Position

Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland

Research interests

I work on coral reef fish and marine parasite behaviour and ecology with an emphasis on fish cleaning behaviour and fish parasites. I use an experimental approach, both in the field and in the laboratory. I am very interested in the interactions between fish and parasites. I am also interested in cooperative systems between animals, particularly mutualism. Current projects include investigating whether larval fish leave the reef to avoid parasites, whether parasitic gnathiid isopods are vectors of fish blood parasites, and the ecology and identification of sunscreens in fish mucus.

Qualifications

1995 PhD in Marine Ecology, James Cook University (JCU), Department of Marine Biology, Townsville, Qld., Australia, 4/91-10/94, awarded 10/95. "Parasites in the cleaning interactions between the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus and fish" Supervisor: Professor J.H. Choat.

1989 BA in Aquatic Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (UCSB), 9/87-6/89.

Ten Most Significant Publications

10. Floeter SR, Vazquez DP, Grutter AS (2007) The macroecology of marine cleaning mutualisms. Journal of Animal Ecology 76 (1): 105-111

9. Nilsson GE, Ostlund-Nilsson S, Penfold R, Grutter AS. (2007) From record performance to hypoxia tolerance: respiratory transition in damselfish larvae settling on a coral reef. Proc. Roy. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 274 (1606): 79-85

8. Bshary, R and Grutter, A. (2006) Image scoring and cooperation in a cleaner fish mutualism. Nature 441: 975-978.

7. Bshary, R. and Grutter, A. (2005) Punishment and partner switching cause cooperative behaviour in a cleaning mutualism. Biology Letters. Proc. Roy. Soc. London 1:396-399

6. Becker, J.H.A., Curtis, L., Grutter, A.S. (2005) Cleaner shrimp use rocking dance to advertise cleaning service to clients. Current Biology. 15:760-764

5. Grutter, A.S. (2004) Cleaner fish use tactile dancing as pre-conflict management strategy. Current Biology. 14: 1080-1083.

4. Grutter, A.S., Bshary, R. 2003. Cleaner-fish prefer client mucus: support for partner control mechanisms in cleaning interactions. Proc. Roy. Soc. London B, Biology Letters. Supp. 2. S242-S244

3. Grutter, A.S, Murphy J.M., Choat J.H. (2003). Cleaner-fish drives local fish diversity on coral reefs. Current Biology. 13: 64-67.

2. Bshary, R., Grutter, A.S. (2002) Experimental evidence that partner choice is the driving force in the payoff distribution among cooperators or mutualists: the cleaner-fish case. Ecology Letters 5: 130-136.

1. Grutter, A.S. (1999). Cleaner-fish really do clean, Nature 398: 672-673

Currently Held Grants

ARC Discovery 2005 (Grutter et al.)