Dublin Core
Title
Diversity of Coral-Associated Fauna II
Subject
coral reef; cryptofauna; sponges; hydrozoa; Aplysina; prevalence; symbiosis, Ocean
Description
Coral reefs are known to be among the most biodiverse marine ecosystems and one of the
richest in terms of associations and species interactions, especially those involving invertebrates such
as corals and sponges. Despite that, our knowledge about cryptic fauna and their ecological role
remains remarkably scarce. This study aimed to address this gap by defining for the first time the
spatial ecology of the association between the epibiont hydrozoan Nemalecium lighti and the Porifera
community of shallow coral reef systems at Bonaire. In particular, the host range, prevalence, and
distribution of the association were examined in relation to different sites, depths, and dimensions of
the sponge hosts. We report Nemalecium lighti to be in association with 9 out of 16 genera of sponges
encountered and 15 out of 16 of the dive sites examined. The prevalence of the hydroid–sponge
association in Bonaire reef was 6.55%, with a maximum value of over 30%. This hydrozoan has been
found to be a generalist symbiont, displaying a strong preference for sponges of the genus Aplysina,
with no significant preference in relation to depth. On the contrary, the size of the host appeared to
influence the prevalence of association, with large tubular sponges found to be the preferred host.
Although further studies are needed to better understand the biological and ecological reason for
these results, this study improved our knowledge of Bonaire’s coral reef cryptofauna diversity and
its interspecific associations.
richest in terms of associations and species interactions, especially those involving invertebrates such
as corals and sponges. Despite that, our knowledge about cryptic fauna and their ecological role
remains remarkably scarce. This study aimed to address this gap by defining for the first time the
spatial ecology of the association between the epibiont hydrozoan Nemalecium lighti and the Porifera
community of shallow coral reef systems at Bonaire. In particular, the host range, prevalence, and
distribution of the association were examined in relation to different sites, depths, and dimensions of
the sponge hosts. We report Nemalecium lighti to be in association with 9 out of 16 genera of sponges
encountered and 15 out of 16 of the dive sites examined. The prevalence of the hydroid–sponge
association in Bonaire reef was 6.55%, with a maximum value of over 30%. This hydrozoan has been
found to be a generalist symbiont, displaying a strong preference for sponges of the genus Aplysina,
with no significant preference in relation to depth. On the contrary, the size of the host appeared to
influence the prevalence of association, with large tubular sponges found to be the preferred host.
Although further studies are needed to better understand the biological and ecological reason for
these results, this study improved our knowledge of Bonaire’s coral reef cryptofauna diversity and
its interspecific associations.
Creator
Editor
Simone Montano
Simone Montano
Source
https://www.mdpi.com/books/book/6245-diversity-of-coral-associated-fauna-ii
Publisher
MDPI
Date
2022
Contributor
Jadik Wijayanto
Rights
The book as a whole is distributed by MDPI under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons
license CC BY-NC-ND.
license CC BY-NC-ND.
Relation
https://www.mdpi.com
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Textbooks
Identifier
ISBN 978-3-0365-5543-0 (Hbk)
ISBN 978-3-0365-5544-7 (PDF)
ISBN 978-3-0365-5544-7 (PDF)
Coverage
St. Alban-Anlage 66
4052 Basel, Switzerland
4052 Basel, Switzerland