Can sponge morphologies act as environmental proxies to biophysical factors in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia?

George, Anita; Brodie, Jon; Daniell, James; Capper, Angela; Jonker, Michelle

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.06.016

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…As regards the role of hydrography, Bell and Barnes (2000) have shown that massive and encrusting sponge morphotypes were more abundant at high-flow areas in the sublittoral zone, due to a high basal area to volume ratio which decreases removal from the substrates; on the contrary, pedunculate, papillate and arborescent morphotypes were more abundant at the low flow areas as these morphotypes may prevent sedimentation on sponges (see also Ginn et al, 2000;Bell et al, 2002;George et al, 2018). Bell and Barnes (2000) also showed that diversity of sponge morphotypes decreased with increasing flow due to the removal of delicate morphotypes.…”

Section: Richness and Diversity Of Sponge Morphotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of Deep-Sea Sponge Aggregations in an Area of Multisectoral Activities and Changing Oceanic Conditions

et al. 2019

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Discovery and understanding of fragile deep-sea habitats like sponge aggregations, are being outpaced by anthropogenic resource exploitation. Sustainable ocean development in the Faroe-Shetland Channel Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (FSC NCMPA; northeast Atlantic), which harbors sponge aggregations, now requires adaptive management in the face of encroachment of multisectorial activities in this area (e.g., fishing, oil and gas, shipping) and climate change. We examined sponge morphotype composition, richness, diversity, density and body-size distribution inside and outside the FSC NCMPA, and the role of environmental variability and human impact in these sponge aggregations. Analyses were based on the examination of 465 high resolution images from 13 towed-camera transects. A catalog for regional sponge morphotypes was also developed and applied for these analyses. Analysis revealed that morphotype composition did not differ between inside and outside the FSC NCMPA but richness, diversity and densities of massive/spherical/papillate and flabellate/caliculate sponges were higher inside than outside the boundary. The sponge aggregations occurred within a narrow zone between 450 and 530 m depth, within relatively warm and saline water masses. Furthermore, multiple size cohorts of sponges were recorded inside the FSC NCMPA, in contrast to the single cohort outside. Distance-based linear modeling showed that demersal fisheries, substratum, salinity and temperature explained a statistically-significant amount of variation (48%, p < 0.001) of sponge density across the study area. Findings on density and size cohorts suggest that the FSC NCMPA boundary currently encloses the most vulnerable area, which also demonstrates normal ecosystem functions (e.g., recruitment). However, sponges were constrained to a narrow environmental niche shaped by fisheries and interactions of FSC NCMPA water masses with the slope that in turn likely determine, food supply to the sponge aggregations. Our study illustrated the vulnerability of the FSC NCMPA sponge aggregations to fisheries and changes to water mass properties over time. The morphotype catalog and suite of indicators (i.e., density and body-size Frontiers in Marine Science | www.frontiersin.org 1 April 2019 | Volume 6 | Article 163 Kazanidis et al. Monitoring Deep-Sea Sponge Aggregations distribution) allow for baseline and future assessments of anthropogenic and climate change impacts on sponge aggregations' environmental status in the FSC NCMPA, thus guiding management as sectoral encroachment continues in this area.

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Section: Richness and Diversity Of Sponge Morphotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of Deep-Sea Sponge Aggregations in an Area of Multisectoral Activities and Changing Oceanic Conditions

et al. 2019

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“…In this case, depending on the type of skeleton, species with a relatively high proportion of spicules such as M. ramulosa and H. caerulea may be more fragile than those contain spongins because they are less flexible (Wulff 1995;Ávila and Carballo 2004;Vega 2002Vega in Ávila et al 2011. Moreover, a study of biophysical factors on sponge morphologies suggests that increased wave height can change an upright sponge's shape to encrusting due to wave pressure (George et al 2018). This study found that X. vansoesti was almost encrusting rather than branching, enabling the sponge to have minimal friction against water current (Figure 7.A).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sponge community (Porifera) in coral reef ecosystem in Sabang, Aceh Province, Indonesia

