Sharks as exfoliators: widespread chafing between marine organisms suggests an unexplored ecological role

Lacey H Williams; Alexandra Anstett; Victor Bach Muñoz; John Chisholm; Chris Fallows; Jonathan R Green; Jesús Erick Higuera Rivas; Gregory Skomal; Megan Winton; Neil Hammerschlag

doi:10.1002/ecy.3570

Sharks as exfoliators: widespread chafing between marine organisms suggests an unexplored ecological role

Ecology. 2022 Jan;103(1):e03570. doi: 10.1002/ecy.3570. Epub 2021 Nov 15.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Ecosystems and Society, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, 33149, USA.
² Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, 836 South Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 02744, USA.
³ Apex Shark Expeditions, Shop 3 Quayside Center, Simonstown, Cape Town, 7975, South Africa.
⁴ Galapagos Whale Shark Project, Santa Barbara, B4, Francisco de Orellana y Alba Calderon, Cumbaya, EC170901, Ecuador.
⁵ Protección y Conservación Pelágica AC, Gobernador García Conde 28 San Miguel Chapultepec I secc, Ciudad de México, CDMX, 11850, Mexico.
⁶ Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, 235 Orleans Road, North Chatham, Massachusetts, 02650, USA.

PMID: 34709650
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3570

No abstract available

Keywords: behavior; chafing; cleaning station; dermal denticles; ecological function; fish; microbiome; parasite; predation risk; shark; skin; symbiosis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Aquatic Organisms
Sharks*

Associated data

figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.15078894