Cultivation mutualism between herbivorous fish and algae : species interactions between algae and herbivore in aquatic ecosystems

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Herbivorous damselfishes maintain algal farms inside their territories. In Ryukyu Islands, dusky farmer fish, Stegastes nigricans, weeds unpalatable algae and enhances growth of one species of algae of genus Polysiphonia that is digestible for the fish. In the distribution area of this fish, the species-specificity between S.nigricans and Polysiphonia alga is highly maintained, although the fish use other indigenous Polysiphonia species in some localities. In this way, species-specificity between primary producer (algae) and its consumer (herbivorous fish) is revealed. This species-specificity may be universal and play an essential role in species diversity in aquatic ecosystems as is known in terrestrial ecosystems.