Cultivation mutualism and species-specific interactions betweenherbivorous fishes and algae

分析了非洲大湖坦噶尼喀湖藻类（水生生态系统中的初级生产者）和草食性鱼类之间的网络结构。在赞比亚的卡森加角，14种食草慈鲷共存。藻类是从这些慈鲷科鱼类的领地和它们的胃中收集的。利用16SrDNA宏基因组学分析技术，调查了该海域藻类基质的藻种组成。因此，这些鱼类主要利用蓝藻和硅藻。通过分子生物学技术对微藻的详细分类表明，每种慈鲷都在其领土内捍卫特定的藻类组合物，并利用特定的藻类混合物，即使是属于类似公会的物种也是如此。

Network structure between algae (primary producers in aquatic ecosystems) and herbivorous fishes were analyzed in an African Great Lake, Lake Tanganyika. At Kasenga Point in Zambia, 14 herbivorous cichlids coexist. Algae were collected from the territories of these cichlids and from their stomachs. Using metagenomics analysis on 16SrDNA algal species compositions of the algal matrices were surveyed. As a result, these fishes utilized mainly on cyanobacteria and diatoms. Detailed classification of micro-algae using by molecular techniques revealed that each cichlid species defended specific algal composition in its territory and utilized specific mixture of algae, even among species belonging to a similar guild.