Variation in life-history traits of the corallivorous gastropod Coralliophila abbreviata on three coral hosts

Johnston, Lyza; Miller, Margaret W.

doi:10.1007/s00227-006-0422-1

Cited by 27 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In addition to the direct impact of feeding, fecundity is disproportionately higher in these large snails (Johnston and Miller 2007). At the initial removal there were 42 snails found with shell length > 34.6 mm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…5a-b) and final (22.1 mm ± 5.7 mm, pooled mean ± SD; Fig Unfortunately, we do not have gender ratios for the initial population, but as larger snails are known to be female in this protandrous species (Johnston and Miller 2007), the larger snail sizes of the initial population would be expected to reflect a lesser proportion of males relative to the final population. …”

Section: Size Frequency/sex Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Colpophylia natans, Agaricia spp., and occasionally on other mounding coral species (Miller 1981). Snails found on A. palmata are larger, older, have higher fecundity (Johnston and Miller 2007), and consume more coral tissue than on other coral host species (Bruckner 2000). The snails are typically found in groups (Bruckner et al 1997;Bruckner 2000;Baums et al 2003a), feeding on coral tissue and leaving a feeding scar of exposed skeleton.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

Williams

Miller

Bright

et al. 2014

Preprint

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PrePrints IntroductionPredator control is most commonly considered as a management strategy for invasive predators (Baxter et al. 2008;Barbour et al. 2011;Morris Jr et al. 2011) or outbreaks of endemic predators (Yamaguchi 1986;Sanz-Aguilar et al. 2009). Previous attempts to cull corallivores, specifically Acanthaster planci, have largely been aimed at localized outbreaks with the goal of preserving coral tissue over a large area (Yamaguchi 1986). These efforts have been deemed ineffective due to the large numbers and migrating aggregations of these predators (Yamaguchi 1986;Johnson et al. 1990). However, removal of a relatively sedentary predator from targeted populations of a threatened coral species has not been evaluated.Ecological theory on predator-prey dynamics can provide insight on situations when predator removal may be effective in protecting prey. Sinclair et al. (1998) present a framework whereby controlling natural predators may improve the outcome for management of declining or reintroduced populations of threatened species. In this framework, the appropriate scale of intervention depends on the functional and numerical response of predators to changing prey abundance. In cases where the effects of predation are depensatory and prey abundance is so low that they are vulnerable to stochastic events, predator control could provide benefit to prey populations (Sinclair et al. 1998). Rotjan and Lewis (2008), in a review of corallivory, suggest that the rapid pace of coral decline over the past two decades, largely from factors other than predation, may have indeed reached such a depensatory threshold such that predation is exerting undue influence, potentially compromising coral reef resilience.On reefs in the western Atlantic, the dominant framework builder, Acropora palmata, is preyed upon by the corallivorous snail Coralliophila abbreviata. Although disease, storms, and bleaching have largely driven the range-wide decline of A. palmata populations, snail predation is PrePrints recognized as one of the top three threats to the persistence and recovery of these populations (Bruckner 2002;Williams and Miller 2012). In the upper Florida Keys, there has been a 50% decline in A. palmata tissue abundance since 2004. Although the main culprit has been disease, feeding by C. abbreviata accounted for an estimated one-quarter of the observed tissue loss (Williams and Miller 2012). It is unknown whether or not the C. abbreviata population is increasing; however, typical predators of shelled gastropods are grunts, wrasses, trunkfish, triggerfish, and pufferfish (Randall 1967). Therefore it is possible that reduced predation on snails due to overfishing may have increased snail abundance (Burkepile and Hay 2007), though specific data to support this hypothesis are lacking. Regardless, as A. palmata populations decline, snails have been observed to become more concentrated on the remaining A. palmata (Bruckner et al. 1997;Bruckner 2000;Baums et al. 2003a;Williams and Miller 2012) rather than declining themselves,...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Size Frequency/sex Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

Williams

Miller

Bright

et al. 2014

Preprint

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show abstract

“…Unfortunately, we do not have gender ratios for the initial population, but as larger snails are known to be female in this protandrous species (Johnston and Miller 2007), the larger snail sizes of the initial population would be expected to reflect a lesser proportion of males relative to the final population. …”

Section: Size Frequency/sex Ratiosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because this predator has low mobility and a relatively long lifespan (up to 15 years;Johnston and Miller 2007), it may be feasible to locally reduce their abundance to conserve A. palmata. Acropora palmata was listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act (NMFS 2006) and has been proposed for uplisting to endangered (NMFS 2012) based on devastating declines throughout its range.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supplemental Information 1: Dataset

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Corallivorous snail feeding is a common source of tissue loss for the threatened coral Acropora palmata, accounting for roughly one-quarter of tissue loss in monitored study plots over seven years. However, corallivory by Coralliophila abbreviata is one of the few major sources of partial mortality (contrasting with threats such as bleaching, disease, or storm disturbances) that may be locally managed. We conducted a field experiment to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of snail removal. Long-term monitoring plots on six reefs in the upper Florida Keys were assigned to one of three removal treatments: 1) removal from A. palmata only, 2) removal from all host coral species, or 3) no-removal controls. During the initial removal in June 2011, 639 snails were removed from twelve 150 m 2 plots. Snails were removed two additional times during a seven month "removal phase", then counted at five surveys over the next 19 months to track recolonization. At the conclusion, snails were collected, measured, and sexed. Before-After-Control-Impact analysis revealed that both snail abundance and feeding scar prevalence were reduced in removal treatments compared to the control, but there was no difference between removal treatments. Recolonization by snails to baseline abundance is estimated to be 4.3 years and did not differ between removal treatments. Recolonization rate was significantly correlated with baseline snail abundance.

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A window to the past: documenting the status of one of the last remaining ‘megapopulations’ of the threatened staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis in the Dominican Republic

Lirman

Bowden-Kerby

Schopmeyer

et al. 2010

Aquatic Conservation

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ABSTRACT1. Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral) and Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral), once common features of shallow Caribbean reefs observed growing as large stands or thickets, are now found mainly as remnant pockets or isolated colonies at a fraction of their historical areal extent.2. In February 2010, a large, surviving population of A. cervicornis was surveyed at Cabezos del Cayo, Punta Rusia, Dominican Republic to document its present condition and potential threats to its persistence.3. The A. cervicornis surveyed at Cabezos del Cayo provides a rare glimpse of the habitat structure that these keystone components of coral reefs once provided. The staghorn population covers an area of 2 ha and is formed by interlocking skeletons of unusually large and thick A. cervicornis colonies.4. The large size of its colonies (maximum branch length 250 cm; average linear length of live tissue 471 cm; maximum number of branch tips 141 per colony; maximum branch diameter 5 cm) and the complex open canopy of these colonies, have not been described, to our knowledge, in the recent literature.5. The site is within Montecristi National Park but there is no active protection in this area and signs of overfishing are evident based on low fish abundance and complete lack of fish 420 cm in length.6. The stressors associated with this population include significant predation by gastropods and fireworms, overgrowth by macroalgae, damselfish 'gardening' activities, and white band disease.7. The management priority for the staghorn population at Cabezos del Cayo, Dominican Republic, should be to enforce the legal framework that is already in place for the protection of Montecristi National Park, limiting unsustainable and damaging fishing practices, and limiting land-based sources of pollution associated with increasing population numbers and future coastal development.

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Variation in life-history traits of the corallivorous gastropod Coralliophila abbreviata on three coral hosts

Cited by 27 publications

References 29 publications

Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

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A window to the past: documenting the status of one of the last remaining ‘megapopulations’ of the threatened staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis in the Dominican Republic

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