Variation in the structure of epifaunal invertebrate assemblages among coral hosts

Stella, Jessica; Jones, Geoffrey P.; Pratchett, Morgan S.

doi:10.1007/s00338-010-0648-8

Cited by 121 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…All cryptofauna were removed and sorted first by immersing the coral colony in a bucket of freshwater for approximately 1 min, following Stella et al (2010), and then passing the water through a 1-mm sieve. The seawater in which the coral colonies were stored and transported was also sieved.…”

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence of obligate coral-dwelling decapods on dead corals in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean

et al. 2015

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Small and cryptic organisms that live within the interstices of reef habitats contribute greatly to coral reef biodiversity, but are poorly studied. Many species of cryptofauna have seemingly obligate associations with live coral and are therefore considered to be very vulnerable to coral mortality. Here we report the unanticipated prevalence of obligate coral-dwelling decapod crustaceans on dead colonies of branching corals in the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) in the central Indian Ocean. A total of 205 obligate coral-dwelling decapods, including Trapezia crabs, were recorded from 43 (out of 54) dead coral colonies of Acropora and Pocillopora collected across five different atolls. Trapezia individuals found on dead corals were mainly juveniles, and the few adults were almost exclusively male. Among the shrimps (Pontoniinae), however, it was predominantly adult females found on dead corals. Obligate coral-dwelling species that typically occur only on live Pocillopora hosts (e.g., Trapezia spp.) were recorded on dead Acropora. These findings suggests that these obligate coral-dwelling decapods are not simply persisting on coral hosts that have died, but may be explicitly recruiting to or moving to dead coral hosts at certain stages in their life cycle. Variation in the abundance of live coral among sites had no affect on the presence or abundance of obligate coral-dwelling decapods on dead corals. This study shows that habitat associations of obligate coral-dwelling organisms, and their reliance on different habitat types, are complex and further work is required to establish their vulnerability to widespread habitat degradation on coral reefs.

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Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence of obligate coral-dwelling decapods on dead corals in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean

et al. 2015

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“…Cnidarian colonies can support a highly diverse epifaunal community, as has been shown in gorgonian gardens and scleractinian reefs (Stella et al 2010, Carvalho et al 2014. Hydroids are also considered to be a foundation species of littoral communities in temperate habitats (Bavestrello et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Cnidaria, Hydrozoa), a substrate present in both habitats (semi-dark and open). By using the same substrate, we can identify the extent the environment (and not the change of substrate) plays in determining changes in epifaunal composition and biodiversity patterns.Cnidarian colonies can support a highly diverse epifaunal community, as has been shown in gorgonian gardens and scleractinian reefs (Stella et al 2010, Carvalho et al 2014. Hydroids are also considered to be a foundation species of littoral communities in temperate habitats (Bavestrello et al 1996).…”

