Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Deep Sea Microbial Ecology01:18

Deep Sea Microbial Ecology

The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches extending beyond...
Marine Microbial Ecology01:30

Marine Microbial Ecology

Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
Keystone Species01:39

Keystone Species

Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a pivotal role in the...
Osmoregulation in Fishes02:32

Osmoregulation in Fishes

When cells are placed in a hypotonic (low-salt) fluid, they can swell and burst. Meanwhile, cells in a hypertonic solution—with a higher salt concentration—can shrivel and die. How do fish cells avoid these gruesome fates in hypotonic freshwater or hypertonic seawater environments?
Freshwater Microbial Ecology01:24

Freshwater Microbial Ecology

Freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes exhibit distinct physical and biological characteristics that influence their microbial communities. These environments are broadly categorized into lotic systems—those with flowing waters like streams and most rivers—and lentic systems, which include still or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, and marshes.In lentic systems, phytoplankton drive primary production, generating autochthonous organic carbon. In contrast, lotic systems...
Surface Appendages of Archaea01:23

Surface Appendages of Archaea

Archaeal surface appendages are highly specialized structures essential for environmental adaptation, encompassing roles in adhesion, biofilm formation, and motility. Among these appendages, pili and archaella stand out for their distinct morphologies and functionalities, enabling archaea to thrive in diverse and often extreme environments.Pili: Adhesion and Biofilm FormationPili are filamentous structures assembled from pilin protein subunits, primarily contributing to adhesion and biofilm...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Including Fitness and Health Proxies Can Alter Our Understanding of Habitat Selection.

Ecology letters·2026
Same author

Case report: comparison of NexTrak and VR2 acoustic receiver performance in a low-noise coastal marine environment.

Animal biotelemetry·2026
Same author

Post-release behaviour, physiological stress and survival of longline-caught Greenland sharks.

Conservation physiology·2026
Same author

The Greenland shark genome: Insights into lifespan extremes and population dynamics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

<i>H</i>-linear magnetoresistance in NbSe<sub>2</sub> due to impeded cyclotron motion.

Science advances·2026
Same author

A multi-method approach to characterising dynamic human-shark interactions at a remote oceanic island.

Scientific reports·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities
07:59

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities

Published on: January 6, 2023

Oceanic sharks clean at coastal seamount.

Simon P Oliver1, Nigel E Hussey, John R Turner

  • 1School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom. s.p.oliver@threshersharkproject.org

Plos One
|March 23, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Pelagic thresher sharks (Alopias pelagicus) visit seamounts for cleaning by wrasse. These interactions, observed over four years, highlight seamounts as crucial cleaning stations for oceanic sharks.

More Related Videos

An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis
08:09

An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis

Published on: September 15, 2015

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
10:43

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Published on: November 5, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities
07:59

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities

Published on: January 6, 2023

An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis
08:09

An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis

Published on: September 15, 2015

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
10:43

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Published on: November 5, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Ichthyology
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Interactions between pelagic thresher sharks (Alopias pelagicus) and cleaner fish are poorly understood.
  • Oceanic sharks visiting shallow coastal waters may be vulnerable to human disturbance.
  • Seamounts may serve ecological roles beyond foraging and refuge, potentially as cleaning stations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cleaning interactions between pelagic thresher sharks and cleaner wrasse at a Philippine seamount.
  • To understand the behavioral patterns and ecological significance of these associations.

Main Methods:

  • Remote video camera observations totaling 1,230 hours over four years (July 2005 - December 2009).
  • Analysis of 97 cleaner-thresher shark events, including interrupted interactions.
  • Quantification of cleaner fish foraging sites on shark bodies and shark behavioral modifications.

Main Results:

  • Cleaner wrasse showed preferences for specific body areas on thresher sharks, with the pelvis being the most frequently inspected (33.9%).
  • Thresher sharks modified their swimming behavior ('circular-stance-swimming') to facilitate cleaner inspections.
  • The frequency of cleaning events decreased from morning to evening, but cleaners did not show preference by shark sex or time of day.

Conclusions:

  • Seamounts function as important cleaning stations for oceanic sharks, supporting pelagic ecology.
  • The cleaner-thresher shark association mirrors patterns seen in reef teleost systems, with selective foraging by cleaners.
  • Understanding these interactions may explain why thresher sharks frequent coastal areas, potentially increasing their vulnerability.