Gorgonian Corals

Sánchez, Juan A.; Dueñas, Luisa F.; Rowley, Sonia J.; González-Zapata, Fanny L.; Vergara, Diana Carolina; Montaño-Salazar, Sandra M.; Calixto-Botía, Iván; Gómez, Carlos E.; Abeytia, Rosalinda; Colin, Patrick L.; Cordeiro, Ralf T. S.; Pérez, Carlos Daniel

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92735-0_39

Cited by 22 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 117 publications

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“…and Eunicea spp., some of them previously recorded at similar depths in the windward reefs of the island (Sánchez et al, 2019a). The colonization of shallow-water coral species into deeper zones in SAI can be explained by a high light penetration that reaches deep areas in this insular region, which could be promoting an ecological divergence in some species according to Sánchez et al (2019b). Several octocorals and black coral species which are usually common in Caribbean MCE like Ellisella schmitti, E. elongata (including the synonymous E. barbadensis), Nicella goreaui, Nicella sp., and the unbranched black corals Stichopathes luetkeni and S. occidentalis, were also common below 50 m depth in Nirvana, where shallow-water coral species (e.g., Antillogorgia spp.)…”

Section: Dataset Outcomes and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

2020

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Section: Dataset Outcomes and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

2020

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“…Other octocorals, such as the soft coral species of the Red Sea, have also shown resistance to high pCO 2 values due to the protective properties of their tissues (Gabay et al, 2013(Gabay et al, , 2014. In short, octocorals, due to their resistance to bleaching and acidification, together with a heterothrophic feeding strategy in most Caribbean species (Baker et al, 2015;Sánchez et al, 2019), should be included in the list of climate change/human footprint survivors. Yet, these organisms have been rarely considered as reef-building corals, although a large colony can contribute as much calcium carbonate, at its holdfast, as a small scleractinian coral species (Kocurko, 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Steady Decline of Corals and Other Benthic Organisms in the SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve (Southwestern Caribbean)

et al. 2019

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Coral reef decline persists as a global issue with ties to climate change and human footprint. The SeaFlower Biosphere reserve includes some of the most isolated oceanic coral reefs in the Southwestern Caribbean, which provide natural experiments to test global and/or basin-wide factors affecting coral reefs. In this study, we compared coral and other substrate cover (algae, cyanobacteria, and octocorals), along population densities of keystone urchin species from two atolls (Serrana and Roncador Banks), during 1995, 2003, and 2015/2016. We also surveyed benthic foraminifera as a water quality proxy for coral growth in the last period. A steady reduction in coral cover was clearly observed at Roncador's lagoon, but not at Serrana's reefs, with significant differences between 1995 and 2015/2016. Percent cover of fleshy algae decreased significantly also at Roncador between 1995 and 2003 but did not change notably from 1995 to 2016 at Serrana. However, both Banks exhibited a loss in crustose coralline algae from 2003 to 2015/2016. Likewise, a reduction in bottom complexity, measured as bottom rugosity, was evident between 1995 and 2003. Roncador Bank had unprecedented high octocoral densities, which increased almost threefold from 2003 to 2015. In contrast, urchin densities were low in Roncador; only Diadema antillarum increased from 2003 to 2016 in Serrana Bank. The Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FORAM) Index (FI) in the two Banks was below the range expected for healthy coral reefs. Although both Banks follow a reduction in CCA and CA cover, Roncador Bank also faces an alarming decline in coral cover, urchins and bottom complexity (rugosity) in contrast to increases in octocoral densities and potential loss of resilience and eutrophication suggested by the FI index. These unexpected findings led us to consider and discuss potential outcomes, where these reefs deteriorate (i.e., erode and drown) providing ideal conditions for octocoral growth. Hence, it is of utmost urgency to start monitoring reef budgets, octocorals and nutrient sources.

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“…They can facilitate larval settlement (Ponti et al, 2014;Privitera-Johnson et al, 2015), and enhance sponge growth (Mercado-Molina et al, 2018), possibly by altering their hydrodynamic environment (Gili and Coma, 1998). Moreover, gorgonians provide significant structure and function to shallow (1-30 m) and deeper (30-100 m) coral reefs throughout the Caribbean Basin (Tsounis et al, 2018;Sánchez et al, 2019;Lasker et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sponge biomass and density increase dramatically within these MCEs (Slattery and Lesser, 2012;, and there is a clear demarcation between the transitional communities of the upper mesophotic (∼30-60 m) and the endemic communities of the lower mesophotic (∼61-150 m) (Lesser et al, 2019). While sponges dominate many MCE communities (Pomponi et al, 2019), other taxa, including gorgonian corals, also co-occur at high densities at these depths (Sánchez et al, 2019). Here we examine the ecological roles of the dominant species of Caribbean MCEs (i.e., sponges and gorgonians), and assess the relationships between these species through strong positive and negative interactions (i.e., facilitation and competition, respectively).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gorgonians Are Foundation Species on Sponge-Dominated Mesophotic Coral Reefs in the Caribbean

Slattery

Lesser

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Foundation species (FS) regulate ecological processes within communities often facilitating biodiversity and habitat complexity. Typically FS are dominant structure-forming taxa; but less dominant taxa having disproportionate ecological impacts to the community can also be FS. Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are deep coral reef (∼30–150 m) communities, often dominated by emergent sponges in the Caribbean Basin. Despite the potential competitive advantage of sponges on MCEs, gorgonians are also common constituents of these reefs. Data from the Bahamas demonstrate increased biodiversity and densities of sponges on mesophotic reefs with gorgonians relative to reefs without these species. Drawing upon fifteen years of field surveys at five sites in the Caribbean Basin we assessed in situ interactions between gorgonians and sponges to quantify outcomes consistent with competition (i.e., tissue necrosis and overgrowth). Gorgonians were effective competitors against a variety of sponges, and two allelochemicals produced by Ellisella elongata were mechanistically important in interactions with Agelas clathrodes. We also examined invertebrate recruitment patterns near gorgonians to assess their role in facilitating MCE biodiversity. Our results indicate that live gorgonians, Antillogorgia bipinnata and E. elongata, facilitate biodiverse recruitment into MCEs, indicating that this process is governed by more than passive hydrodynamics. Collectively, these data indicate that these gorgonians exhibit both positive and negative ecological interactions (i.e., facilitation and competition, respectively) with sponges, and other taxa. Thus, these gorgonians are FS of MCE communities within the Caribbean Basin that display several traits contributing to the ecological structure of these understudied communities.

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Gorgonian Corals

Cited by 22 publications

References 117 publications

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve

Steady Decline of Corals and Other Benthic Organisms in the SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve (Southwestern Caribbean)

Gorgonians Are Foundation Species on Sponge-Dominated Mesophotic Coral Reefs in the Caribbean

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