Temporal variability in epifaunal assemblages associated with temperate gorgonian gardens

Abstract

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTThe present study is one of the few that investigate the temporal variability of 2 epifaunal assemblages associated with coral species, particularly the octocorals 3 Eunicella gazella and Leptogorgia lusitanica in south Portugal. The results suggest 4 time rather than colony size as a primary driver of the ecological patterns of these 5 assemblages, which were dominated by amphipods, molluscs and polychaetes. 6Temporal variability was linked to changes in environmental parameters, namely 7 temperature, chlorophyll a and particulate organic carbon. Hence, temporal variability 8 must be taken into account for the design of future biodiversity assessment studies, as 9 different patterns may be observed depending on the sampling time. Associated 10 epifaunal assemblages were consistently dominated by resident species (i.e. species 11 present in all sampling periods) and a peak of rare species was observed in the 12 transition from spring to summer following the increase of seawater temperature. 13Turnover was particularly high in the transition between the spring and summer 14 periods. In both hosts, turnover was higher in the small sized colonies, which 15 generally harboured less diverse and less abundant assemblages which also differed 16 from those inhabiting larger size colonies. The high levels of diversity associated with 17 gorgonian colonies highlights the need for the conservation of this priority habitat. 18

Updating the current knowledge on the relationships between Haplosyllis chamaeleon Laubier, 1960 (Annelida, Syllidae) and Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) (Cnidaria, Plexauridae) in the Mediterranean Sea

“…Anthozoans, including sea-fans, often host organisms seeking for shelter (Molodtsova et al 2016), food and/or reproductive success (Goh et al 1999). Amongst them (Patton 1972;Goh et al 1999;Dias et al 2015), there are either sessile species like sponges (Calcinai et al 2013) and hydroids (Puce et al 2008;Seveso et al 2016;Pica et al 2017) or vagile species like crustaceans (Ponti et al 2016;Valisano et al 2016) and polychaetes Britayev 1998, 2018;Glasby and Watson 2001;Barnich et al 2013;Britayev et al 2014;Carvalho et al 2014;Cúrdia et al 2015;Martin et al 2002;Nygren and Pleijel 2010).…”

The Philippine Seas: Biodiversity and Ecological Impacts of Natural and Anthropogenic stressors in Tropical Reef Systems

“…Octocorals belong to the subclass Octocorallia, which comprises orders Helioporacea (blue corals), Pennatulacea (sea pens), and Alcyonacea (soft corals and gorgonians) that represents one of the most diverse macrobenthic group in tropical and subtropical shallow coral reefs and deep-sea environments (Lau et al, 2020). In addition, Octocorallia represents 64% of all extant coral species in the world (Williams and Cairns, 2018), providing a wide array of ecological benefits including coral reef development and structural complexity (Jones et al, 1994;Edmunds et al, 2016;Shoham et al, 2019), nutrition (Etnoyer et al, 2016;Garra et al, 2020), and refuge for reef organisms (Carvalho et al, 2014;Cúrdia et al, 2015;Dias et al, 2015;Epstein and Kingsford, 2019). As major macrobenthic components, octocorals play a significant role in coral reef community dynamics and may serve as indicators of water quality in reefs affected by various disturbances including climate change and pollution (Nörstrom et al, 2009;De'ath and Fabricius, 2010;Edmunds and Lasker, 2019).…”

Spatial and Short-Term Temporal Patterns of Octocoral Assemblages in the West Philippine Sea

“…Octocorals belong to the subclass Octocorallia, which comprises orders Helioporacea (blue corals), Pennatulacea (sea pens), and Alcyonacea (soft corals and gorgonians) that represents one of the most diverse macrobenthic group in tropical and subtropical shallow coral reefs and deep-sea environments (Lau et al, 2020). In addition, Octocorallia represents 64% of all extant coral species in the world (Williams and Cairns, 2018), providing a wide array of ecological benefits including coral reef development and structural complexity (Jones et al, 1994;Edmunds et al, 2016;Shoham et al, 2019), nutrition (Etnoyer et al, 2016;Garra et al, 2020), and refuge for reef organisms (Carvalho et al, 2014;Cúrdia et al, 2015;Dias et al, 2015;Epstein and Kingsford, 2019). As major macrobenthic components, octocorals play a significant role in coral reef community dynamics and may serve as indicators of water quality in reefs affected by various disturbances including climate change and pollution (Nörstrom et al, 2009;De'ath and Fabricius, 2010;Edmunds and Lasker, 2019).…”