Variability in growth rates of long-lived black coral Leiopathes sp. from the Azores

Abstract

Five colonies of black coral Leiopathes sp. were collected as bycatch from depths of 293 to 366 m from the Condor, Açor, and Voador seamounts (Azores region). The colonies had axial diameters between 4.9 and 33.1 mm and heights between 43 and 175 cm. Their ages and radial growth rates were estimated using radiocarbon dating. Results indicated that the smallest and largest colonies had similar radial growth rates of 5 to 7 µm yr −1 , whereas the other 3 colonies had grown more rapidly by a factor of 3 to 5 at ~20 to 30 µm yr −1. Colony lifespan ranged between 265 ± 90 and 2320 ± 90 yr. Fine-scale sampling along a radial transect from the edge to the center of the 2320 yr old Leiopathes sp. revealed variable growth rates throughout the colony lifespan. Slower radial growth rates of ~4 to 5 µm yr −1 were recorded over the initial 1600 yr and the last 300 yr of its life span, and a period of more rapid growth (20 µm yr −1 ) over the intermediate 400 yr of its life. Variability in radial growth rates among colonies resulted in colony ages that were not linearly correlated to colony axis diameter or height. Our findings of great longevity and slow growth rates for Leiopathes sp. agree with other Leiopathes sp. age and growth studies, indicating that colony and population recovery from damage or removal may take centuries to millennia. KEY WORDS: Antipatharia · Cold-water corals · Deep-sea · Growth · Longevity · Radiocarbon · Northeast AtlanticResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher OPEN PEN

Diversity, distribution and spatial structure of the cold-water coral fauna of the Azores (NE Atlantic)

“…The geographical and bathymetric structure of coral assemblages was investigated using multivariate analysis with the software package PRIMER-E v.6.1.6 (Clarke and Gorley, 2006). Records were assigned to a specific geomorphic feature (oceanic island or seamount) whenever their position was on that feature (verified using GIS) or, if sampling coordinates were missing, when there was specific mention of the feature name.…”

“…Since this campaign new species records have been described: Scyphopodium ingolfi (Bayer, 1981), Azoriella bayeri (López-González and Gili, 2001), Alcyonium profundum (Stokvis and van Ofwegen, 2006), Corallium niobe (Sampaio et al, 2009) and Antipathella subpinnata (de Matos et al, 2013). Video surveys conducted in the Azores showed evidence of rich coral communities; however, these did not document new records or describe new species (e.g.…”

“…Sherwood and Edinger, 2009;Roark et al, 2009;Carreiro-Silva et al, 2013) and their important role as structural elements that enhance habitat complexity and heterogeneity (FAO, 2009;Buhl-Mortensen et al, 2010;OSPAR, 2010;Auster et al, 2011). Widely distributed throughout the world's oceans, they can be found on continental shelves and margins, edges and slopes of oceanic islands, seamounts, canyons and ridges (e.g.…”

New species of Heteropathes (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) expands genus distribution to the NE Atlantic

“…Antipatharians are colonial hexacorals reported to present longevities ranging from decades to millennia (Carreiro-Silva et al 2013;Love et al 2007;Roark et al 2009), and occurring between 20 and 5440 m (Gravier 1921;Braga-Henriques et al 2013) in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. This taxon was generally assumed to be azooxanthellate, due to a preference for low-light environments that do not allow photosynthesis, but recently, several species occurring at up to 396 m of depth were shown to associate with Symbiodinium (Bo et al 2011;Wagner et al 2011).…”

Description of a new species of Leiopathes (Antipatharia: Leiopathidae) from the Hawaiian Islands

“…In addition to the described Leiopathes fauna, several undescribed and unidentified Leiopathes spp. have been reported from around the globe, including from the coasts off Chile (Häussermann & Försterra 2007;Yañez et al 2009), the southeastern United States (Fernholm & Quattrini 2008;Ross & Quattrini 2009;Brugler et al 2013), eastern Canada (Murillo et al 2010), Ireland (Roberts et al 2006;Wienberg et al 2008;Le Guilloux et al 2010), Saint Paul Island (Guerriero et al 1988), Azores (Carreiro-Silva et al 2013), New Zealand (Cairns et al 2009) and Hawai'i (Parrish & Baco 2007;Baco 2007;Brugler et al 2013;this report) (Fig. 7).…”