Bivalve Assemblages on Living Coral Species in the Northern Red Sea, Egypt

Mohammed, Tarek A.; Yassien, Mohamed H.

doi:10.2983/0730-8000-27.5.1217

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We found that filter feeders, such as bivalves and polychaetes, dominate high temperature and turbid marine lakes. Our results align with various studies that have shown that degraded reefs under eutrophic settings can have a high abundance of coral-associated bivalves and polychaetes ( Chazottes et al, 2002 ; Hutchings & Peyrot-Clausade, 2002 ; Mohammed & Yassien, 2008 ; Hoeksema et al, 2022 ). Tubeworms have been seen to form associations with hard corals and sponges, exhibiting increased abundance in environments characterized by turbidity, increased exposure, and eutrophic and harsh conditions ( Ben-Eliahu, Safriel & Ben-Tuvia, 1988 ; Schwindt, Bortolus & Iribarne, 2001 ; Hutchings & Peyrot-Clausade, 2002 ; Hoeksema et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Shifts in dominance of benthic communities along a gradient of water temperature and turbidity in tropical coastal ecosystems

Aji,

Maas,

Capriati

et al. 2024

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tropical coastal benthic communities will change in species composition and relative dominance due to global (e.g., increasing water temperature) and local (e.g., increasing terrestrial influence due to land-based activity) stressors. This study aimed to gain insight into possible trajectories of coastal benthic assemblages in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, by studying coral reefs at varying distances from human activities and marine lakes with high turbidity in three temperature categories (<31 °C, 31–32 °C, and >32 °C). The benthic community diversity and relative coverage of major benthic groups were quantified via replicate photo transects. The composition of benthic assemblages varied significantly among the reef and marine lake habitats. The marine lakes <31 °C contained hard coral, crustose coralline algae (CCA), and turf algae with coverages similar to those found in the coral reefs (17.4–18.8% hard coral, 3.5–26.3% CCA, and 15–15.5% turf algae, respectively), while the higher temperature marine lakes (31–32 °C and >32 °C) did not harbor hard coral or CCA. Benthic composition in the reefs was significantly influenced by geographic distance among sites but not by human activity or depth. Benthic composition in the marine lakes appeared to be structured by temperature, salinity, and degree of connection to the adjacent sea. Our results suggest that beyond a certain temperature (>31 °C), benthic communities shift away from coral dominance, but new outcomes of assemblages can be highly distinct, with a possible varied dominance of macroalgae, benthic cyanobacterial mats, or filter feeders such as bivalves and tubeworms. This study illustrates the possible use of marine lake model systems to gain insight into shifts in the benthic community structure of tropical coastal ecosystems if hard corals are no longer dominant.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Shifts in dominance of benthic communities along a gradient of water temperature and turbidity in tropical coastal ecosystems

Aji,

Maas,

Capriati

et al. 2024

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For a better understanding of the host specificity of coral-associated boring mussels, more research is needed on the host selection during settlement of their larvae, like in earlier studies on Indo-Pacific Lithophaginae [31,60,61], some coral barnacles [62,63], and Christmas tree worms [64,65]. The present findings may stimulate future studies on borehole orifices in the Indo-Pacific, where more species of coral-dwelling Lithophaginae and host-coral species occur than in the Atlantic [32,[66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]. Molecular techniques are available [2,18,73,76] to study the host specificity of coral-dwelling Lithophaginae on coral reefs in both the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific.…”

mentioning

confidence: 77%

Black Mantle Tissue of Endolithic Mussels (Leiosolenus spp.) Is Cloaking Borehole Orifices in Caribbean Reef Corals

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bioerosion caused by boring mussels (Mytilidae: Lithophaginae) can negatively impact coral reef health. During biodiversity surveys of coral-associated fauna in Curaçao (southern Caribbean), morphological variation in mussel boreholes was studied. Borings were found in 22 coral species, 12 of which represented new host records. Dead corals usually showed twin siphon openings, for each mussel shaped like a figure of eight, which were lined with a calcareous sheath and protruded as tubes from the substrate surface. Most openings surrounded by live coral tissue were deeper and funnel-shaped, with outlines resembling dumbbells, keyholes, ovals or irregular ink blotches. The boreholes appeared to contain black siphon and mantle tissue of the mussel. Because of the black color and the hidden borehole opening in live host corals, the mantle tissue appeared to mimic dark, empty holes, while they were actually cloaking live coral tissue around the hole, which is a new discovery. By illustrating the morphological range of borehole orifices, we aim to facilitate the easy detection of boring mussels for future research.

show abstract

“…However, we did not perform gonad biopsies due to logistic limitations and further investigations are needed to verify clam age. Mohammed and Yassien (2008) reported that high coral cover plays a major role in the bivalve assemblages in the Red Sea, it is however, the opposite for T. squamosina. All individuals were found free-living on the sandy-rubble flats with extremely low coral cover (i.e., ∼5%, see Anton et al, 2020), supporting the hypothesis that this species might have overcome the competitive advantages of its sympatric congeners by inhabiting shallow areas with low coral cover.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogeographic Analysis Suggests a Recent Population Bottleneck in the Rare Red Sea Tridacna squamosina

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Giant clams are an important ecological component of coral reefs in the Red Sea, as they enhance the reef’s productivity and provide habitat that can increase diversity. Three species of giant clams, namely Tridacna maxima, T. squamosa, and T. squamosina have been described within the Red Sea. However, due to its scarcity, information about the distribution and ecology of T. squamosina in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea is still lacking. This study used DNA barcoding to confirm the identity of the rare T. squamosina in the Farasan Banks. Six mtCOI fragments (500 bp) of T. squamosina were successfully amplified using the SQUA-primers for the first time. We used our data along with 18 reference sequences (16S) from the online database to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of T. squamosina. Low genetic diversity among the T. squamosina populations inferred from the 16S sequences implies a recent bottleneck for this species, which is supported by their historically higher diversity based on the coalescent-based estimator. Given the small population abundance and limited genetic variation of T. squamosina, it may warrant immediate local protections such as biobanking and fertility preservation programs as well as effective integrated coastal zone management plans.

show abstract

Bivalve Assemblages on Living Coral Species in the Northern Red Sea, Egypt

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Shifts in dominance of benthic communities along a gradient of water temperature and turbidity in tropical coastal ecosystems

Shifts in dominance of benthic communities along a gradient of water temperature and turbidity in tropical coastal ecosystems

Black Mantle Tissue of Endolithic Mussels (Leiosolenus spp.) Is Cloaking Borehole Orifices in Caribbean Reef Corals

Phylogeographic Analysis Suggests a Recent Population Bottleneck in the Rare Red Sea Tridacna squamosina

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About