Early Benthic Organism Colonization on a Caribbean Coral Reef (Barbados, West Indies): a Plate Experimental Approach

Abstract

Abstract. Macrofaunal colonization was studied using coral plates fixed at 10 m depth on a fringing reef in Barbados, West Indies. Two sites were compared: Spring Garden, a site that is affected by eutrophication, and Six Men's Bay which is relatively free of this effect. Two sets of plates were immersed in winter and spring 1990 at each site and monitored for 28 and 19 weeks, respectively. Green and brown algae colonized first, followed 2 weeks later by ostracods, cumaceans, amphipods and polychaetes: terebellids, nereidids and syllids. Most colonizers either nestled or encrusted. A total of 11 017 invertebrates belonging to 145 species were collected. Polychaetes were the most abundant and diverse zoological group. Considering polychaetes, crustaceans and molluscs, the study sites shared around 75% of the species. Overall, densities were higher on lower (shaded) surfaces while diversities were higher on upper (illuminated) sides. Similarity coefficients and correspondence analysis showed different macrobenthic assemblages and colonization patterns in light and shaded and in polluted and unpolluted sites. Coral plates were associated according to their ‘immersion time’ and were closely linked to their stage of development. Spring Garden (polluted) presented a higher number of soft‐bottom and deposit‐feeder species (e.g., Capitella capitata).

Millepora alcicornis (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) as substrate for benthic fauna

“…The living corals create a variety of habitats for a large number of species, giving support for sedentary organisms and food or shelter for mobile ones (REED; MIKKELSEN, 1987;DÍAZ-CASTAÑEDA;ALMEDA-JAUREGUI, 1999).…”

“…The study area (Maracajaú Reef) is located 5 km from the beach, being 9 km in length and 2 km in width, with depths that vary from 1 to 4 meters at low tide (FEITOSA et al, 2002). The waters of the area are warm (average 28ºC) and calm during most the year (MMA, 2003).…”

Settlement Patterns of Corals and other Benthos on Reefs with Divergent Environments and Disturbances Histories around the Northeastern Arabian Peninsula

“…While many studies have focused efforts on understanding the dynamics of coral settlement following disturbance (Glassom et al, 2004;Abelson et al, 2005;Green and Edmunds, 2011;Sawall et al, 2013;Bauman et al, 2014), few studies have explored the role that non-coral benthos may play in affecting early recovery dynamics on reefs (Colvard and Edmunds, 2011;Luter et al, 2016). Non-coral benthos are among the first colonists to settle on substrates opened by disturbance, and typically reach an abundance and coverage that greatly exceeds that of coral spat (Dunstan and Johnson, 1998;Díaz-Castañeda and Almeda-Jauregui, 1999;Glassom et al, 2004;Mangubhai et al, 2007;Stubler et al, 2016). Given that many of these non-coral benthos can alternatively facilitate or inhibit subsequent coral recruitment in the space opened by disturbance, their presence could dramatically impact the trajectory of subsequent recovery on disturbed reefs.…”

“…However, algae, sponges, ascidians, and various other sessile members of the benthos are also abundant and integral members of reef communities that support diverse functional roles (Mallela, 2007;Bell, 2008;Glynn and Enochs, 2011;De Goeij et al, 2013;Enochs and Glynn, 2017), although the role that these organisms play in recovery dynamics is not well understood. Non-coral benthos are typically far more abundant than coral spat in early settlement communities (Dunstan and Johnson, 1998;Díaz-Castañeda and Almeda-Jauregui, 1999;Glassom et al, 2004;Mangubhai et al, 2007;Stubler et al, 2016), and initial colonization patterns by these organisms can strongly influence the trajectory of subsequent community development (Stubler et al, 2016). Non-coral settlement patterns may translate into long-term shifts in reef community structure, as variation in the early recruitment rates of non-coral benthos can considerably influence adult abundance of these organisms (Jackson, 1984;Caley et al, 1996;Cowen and Sponaugle, 2009;Zabin, 2015).…”

Composición y estructura de las comunidades de poliquetos (Annelida) asociadas a fondos blandos de la costa occidental de la península de Baja California, México

“…Los anélidos poliquetos son considerados un grupo dominante en dichas comunidades debido a su diversidad, abundancia y funcionalidad ecológica, lo que les permite una alta adaptabilidad a los diferentes hábitats (Díaz-Castañeda y Harris, 2004). Asimismo, los poliquetos forman parte de los grupos pioneros en las áreas en donde existe alguna perturbación ambiental de cualquier tipo (Díaz-Castañeda y Almeda-Jauregui, 1999;Heilskov y Holmer, 2001). Estos organismos son una parte esencial en las cadenas alimenticias, sirviendo, además, como importantes indicadores de las condiciones del medio ambiente (Díaz-Castañeda, de León y Solana, 2005) e intervienen directamente en el proceso de sedimentación, proporcionando un enlace entre la meiofauna y la macrofauna, permitiendo así el buen funcionamiento del medio (Cacabelos, Moreira y Troncoso, 2006).…”