Reef formation versus solitariness in two New Zealand serpulids does not involve cryptic species

Smith, Abigail M.; Henderson, Zoe E.; Kennedy, Martyn; King, Tania M.; Spencer, Hamish G.

doi:10.3354/ab00444

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The Japanese new species, while highly gregarious and belt-forming (Figs 2B, C, I , 3D, H ), sometimes forms small aggregations and even solitary specimens have been observed. A similar range of appearances, solitary to highly gregarious, was noted and analyzed by Smith et al (2012) for the New Zealand S. cariniferus (Gray, 1843). We summarize the new species characters in Table 3 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan

Nishi¹,

Abe²,

Tanaka³

et al. 2022

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A new species of Spirobranchus (Annelida: Serpulidae) is described based on specimens collected at the coastal Shonan area of Sagami Bay and the adjacent areas of Honshu, Japan. Spirobranchus akitsushimasp. nov. forms large aggregations in the intertidal rocky zone of warm-temperate Japanese shores. This species was referred to as Pomatoleios kraussii (Baird, 1864) until the monotypic genus Pomatoleios was synonymized with Spirobranchus. This new species is formally described based on morphologically distinct Japanese specimens with supporting DNA sequence data. The calcareous opercular endplate of Spirobranchus akitsushimasp. nov. lacks a distinct talon, but some specimens have a slight rounded swelling on the endplate underside, while in other species of the S. kraussii complex a talon is present, usually extended, and with bulges. We examined sub-fossil tube aggregations of the new species and suggest that such aggregation stranded ashore is a good indicator of vertical land movements (uplift and subsidence) resulting from past events, such as earthquakes, in Honshu, Japan.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan

Nishi¹,

Abe²,

Tanaka³

et al. 2022

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“…It was not until 2009 that an effort to resolve the species complexes within Serpulidae was made (e.g. Halt et al 2009, Smith et al 2012, Willette et al 2015, and several others thereafter). Among these studies, genetic analyses of F. enigmaticus using Cytochrome b (Cytb) revealed high genetic diversity in the group and possible cryptic species (Styan et al 2017, Yee et al 2019, Oliva et al 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The elephant in the room: first record of invasive gregarious species of serpulids (calcareous tube annelids) in Majorca (western Mediterranean)

Grosse

Pérez

Juan-Amengual

et al. 2021

scimar

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Although there are several nuisance species of serpulids reported worldwide, the present study shows that some of them have been overlooked even in geographic areas that are considered well studied. We report for the first time in Majorca the invasive species Ficopomatus enigmaticus and the first records for the Balearic Islands of the also non-native species Hydroides dianthus, H. dirampha, H. elegans and H. nigra. The most abundant species were F. enigmaticus, found at higher densities in Portixol (with up to 280 ind. m–2), and H. elegans, found at highest densities in the port of Palma (with up to 270 ind. m–2). Species have been identified after morphological examination and corroborated by mitochondrial DNA sequence data: cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb). Molecular data show that the same haplotypes have been found in distant and disjoint biogeographic areas worldwide, which is only explicable by unintentional translocation of specimens through vectors (i.e. ship hulls or ballast water). Species delimitation analyses support previous findings that species complexes are common in both Ficopomatus and Hydroides. In fact, only among the Majorcan samples were we able to detect three species of the F. enigmaticus species complex, two of the H. elegans species complex and two of the H. dianthus species complex. The genetic distances between members of the F. enigmaticus species complex are 8.7% to 16.7% in COI sequences. The species of Hydroides hold 5.4% to 47.6 % genetic divergence between species of the same complex.

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“…This worm is found throughout New Zealand in intertidal areas and rock pools both solitarily and in aggregations. The distribution of S. cariniferus is endemic to New Zealand (Read and Fauchald, 2019;Smith et al, 2012) and is generally limited by the availability of hard substrate. In sheltered areas, this tube-dwelling worm can become the dominating aggregative organism at mid to lower tide levels and exclude other sessile organisms (Morton and Miller, 1973).…”

Section: Spirobranchus Cariniferus (Gray 1843)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recruitment, settlement and ontogeny of the serpulid 'Spirobranchus cariniferus' (Gray, 1843)

