Acropora     a) Pocillopora b) Acropora

5     a) No coral    b ) No coral     a) Pocillopora b) Acropora

6     a) Acropora    b) Acropora     a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora

Note: % data logit-transformed prior to analysis

 

Sheet C) Predators - detectability

Fish:1-18

Note: only active predators were included in this analysis (i.e. 19-27 excluded)

 

Key 1

Treatments   Corals                       Diet of associated fish

3      a) Pocillopora  b) Pocillopora   a) Pocillopora   b) Acropora

4      a) Acropora     b) Acropora      a) Pocillopora   b) Acropora

 

Key 2

A     Proportion of exposed time spent next to fish whose diet differed from associated coral

B     Proportion of exposed time spent next to fish whose diet matched associated coral

C     Proportion of exposed time not next to either fish

 

The full methodology is available in the publication shown in the Related Publications link below.

 

 
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    Data Record Details
    Data record related to this publication Data from: You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish
    Data Publication title Data from: You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish
  • Description

    Abstract [Related Publication]: The vast majority of research into the mechanisms of camouflage has focused on forms that confound visual perception. However, many organisms primarily interact with their surroundings using chemosensory systems and may have evolved mechanisms to 'blend in' with chemical components of their habitat. One potential mechanism is 'chemical crypsis' via the sequestration of dietary elements, causing a consumer's odour to chemically match that of its prey. Here, we test the potential for chemical crypsis in the coral-feeding filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris, by examining olfactory discrimination in obligate coral-dwelling crabs and a predatory cod. The crabs, which inhabit the corals consumed by O. longirostris, were used as a bioassay to determine the effect of coral diet on fish odour. Crabs preferred the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral over the odour of filefish fed a non-preferred coral, suggesting coral-specific dietary elements that influence odour are sequestered. Crabs also exhibited a similar preference for the odour of filefish fed their preferred coral and odour directly from that coral, suggesting a close chemical match. In behavioural trials, predatory cod were less attracted to filefish odour when presented alongside the coral it had been fed on, suggesting diet can reduce detectability. This is, we believe, the first evidence of diet-induced chemical crypsis in a vertebrate.

    Data consists of 1 file: Data_RSPB_RMB_etal.xlsx

    Dryad data package includes README file for interpretation of data:

    Sheet A) crab bioassays

    Crab spp.:  Trapezia cymodoce; Tetralia glaberimma

     

    Trial: 1-7

    Crab no.: 1-16

    Side: L- Left; R- Right; C- Centre

     

    Habitat selected:

    Trials 1,2,3,4,6,7: PD- Pocillopora damicornis; AS- Acropora spathulata; NC- No choice

     

    Trial 5: F- Fish; C- Coral; NC- No choice

    Key

    TrialCrab spp.Odours

    1Both        A. spathulata coral odour vs. P. damicornis coral odour

    2Both        A. spathulata fish odor vs. P. damicornis fish odour

    3Both        A. spathulata fish odour vs.A. spathulata fish odour

    4Both        P. damicornis fish odour vs. P. damicornis fish odour

    5T. cymodoceP. damicornis coral odour vs. P. damicornis fish odour

    5T. glaberimmaA. spathulata coral odour vs.A. spathulata fish odour

    6Both        P. damicornis fish odour vs. A. spathulata coral odour

    7Both        A. spathulata fish odour vs. P. damicornis coral odour

     

    Sheet B) Predators- activity level

    Fish: 21-27

    Treatment: 1-6

    Key

    Treatment   Corals                     Diet of associated fish

    1     a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora   a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora

    2     a) Acropora    b) Acropora     a) Acropora    b) Acropora

    3     a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora   a) Pocillopora b) Acropora

    4     a) Acropora    b) Acropora     a) Pocillopora b) Acropora

    5     a) No coral    b ) No coral     a) Pocillopora b) Acropora

    6     a) Acropora    b) Acropora     a) Pocillopora b) Pocillopora

    Note: % data logit-transformed prior to analysis

     

    Sheet C) Predators - detectability

    Fish:1-18

    Note: only active predators were included in this analysis (i.e. 19-27 excluded)

     

    Key 1

    Treatments   Corals                       Diet of associated fish

    3      a) Pocillopora  b) Pocillopora   a) Pocillopora   b) Acropora

    4      a) Acropora     b) Acropora      a) Pocillopora   b) Acropora

     

    Key 2

    A     Proportion of exposed time spent next to fish whose diet differed from associated coral

    B     Proportion of exposed time spent next to fish whose diet matched associated coral

    C     Proportion of exposed time not next to either fish

     

    The full methodology is available in the publication shown in the Related Publications link below.

     

     

    •
  • Other Descriptors
    • Descriptor

      This dataset is available from Dryad in MS Excel (.xlsx) format. Dryad data package: Brooker RM, Munday PL, Chivers DP, Jones GP (2014) Data from: You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish. Dryad Digital Repository. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.911p1

      •
      Descriptor type Note
    • Data type dataset
  • Keywords
    • camouflage
    • predator-prey interactions
    • olfaction
    • coral reefs
    • Oxymonacanthus longirostris
    • Acropora spathulata
    • Pocillopora damicornis
    • Trapezia cymodoce
    • Tetralia glaberimma
    • Cephalopholis spp.
    • ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
  • Funding source
  • Research grant(s)/Scheme name(s)
    • Research themes
    Tropical Ecosystems, Conservation and Climate Change
    FoR Codes (*)
    SEO Codes
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    Specify spatial or temporal setting of the data
    Temporal (time) coverage
  • Start Date
  • End Date
    • Time Period
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  • Locations
    • Experiments were conducted at Lizard Island Research Station, Great Barrier Reef, Australia (14°40′ S; 145°27′ E)
- Data
    Data Locations

    Type Location Notes
    URL https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.911p1
    The Data Manager is: Rohan Brooker
    College or Centre
    Access conditions Open: free access under license
  • Alternative access conditions
    • Data record size 1 file: 22.86 KB
- Related resources
  • Related publications
      Name Brooker, Rohan M., Munday, Philip L., Chivers, Douglas P., and Jones, Geoffrey P. (2014) You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 282 (1799). pp. 1-7.
    • URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1887
    • Notes
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- Citation
    Citation Brooker, Rohan; Munday, Philip; Jones, Geoffrey (2014): Data from: You are what you eat: diet-induced chemical crypsis in a coral-feeding reef fish. James Cook University. https://research.jcu.edu.au/data/published/2d814cff3571ecc839e4f781f9c00690