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confidence: 99%

Mobile epifaunal community in marine caves in comparison to open habitats

et al. 2014

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Mobile epifauna is an essential component of rocky reef ecosystems. In spite of this and the great scientific interest that the study of marine caves has aroused in the last decades, little research has been conducted on the macrofauna associated with animal substrates in submarine caves. This study explores the main differences between marine caves and open habitats in terms of species composition and diversity patterns of epifaunal communities in 4 different shallow marine caves in southern Spain. Colonies of Eudendrium sp., a marine hydroid widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea, were taken from inside and outside each cave, and all associated mobile fauna were sorted and identified. More than 90% of organisms were crustaceans, with Amphipoda as the dominant group. Although the main species did not vary significantly in abundance between open and cave habitats, multivariate analysis carried out for the entire amphipod community showed significant differences between these 2 habitats. nMDS analysis showed that marine cave assemblages were also characterized by a higher degree of individuality, and univariate analysis showed a decrease in Shannon diversity and species richness with distance into the caves, a consistent pattern for all caves studied. Although the possible role of predation pressure in the structure of such assemblages was also discussed, we propose that the absence of plant substrates inside the caves, in conjunction with oligotrophic conditions and low siltation, are the main factors responsible for the impoverishment of the epifaunal community. The near lack of photosynthetic activity reduced the presence of herbivorous species, while the rich detritus-feeder community supported by the animal substrates was limited by the low rate of sedimentation. KEY WORDS: Epifauna · Marine caves · Amphipods · Hydroids · Mediterranean SeaResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Aquat Biol 20: 101-109, 2014 2009, Janssen et al. 2013). However, only a few of these studies have taken into account the epifaunal community inhabiting animal or plant substrates (Ledoyer 1966, True 1970, Scipione et al. 1981. Thus, this type of assemblage remains poorly known, although it is essential to consider this part of the marine cave community in order to understand the behavior of these systems. Epifauna associated with hard-bottom substrates are major contributors to the flux of materials in rocky habitats, providing up to 99% of total secondary productivity, and acting as a prey source for the majority and most productive demersal fishes (Taylor 1998a, Edgar & Aoki 1993. However, they have usually been excluded in trophic models (Taylor 1997).Although a decrease in species richness, diversity and coverage of benthic organisms is a well-known phenomenon in the inner part of marine caves (Zabala et al. 1989, Bussotti et al. 2006, the existence of the same pattern for the epifaunal community has not been tested. The presence of sessile species has a positive effect on ...

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“…Although they have been observed on coral reefs, few sea spider species have been reported in association with coral reef organisms and even more rarely with reef-building corals (Stella et al 2010). In a biodiversity study in 2017, various individuals of Endeis sp.…”

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confidence: 99%

Camouflage of sea spiders (Arthropoda, Pycnogonida) inhabiting Pavona varians

Montano

Maggioni

2017

Coral Reefs

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Despite the controversial phylogenetic position of the Class Pycnogonida, sea spiders account for an enormous diversity of species, inhabiting all benthic marine habitats worldwide. Although they have been observed on coral reefs, few sea spider species have been reported in association with coral reef organisms and even more rarely with reef-building corals (Stella et al. 2010). In a biodiversity study in 2017, various individuals of Endeis sp. were observed on Pavona varians colonies inhabiting the coral reefs surrounding Magoodhoo Island, Maldives. The sea spiders were generally observed dwelling on and between the corallites of P. varians, with each leg overlapping the natural long septa of the coral. Their motionless behaviour rendered them completely undetectable without careful inspection (Fig. 1). The nature of the relationship between the corals and sea spiders on this reef is not clear, although Arango (2001) previously reported feeding behaviour by sea spiders on fire corals. Moreover, sea spiders are also known to be parasitically associated with several organisms, including at least 20 hydrozoan species, in which the gastrovascular cavities of the polyps are used for the development of the pycnogonid protonymphs (Bettim and Haddam 2013). It is likely that Pavona-inhabiting sea spiders, as well as other coral cryptobenthic associates, are commensals, just looking for shelter among corallites or coral tentacles; however, the co-occurrence of coral-associated hydrozoans of the genus Zanclea (Fig. 1a, arrowheads) and egg-carrying individuals on all observed P. varians colonies (Fig. 1c) suggests many possible scenarios. There have been few research efforts investigating small coral-associated invertebrates with extremely successful cryptic strategies, such as these pycnogonids, and it is likely that this has led to the lack of observations regarding this association. To our knowledge, this finding represents the first record of sea spiders observed on reef-building corals in the Indian Ocean and serves to improve the scarce knowledge of coral-associated sea spiders. References

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Variation in the structure of epifaunal invertebrate assemblages among coral hosts

Cited by 121 publications

References 51 publications

High prevalence of obligate coral-dwelling decapods on dead corals in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean

High prevalence of obligate coral-dwelling decapods on dead corals in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean

Mobile epifaunal community in marine caves in comparison to open habitats

Camouflage of sea spiders (Arthropoda, Pycnogonida) inhabiting Pavona varians

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