Symbiotic crabs maintain coral health by clearing sediments

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Impact of coral predators on tropical reefs (2008, background): “Stewart et al. (2006) showed in a field study that, when mutualist crabs (Trapezia) were removed, 45 to 80% of Acropora hyacinthus and Pocillopora verrucosa died within a month.”
CoRAl-ASSoCIATED INvERTEbRATES: DIvERSITy, EColoGICAl IMPoRTANCE AND vulNERAbIlITy To DISTuRbANCE (2011, background): “, Tetralia) feed predominantly on mucus rather than live tissue (Stimson 1990), which could have significant beneficial effects (Stewart et al. 2006), as discussed further in this chapter.”
Effects of sheltering fish on growth of their host corals (2008, background): “When associated with branching corals, these species can form mutualisms that confer important beneWts to the coral, including provision of nutrients (Meyer and Schultz 1985a; Mokady et al. 1998), removal of sediment ( Stewart et al. 2006 ), protection from predators (Pratchett et al. 2000; Pratchet”
Variation in the structure of epifaunal invertebrate assemblages among coral hosts (2010, background): “These crabs enhance colony health (Glynn 1983; Stewart et al. 2006) and exhibit aggressive behavior toward coral predators, such as crown-of-thorns starfish (Glynn 1980; Pratchett 2001).”