Sponges

Pomponi, Shirley A.; Díaz, M. Cristina; Soest, R.W.M. van; Bell, Lori J.; Busutil, Linnet; Gochfeld, Deborah J.; Kelly, Michelle; Slattery, Marc

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92735-0_32

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Ten species were only seen in the shallower zone (30-50 m depth) and 16 were exclusively found on 50-70 m depth; the other eight species were present through the entire depth range ( Table 1). The sponge community in the MCE of the leeward face at SAI was very similar to those reported for other Caribbean locations (Pomponi et al, 2019), commonly dominated by tubular and vase sponges like Agelas tubulata, A. sceptrum, Aplysina archeri, and Xestospongia muta (Figures 2F,H). However, in this work just the most conspicuous sponges were recorded-mainly massive ones-, so that sponge richness is probably underestimated, which can be assumed by the unregistered amount of different colored sponges encrusting the hard bottom.…”

Section: Dataset Outcomes and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

2020

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Section: Dataset Outcomes and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

2020

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“…However, this hypothesis has been rejected for some coral species, as recent studies have demonstrated a reduced fecundity in mesophotic corals (Feldman et al, 2018;Shlesinger et al, 2018;Shlesinger and Loya, 2019) as well as low larval connectivity (Bongaerts et al, 2010(Bongaerts et al, , 2017. Although our current knowledge of the reproductive strategies and connectivity of mesophotic sponges, and especially of lower mesophotic communities, is very limited (Maldonado et al, 2017;Cerrano et al, 2019;Pomponi et al, 2019), our findings, along with those of other recent studies, suggest that mesophotic sponge grounds may act as a deep refuge for some sponge species (Meroz-Fine et al, 2005;Idan et al, 2018;Cerrano et al, 2019;Pomponi et al, 2019;Idan, 2020). As different species may exhibit diverse adaptations to environmental conditions that can affect their larval behavior and ability to settle in shallower habitats, the deep refuge hypothesis should be considered with respect to mesophotic sponge communities.…”

Section: Reproduction Cyclementioning

confidence: 41%

Does Depth Matter? Reproduction Pattern Plasticity in Two Common Sponge Species Found in Both Mesophotic and Shallow Waters

et al. 2020

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Determining demosponge reproductive strategies is essential to understanding their ecology and life history, as well as for the management of benthic marine environments. This is especially important in mesophotic ecosystems, which have been suggested to serve as a refuge for shallow-water populations and for which knowledge is lacking. Here we compared the reproductive strategies of two common Mediterranean demosponges species: Chondrosia reniformis and Axinella polypoides, which can be found in both shallow and mesophotic habitats along the Israeli coast. Samples were collected over 2 years, via SCUBA diving from the shallow coast (2–32 m) and Remotely Operated Vehicle from the mesophotic sponge grounds (95–120 m). A. polypoides and C. renifornis differed in oocyte morphology and development, but both demonstrated reproductive plasticity with regard to temperature and depth: temperature appears to regulate their reproduction in the shallow water, as both species exhibited seasonality; whereas, in the mesophotic zone, where the temperature amplitude is much smaller, seasonality was not observed for either species. Furthermore, in the mesophotic zone, C. reniformis exhibited low fecundity and probably invests more in asexual reproduction by budding. Mesophotic A. polypoides, in contrast, exhibited enhanced and continuous asynchronous sexual reproduction year-round. Our findings suggest that reproduction plasticity may be a general rule for sponge species that inhabit different habitats; such plasticity could allow sponges to thrive in different environmental conditions. These findings further emphasize the importance of protecting the mesophotic sponge grounds, which can serve as a refuge in the face of the adverse impact of anthropogenic disturbances and rising seawater temperatures.

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“…The lower gorgonian abundance in the Caribbean may be due to competitive interactions with the space-dominant sponge fauna Ladd et al, 2019), potentially mediated by sponge allelochemicals (Thacker et al, 1998;Slattery and Gochfeld, 2012). Nonetheless, gorgonians span the upper to lower mesophotic zones at densities that are second only to those of sponges (Pomponi et al, 2019;Sánchez et al, 2019). Given the abundance and biomass of sponges on Caribbean mesophotic reefs (Slattery and Lesser, 2012;, it is not surprising that contact interactions with gorgonians are common.…”

Section: Gorgonians Are Primary Foundation Species Of Mcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sponge biomass and density increase dramatically within these MCEs (Slattery and Lesser, 2012;, and there is a clear demarcation between the transitional communities of the upper mesophotic (∼30-60 m) and the endemic communities of the lower mesophotic (∼61-150 m) (Lesser et al, 2019). While sponges dominate many MCE communities (Pomponi et al, 2019), other taxa, including gorgonian corals, also co-occur at high densities at these depths (Sánchez et al, 2019). Here we examine the ecological roles of the dominant species of Caribbean MCEs (i.e., sponges and gorgonians), and assess the relationships between these species through strong positive and negative interactions (i.e., facilitation and competition, respectively).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gorgonians Are Foundation Species on Sponge-Dominated Mesophotic Coral Reefs in the Caribbean

Slattery

Lesser

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Foundation species (FS) regulate ecological processes within communities often facilitating biodiversity and habitat complexity. Typically FS are dominant structure-forming taxa; but less dominant taxa having disproportionate ecological impacts to the community can also be FS. Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are deep coral reef (∼30–150 m) communities, often dominated by emergent sponges in the Caribbean Basin. Despite the potential competitive advantage of sponges on MCEs, gorgonians are also common constituents of these reefs. Data from the Bahamas demonstrate increased biodiversity and densities of sponges on mesophotic reefs with gorgonians relative to reefs without these species. Drawing upon fifteen years of field surveys at five sites in the Caribbean Basin we assessed in situ interactions between gorgonians and sponges to quantify outcomes consistent with competition (i.e., tissue necrosis and overgrowth). Gorgonians were effective competitors against a variety of sponges, and two allelochemicals produced by Ellisella elongata were mechanistically important in interactions with Agelas clathrodes. We also examined invertebrate recruitment patterns near gorgonians to assess their role in facilitating MCE biodiversity. Our results indicate that live gorgonians, Antillogorgia bipinnata and E. elongata, facilitate biodiverse recruitment into MCEs, indicating that this process is governed by more than passive hydrodynamics. Collectively, these data indicate that these gorgonians exhibit both positive and negative ecological interactions (i.e., facilitation and competition, respectively) with sponges, and other taxa. Thus, these gorgonians are FS of MCE communities within the Caribbean Basin that display several traits contributing to the ecological structure of these understudied communities.

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Sponges

Cited by 21 publications

References 50 publications

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

Does Depth Matter? Reproduction Pattern Plasticity in Two Common Sponge Species Found in Both Mesophotic and Shallow Waters

Gorgonians Are Foundation Species on Sponge-Dominated Mesophotic Coral Reefs in the Caribbean

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