Colonization patterns of mobile cryptic animals into interstices of coral rubble

Takada, Yoshitake; Abe, Osamu; Shibuno, Takuro

doi:10.3354/meps06935

Cited by 32 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In order to perform quantitative sampling of mobile animals living in the interstices of coral rubble, we used mesh trays (21.5 9 17.5 9 6.0 cm, mesh diameter = 6 mm) filled with coral rubble [12]. Coral rubble was collected near the shallow site.…”

Section: Field and Laboratory Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent study [12] demonstrated that the colonization by mobile organisms of defaunated coral rubble was a rapid process (2-4 weeks), and that defaunated coral rubble in mesh trays can be utilized as a standard device for comparing assemblage compositions in coral reefs. A subsequent study [13] showed that the assemblage composition of cryptic mobile animals in coral rubble could be used as a potential indicator of the intensity of land-based pollution in coral lagoons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the general scarcity of data on species diversity and ecological processes at outer reef slopes has prevented comprehensive estimations of the ecosystem functioning of coral reefs as a whole [17,18]. Previous studies [12,13] have demonstrated assemblage compositions of cryptic mobile animals in coral lagoons around Ishigaki Island, southern Japan. This study, in order to fill a gap in the scientific knowledge regarding outer reefs, focused on variations in the assemblage compositions of coral rubble at an outer reef slope by making use of the mesh tray devised in previous studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coral rubble is one of these bottom habitats, and it is formed by the partial destruction and fragmentation of hermatypic corals and its accumulation by currents and waves [1,2]. Coral rubble habitats have been recognized as an important component of the productivity of coral reefs [3][4][5], because the small interstices in coral rubble are utilized by small mobile organisms as refuges from larger predatory fishes or areas for feeding on microalgae and other smaller organisms [6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variations in cryptic assemblages in coral-rubble interstices at a reef slope in Ishigaki Island, Japan

2011

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The interstices of coral rubble provide a good refuge for cryptic small crustaceans and molluscs, which are important prey items for reef fishes. In this study, we focused on the assemblage composition of cryptic mobile species along the depth gradient at an outer reef slope. Traps with coral rubble (22 9 18 9 6 cm) were set at three sites at different depths, and mobile animals that colonized the traps were sorted. In total, 117 species of larger animals (mainly Decapoda and Gastropoda) were recorded: 71 species at the 3 m point, 53 species at the 11 m point, and 37 species at the 22 m point. On average, 260.3 individuals were captured in the traps at 3 m, while 95.3 and 57.8 individuals were captured at 11 and 22 m, respectively. MDS ordination showed that assemblage composition differed among the three sites. The most abundant species at the 3 m was the galathean crab Galathea mauritiana, followed by the gastropod Diala albugo. At 11 and 22 m, the galathean crab Sadayoshia edwardsii was most abundant. Thus, at the reef slope, the benthic assemblage was most diverse at the shallow site, and specific communities occurred at the three sites.

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Section: Field and Laboratory Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variations in cryptic assemblages in coral-rubble interstices at a reef slope in Ishigaki Island, Japan

2011

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“…The benthic cryptofauna of subtidal reefs has re ceived much less attention than their intertidal counterparts. While destructive sampling appears to be the best option for studying benthic cryptofauna in deeper waters (Barnes 2008, Griffiths et al 2008, the flexibility of SCUBA allows more creative ap proaches, such as the use of mesh trays of coral rubble to create a standardized habitat area (Takada et al 2007). Chapman (2003) found invertebrate as sem blages that developed under artificially placed, uniformly sized sandstone blocks were similar to those under naturally occurring boulders on the same rocky intertidal shore.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic invertebrates on subtidal rocky reefs vary with microhabitat structure and protection from fishing

Alexander¹

2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Emigration patterns of motile cryptofauna and their implications for trophic functioning in coral reefs

Wolfe

Desbiens

Mumby

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Patterns of movement of marine species can reflect strategies of reproduction and dispersal, species' interactions, trophodynamics, and susceptibility to change, and thus critically inform how we manage populations and ecosystems. On coral reefs, the density and diversity of metazoan taxa are greatest in dead coral and rubble, which are suggested to fuel food webs from the bottom up. Yet, biomass and secondary productivity in rubble is predominantly available in some of the smallest individuals, limiting how accessible this energy is to higher trophic levels. We address the bioavailability of motile coral reef cryptofauna based on small-scale patterns of emigration in rubble. We deployed modified RUbble Biodiversity Samplers (RUBS) and emergence traps in a shallow rubble patch at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, to detect community-level differences in the directional influx of motile cryptofauna under five habitat accessibility regimes. The mean density (0.13-4.5 ind cm −3 ) and biomass (0.14-5.2 mg cm −3 ) of cryptofauna were high and varied depending on microhabitat accessibility. Emergent zooplankton represented a distinct community (dominated by the Appendicularia and Calanoida) with the lowest density and biomass, indicating constraints on nocturnal resource availability. Mean cryptofauna density and biomass were greatest when interstitial access within rubble was blocked, driven by the rapid proliferation of small harpacticoid copepods from the rubble surface, leading to trophic simplification. Individuals with high biomass (e.g., decapods, gobies, and echinoderms) were greatest when interstitial access within rubble was unrestricted.Treatments with a closed rubble surface did not differ from those completely open, suggesting that top-down predation does not diminish rubble-derived resources. Our results show that conspecific cues and species' interactions (e.g., competition and predation) within rubble are most critical in shaping ecological outcomes within the cryptobiome. These findings have implications for prey accessibility through trophic and community size structuring in rubble, which may become increasingly relevant as benthic reef complexity shifts in the Anthropocene.

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Colonization patterns of mobile cryptic animals into interstices of coral rubble

Cited by 32 publications

References 26 publications

Variations in cryptic assemblages in coral-rubble interstices at a reef slope in Ishigaki Island, Japan

Variations in cryptic assemblages in coral-rubble interstices at a reef slope in Ishigaki Island, Japan

Cryptic invertebrates on subtidal rocky reefs vary with microhabitat structure and protection from fishing

Emigration patterns of motile cryptofauna and their implications for trophic functioning in coral reefs

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