Habitat Turnover of Host Anemones Stichodactyla gigantea and Heteractis magnifica Affect the Amphiprion percula Population

Natural rates of population turnover define population dynamics and their susceptibility to disturbance. In mutualistic symbiosis, where both species benefit from the interaction, different selective pressures and life histories of species can have unintended consequences on population dynamics. Anemonefish live in a mutualistic association with their host anemone though distinct rates of population turnover. Anemones Entacmaea quadricolor and Heteractis crispa have a complete population turnover rate of 5 to 7 years, while the orange clownfish, Amphiprion percula, has an maximum life span of ~30 years. Thus, creating much disparity in their respective life histories and mutualistic dependence. Here we investigate rates of mortality and population turnover in Amphiprion percula and its host anemones Stichodactyla gigantea and Heteractis magnifica on the remote islands of Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Using genetic barcoding, our dataset tracks the fate of almost all individuals between 2011 and 2019. We can then determine the effect of population turnover in the host anemones and on the persistence of the longer-lived clownfish. We explore the subsequent movement of fish colonies to a new host and its effect on population dynamics. Our findings provide rare insights into one of the most prominent symbiotic relationships in the sea.