A Caribbean-wide study showing that parrotfish can be a reliable indicator of fishing pressure

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Here is an earlier study that documented high levels of sponge-coral interactions and also linked the interactions with spongivory.

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This paper explains the link between chemical defenses of sponges and how predators alter sponge community structure: Pawlik, J.R. 2011. The chemical ecology of sponges on Caribbean reefs: Natural products shape natural systems. BioScience, 61: 888-898.

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See this paper for the map of survey sites and for the data that demonstrate the effect of sponge-eating fishes on the relative abundance of chemically defended and palatable sponge species.

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In this video, French and Gray Angelfish are seen eating the gray tube sponge and gray branching sponge (Callyspongia vaginalis and C. armigera). These are examples of the fast-growing sponge species that lack chemical defenses and can quickly overgrow reef-building corals.

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