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

草食性豆娘鱼在它们的领地内维持藻类农场。在琉球群岛，深色的农民鱼，Stegastes nigricans，杂草不好吃的藻类，并提高一种多管藻属藻类的生长，这是鱼消化。在该鱼的分布区，尽管该鱼在某些地方使用其他土著多管藻物种，但黑棘鱼和多管藻之间的种特异性高度保持。通过这种方式，初级生产者（藻类）和消费者（草食性鱼类）之间的物种特异性被揭示出来。这种物种特异性可能是普遍的，并在水生生态系统的物种多样性中发挥重要作用，正如陆地生态系统中所知。

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.