{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T04:38:10Z","timestamp":1792730290306,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792627200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":21,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790812800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ecology and Evolution"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10]]},"abstract":"ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n \n Interspecific associations between fishes can generate complex behavioural interactions, yet their occurrence and functional significance in temperate marine systems remain poorly documented. Here we describe a previously unreported case of host\u2010associated behaviour involving juvenile\n \n Caranx crysos<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n and schools of juvenile\n \n Sarpa salpa<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n in coastal Mediterranean habitats. Associations were recorded exclusively in\n \n C. crysos<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n individuals \u2264\u200915\u2009cm TL, suggesting a size\u2010 and context\u2010dependent pattern of association with the host schools. Juvenile\n \n C. crysos<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n integrated into\n \n S. salpa<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n schools by adopting spatial positioning and behavioural patterns consistent with social mimicry. This association may provide antipredator advantages through group integration, while also allowing opportunistic foraging on benthic organisms and resuspended organic particles generated during host grazing activity. In rare cases, multiple individuals of\n \n C. crysos<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n co\u2010occurred within the same school, producing aggressive interactions and indicating intraspecific competition for access to the host aggregation. From the host perspective,\n \n S. salpa<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n exhibited only brief and limited behavioural responses, with no evidence of persistent exclusion or disruption of schooling behaviour, suggesting a low\u2010cost, largely tolerated interaction. Overall, our observations suggest the occurrence of a host\u2010related behavioural strategy in juvenile\n \n C. crysos<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:styled-content>\n that combines group integration, commensalistic and opportunistic feeding and intraspecific competition, likely shaped by ontogenetic constraints. These results highlight a previously overlooked level of behavioural complexity in temperate fish assemblages and suggest that fine\u2010scale interspecific interactions in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems may be more widespread than currently recognised.\n <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/ece3.74583","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T04:00:56Z","timestamp":1792728056000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Host\u2010Associated School Integration and Behaviour Among Juvenile\n \n Caranx crysos<\/i>\n <\/scp>\n and\n \n Sarpa salpa<\/i>\n <\/scp>\n in a Shallow Mediterranean Habitat"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0719-0292","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"V.","family":"Basile","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DiBEST) University of Calabria Cosenza Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3669-1395","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"E.","family":"Brunelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DiBEST) University of Calabria Cosenza Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7246-9831","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M.","family":"Mezzasalma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DiBEST) University of Calabria Cosenza Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1439-0310.2003.00860.x","article-title":"An Experimental Test of Predator Detection Rates Using Groups of Free\u2010Living Emus","volume":"109","author":"Boland C. 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L.","year":"2000","journal-title":"Environmental Biology of Fishes"},{"issue":"5","key":"e_1_2_10_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"921","DOI":"10.1111\/faf.12384","article-title":"Towards an Ultimate Explanation for Mixed\u2010Species Shoaling","volume":"20","author":"Paijmans K. C.","year":"2019","journal-title":"Fish and Fisheries"},{"issue":"2","key":"e_1_2_10_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.1111\/eth.13110","article-title":"Odd One in: Oddity Within Mixed\u2010Species Shoals Does Not Affect Shoal Preference by Vagrant Tropical Damselfish in the Presence or Absence of a Predator","volume":"127","author":"Paijmans K. C.","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ethology"},{"issue":"5411","key":"e_1_2_10_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1126\/science.284.5411.99","article-title":"Complexity, Pattern, and Evolutionary Trade\u2010Offs in Animal Aggregation","volume":"284","author":"Parrish J. 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M.","year":"2011","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"2","key":"e_1_2_10_30_1","first-page":"166","article-title":"Schooling Fishes: The School, a Truly Egalitarian Form of Organization in Which All Members of the Group Are Alike in Influence, Offers Substantial Benefits to Its Participants","volume":"66","author":"Shaw E.","year":"1978","journal-title":"American Scientist"},{"issue":"7","key":"e_1_2_10_31_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1375","DOI":"10.1017\/S0025315409000265","article-title":"Food and Feeding Habits of \n Caranx crysos\n From the Gulf of Gab\u00e8s (Tunisia)","volume":"89","author":"Sley A.","year":"2009","journal-title":"Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom"},{"issue":"5","key":"e_1_2_10_32_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"948","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2656.2010.01707.x","article-title":"The Nuclear Question: Rethinking Species Importance in Multi\u2010Species Animal Groups","volume":"79","author":"Srinivasan U.","year":"2010","journal-title":"Journal of Animal Ecology"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_33_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.3397","article-title":"The Shoaling Behavior of Two Cyprinid Species in Conspecific and Heterospecific Groups","volume":"5","author":"Tang Z. 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