Wolf¹

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<p>Serpulids are a globally represented group of polychaetes and can be found in many habitats from the intertidal fringe to the subtidal environment and even in deep-sea ecosystems. These tube-dwelling worms are often described as pioneer species in new or disturbed habitats. Serpulids secrete a calcareous tube and often occur in aggregations. These patches can range from several centimetres to several metres in diameter and may even form reef systems. Accumulations of tube-dwelling worms provide a new habitat for other species and, therefore, serpulids are considered bioengineers. Serpulid aggregations are known to enhance biodiversity and species abundance and may increase water quality through their filter activity. Despite their ecological importance, their ecology and ontogeny have received little attention. Spirobranchus cariniferus, a New Zealand endemic intertidal serpulid, is a substantial contributor to intertidal ecosystems. For this and other Serpulidae, the link between larval development and larval settlement is missing. However, this connection is essential to understand recruitment and ecology of tube-dwelling worms. Therefore, in this thesis, I describe the ontogeny of S. cariniferus from larval development to recruitment and reproduction. In the first data chapter, I present my findings on the recruitment of S. cariniferus in the field. This serpulid settles aggregatively in the field but not necessarily in response to the presence of adult conspecifics, as has been previously reported. Abiotic factors such as sunlight or wave disturbance have a more substantial effect on recruitment rather than the occurrence of adult individuals of the same or a competing species. Additionally, this chapter provides support for the hypothesis that larvae of S. cariniferus may accumulate near the substrate before settlement. Many sessile marine invertebrate taxa occur in either aggregations or as solitary individuals, with potential benefits and disadvantages associated with each configuration. For S. cariniferus, solitary and aggregative individuals can be found in the same habitat. Therefore, the second data chapter compares growth and mortality for individuals living alone or in aggregation. While solitary and aggregative individuals elongate their tubes at a similar rate, further correlations of body to tube sizes lead to the conclusion that solitary worms focus more of their energy on tube length growth rather than body size increment compared to aggregative conspecifics. Mortality is highly variable but does not differ between both configurations. However, individuals living in a patch have a better ability to recover from damage to their tubes. In the last two decades, the idea that gonochorism is the general reproductive pattern for Serpulidae has been challenged, and instead it has been suggested by some that protandry is the more common trait. Therefore, with my third data chapter, I explore maturation and sex ratio of S. cariniferus and whether it changes for individuals living alone vs. in aggregation or based on size. While maturation depends on size, sex does not, and neither maturation nor sex ratio are dependent on whether individuals live in aggregation or not. Further, the ratio of females to males did not favour either sex consistently. For the first time in this species I found evidence of possible hermaphroditism. Through spawning trials and histological sections, I identified nine individuals which simultaneously contained oocytes and sperm cells. I suggest therefore, that S. cariniferus has alternating sexes rather than protandry as a reproductive strategy. In the fourth and final data chapter, I describe the metamorphosis and settlement behaviour of S. cariniferus larvae. For this serpulid species, settlement and metamorphosis are separate and distinct steps that involve both behavioural and morphological changes to the larvae. Further, this entire process can be quite prolonged (i.e. over several days), and at some points can be reversed. It is therefore very important that observations last longer than 24–48 hours, when studying serpulid settlement. As far as I am aware, this is the first study on a serpulid species to examine aggregative settlement in the field in relation to the presence of adult conspecifics and abiotic factors, and also to explicitly test for consequences of solitary vs. group living on growth and mortality. It is also the first to show evidence of hermaphroditism in this species. I hope my research and this thesis stimulates a more inclusive and holistic investigation of serpulids in the future. Larval development, settlement patterns and ontogeny need to be studied in detail if we want to understand the evolution, ecology, impacts and benefits of these and other sessile marine invertebrates.</p>

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Reef formation versus solitariness in two New Zealand serpulids does not involve cryptic species

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan

A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan

The elephant in the room: first record of invasive gregarious species of serpulids (calcareous tube annelids) in Majorca (western Mediterranean)

Recruitment, settlement and ontogeny of the serpulid 'Spirobranchus cariniferus' (Gray, 1843)

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Reef formation versus solitariness in two New Zealand serpulids does not involve cryptic species

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

﻿A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan

﻿A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan

The elephant in the room: first record of invasive gregarious species of serpulids (calcareous tube annelids) in Majorca (western Mediterranean)

Recruitment, settlement and ontogeny of the serpulid 'Spirobranchus cariniferus' (Gray, 1843)

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Resources

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A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan

A new species of the Spirobranchus kraussii complex, S. akitsushima (Annelida, Polychaeta, Serpulidae), from the rocky intertidal zone of Japan