2021

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Abstract. Aulia ED, Hadi TA, Utama RS. 2021. Sponge community (Porifera) in coral reef ecosystem in Sabang, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3394-3402. Sponges are one of the most influential benthic organisms in coral reef ecosystems. Many studies about sponge communities have been carried out globally, from tropical to temperate regions. In Indonesia, however, sponge communities have not been adequately observed, especially their diversity and interaction with habitats. Sabang, a developing city located in the northwest of Indonesia, has a lack of information about benthic communities and no reports about sponges. This study investigated the sponge community (species richness, coverage, and morphological characters) and the interactions, both within sponges and with corals and substrates, in Sabang. The study found that the sponge richness (species and morphology) and coverage are categorized as poor, having only 24 species with seven morphologies, and coverage of 1.79 ± 1.03% (SE). The interaction analyses showed significant relationships occur among sponge variables but not between sponges and corals, nor between sponges and their substrates. These results could be attributed to the hydrodynamic-related stresses in Sabang, which are likely influenced by exposure to the open ocean, a condition that is less favorable to diversity and interaction. It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of benthic communities in Sabang in order to better understand their stable state and detect any change over time.

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“…This study reported that over 70% of the sponges occurring at these locations (Kenya, Mozambique and Madagascar) were encrusting, followed by massive (17.7%) and then upright forms (11.7%). Morphological information from Tropical Australia was obtained for three locations (Wilkinson & Cheshire, 1989; Schönberg & Fromont, 2012; George et al ., 2018). Combined information from these locations showed that 44.4% of sponges in this bioregion were encrusting species, followed by upright forms (36.3%).…”

Section: Global Variation In Sponge Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interocean patterns in shallow water sponge assemblage structure and function

et al. 2020

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Sponges are a major component of benthic ecosystems across the world and fulfil a number of important functional roles. However, despite their importance, there have been few attempts to compare sponge assemblage structure and ecological functions across large spatial scales. In this review, we examine commonalities and differences between shallow water (<100 m) sponges at bioregional (15 bioregions) and macroregional (tropical, Mediterranean, temperate, and polar) scales, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of sponge ecology. Patterns of sponge abundance (based on density and area occupied) were highly variable, with an average benthic cover between ~1 and 30%. Sponges were generally found to occupy more space (percentage cover) in the Mediterranean and polar macroregions, compared to temperate and tropical macroregions, although sponge densities (sponges m–2) were highest in temperate bioregions. Mean species richness standardised by sampling area was similar across all bioregions, except for a few locations that supported very high small‐scale biodiversity concentrations. Encrusting growth forms were generally the dominant sponge morphology, with the exception of the Tropical West Atlantic, where upright forms dominated. Annelids and Arthropods were the most commonly reported macrofauna associated with sponges across bioregions. With respect to reproduction, there were no patterns in gametic development (hermaphroditism versus gonochorism), although temperate, tropical, and polar macroregions had an increasingly higher percentage of viviparous species, respectively, with viviparity being the sole gamete development mechanism reported for polar sponges to date. Seasonal reproductive timing was the most common in all bioregions, but continuous timing was more common in the Mediterranean and tropical bioregions compared to polar and temperate bioregions. We found little variation across bioregions in larval size, and the dominant larval type across the globe was parenchymella. No pattens among bioregions were found in the limited information available for standardised respiration and pumping rates. Many organisms were found to predate sponges, with the abundance of sponge predators being higher in tropical systems. While there is some evidence to support a higher overall proportion of phototrophic species in the Tropical Austalian bioregion compared to the Western Atlantic, both also have large numbers of heterotrophic species. Sponges are important spatial competitors across all bioregions, most commonly being reported to interact with anthozoans and algae. Even though the available information was limited for many bioregions, our analyses demonstrate some differences in sponge traits and functions among bioregions, and among macroregions. However, we also identified similarities in sponge assemblage structure and function at global scales, likely reflecting a combination of regional‐ and local‐scale biological and physical processes affecting sponge assemblages, along with common ancestry. Fi...

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Can sponge morphologies act as environmental proxies to biophysical factors in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia?

Cited by 8 publications

References 39 publications

Distribution of Deep-Sea Sponge Aggregations in an Area of Multisectoral Activities and Changing Oceanic Conditions

Distribution of Deep-Sea Sponge Aggregations in an Area of Multisectoral Activities and Changing Oceanic Conditions

Sponge community (Porifera) in coral reef ecosystem in Sabang, Aceh Province, Indonesia

Interocean patterns in shallow water sponge assemblage structure and function

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