In coral reefs, clownfish live unharmed among the poisonous tentacles of sea anemones. The sea anemones protect the clownfish fr
om predation, while the clownfish scare off predators, such as the butterfly fish, which would otherwise eat the anemones. The clownfish may also provide important nutrients to the anemones. This arrangement is an example of which symbiotic relationship
The sea anemone and the clownfish live together in a type of symbiotic relationship called mutualism, where both species benefit from the other. The sea anemone offers the clownfish protection and leftover food
The anemone's tentacles provide the clownfish with protection from predators, while the clownfish chase away butterfly fish that would eat the anemone. ... Sea anemones can do very little to control the flow of water across their bodies, and they rely on local currents to bring in oxygen and nutrients.Clownfish perform an elaborate dance with an anemone before taking up residence, gently touching its tentacles with different parts of their bodies until they are acclimated to their host. A layer of mucus on the clownfish's skin makes it immune to the fish-eating anemone's lethal sting.Instead, both species have evolved behaviors that help them avoid being eaten while they graze for benthic algae. Butterflyfish typically swim in pairs near a particular clump of coral. ... An anemone robbed of its clownfish guards will quickly fall prey to the voracious butterflyfish.
