DOCSLIB.ORG

Feeding Habits of <I>Oreaster Reticulatus</I>

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Feeding Habits of <I>Oreaster Reticulatus</I> BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, 32(2): 504-510, 1982 FEEDING HABITS OF OREASTER RETICULATUS (ECHINODERMATA: ASTEROIDEA) R. E. Scheibling ABSTRACT In situ feeding observations among eight populations in various grassbed and sand-bottom habitats in the Grenadines and off St. Croix. U.S. Virgin Islands indicate that Oreaster reticulatus is primarily an omnivorous. microphagous substratum grazer. It extrudes its extensive cardiac stomach upon seagrass. sand, and/or algal substrates and ingests associated micro-organisms and particulate detritus. O. reticulatus also functions as an opportunistic predator and scavenger of any available slow-moving, sessile or moribund macrofauna and is occasionally cannibalistic. The feeding habits of O. reticulatus may be exemplary of tropical, shallow-water asteroids in general. Oreaster reticulatus (Linnaeus) is an abundant and conspicuous inhabitant of seagrass and sand bottoms in the Caribbean (Scheibling, 1980a,b). However, published information on its feeding biology is limited. A few incidental obser- vations and circumstantial evidence have led to divergent conclusions: O. reti- culatus typically digests microscopic organic material upon the substratum but occasionally feeds on sponges (Thomas, 1960); it preys upon the urchin Meoma ventricosa (Kier and Grant, 1965); and, based on anatomical specialization of the gut, it functions as a suspension feeder (Anderson, 1978). Anderson (1978) has expressed the need that "studies soon be made on the feeding biology of Oreaster reticulatus, to supplement incidental observations, and to determine the validity of conclusions that can now be only inferred from considerations of the anatomy of the digestive system." This study surveys the feeding habits of Oreaster reticulatus in situ in several populations from various habitats in the Carribbean. Microphagous substratum grazing and macrophagous predation and scavenging are examined as alternate feeding modes in relation to anatomical specializations of the digestive tract and food availability. MATERIALS AND METHODS In situ observations of feeding in Oreaster reticulatus were conducted among populations in grassbed habitats (Hillsborough Bay and L'Esterre Bay, Carriacou Island, and Chatham Bay, Union Island, Grenadines) and in sand-bottom habitats (Watering Bay and Manchioneal Bay, Carriacou Island, and Buck Island Channel, Coakley Bay and Horseshoe Patch, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) by overturning individuals and noting the type of substratum or macroscopic prey encompassed by the broadly extended stomach. O. reticu/atus were sampled systematically in transect surveys (Schei- bling, 1980a,b) or as encountered in unidirectional traverses of a study site. Ingested particulate organic matter was collected from the stomachs of individual Oreaster reti- cu/atus feeding upon sand substrata in Buck Island Channel and Horseshoe Patch. The asteroids were overturned rapidly and the nozzle of a 50-ml syringe was inserted into the closing mouth. (Disturbance evokes retraction of the stomach and closure of the mouth and ambulacral grooves within 3-5 sec.) With the syringe clamped by the mouth, a 10-ml sample of seawater, entrapped within the lobes of the cardiac stomach during retraction, was withdrawn. Ten samples (different individuals) were pooled for each study site and centrifuged for 15 min in a Sorvol high-speed cen- trifuge; the particulate residue was examined microscopically. The density of sea urchin prey of Oreaster reticu/atus was measured concurrently with that of the asteroid. In Chatham Bay, Tripneustes ventricosus were enumerated in 32, 25-m2 quadrats placed at 25-m intervals along 8, IOQ-m long transects (Scheibling, 1980a). In Horseshoe Patch, Meoma ventricosa were enumerated in 28, 10-m diam. circular census stations (Scheibling, I980b). In 504 SCHE1BLlNG: FEEDING HABITS OF OREASTER RETICULATUS 505 Hillsborough Bay, a 16-m2 wire mesh enclosure was set in the Ha/odu/e wrightii zone (Scheibling, 1980a) and stocked with 20 O. reticu/atus and 20 T. ventricosus. The predation of T. ventricosus by O. reticu/atus in the enclosure was monitored for 3 days. Asteroids that escaped and urchins that were preyed upon were replaced daily. RESULTS The summary of 10,328 in situ observations of feeding in Oreaster reticulatus from three populations in grassbed habitats and five populations in sand-bottom habitats is given in Table I. Feeding is divided into two basic types: (I) substratum grazing, in which the cardiac stomach is everted upon the substratum and func- tions as a microphagous feeding organ, and (2) predation and scavenging, in which the stomach envelops macrofaunal prey or carrion. Substratum grazing is sub- divided according to the predominant substratum type (e.g., sand, seagrass, al- gae). Microphagous substratum grazing is the primary feeding type of O. reti- culatus in nature, accounting for 99-100% of all feeding observations in 7 of the 8 populations studied and 90% in the remaining one (Chatham Bay). Substratum Grazing.-In grassbed habitats, Oreaster reticulatus fed prefer- entially upon Halodule wrightii (Table 1 and Scheibling, 1980a). Grassblades were clustered beneath the disc by the tube feet and enveloped by the everted cardiac stomach. Degradation of the blades was not discernible, indicating that O. reticulatus was probably digesting epiphytic micro-organisms, filamentous algae, and particulate detritus associated with H. wrightii and not the seagrass per se. Dense mats of filamentous green algae (Chaetomorpha, Enteromorpha) were intensively grazed by O. reticulatus during periodic blooms (2-3 mo inter- vals). These mats covered from 50-75% of the bottom and harbored abundant micro-organisms and detritus. O. reticulatus fed upon bare carbonate sand in pockets amid the beds of Halodule wrightii, in an inshore sandy zone (Hillsbor- ough Bay and L'Esterre Bay), and in patches of sparse Thalassia testudinum (Chatham Bay). Infrequently, O. reticulatus everted its stomach upon clusters of dead, detached blades of T. tesludinum ("Other Substratum Grazing" in Table I) that had collected in the sand pockets, probably to digest films of bacteria and other micro-organisms on the surface of the litter. In sand-bottom habitats, Oreasler reticulatus fed almost exclusively upon the bare sand substratum (Table 1). The carbonate surface sediments were raked by the tube feet (in the same manner as grassblades) to form a low mound beneath the disc upon which the cardiac stomach was everted (Scheibling, 1980d). Stomachs of feeding individuals in Buck Island Channel and Horseshoe Patch contained an array of particulate organic matter including: numerous dia- toms; dinoflagellates, foraminifera and other protozoans; filaments of green and bluegreen algae; meiofaunal crustaceans (e.g., harpactacoid copepods, ostra- cods, crab larvae), polychaetes, nematodes; and bacterio-detrital aggregates. O. reticulatus was infrequently observed with its stomach everted upon seagrass (Syringodiumfiliforme) or red macroalgae (Lophocladia trichoclados, Wrangelia biscuspidata, Laurencia corallopsis, Wurdemania miniata) which occurred spo- radically in sand-bottom habitats. The red algae were discolored (orange or red) where in contact with the stomach. In Watering Bay, O. reticulatus was infre- quently observed with its stomach everted upon coral rubble ("Other Substratum Grazing" in Table 1) apparently digesting organic films and/or encrusting coralline algae on the rubble surface. Predation and Scavenging.-Oreaster reticulatus infrequently preyed upon ses- sile or slow-moving macrofauna. In the grassbed populations, the sea urchin 506 BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE. VOL. 32. NO.2. 1982 Table l. Tbe feeding habits of Oreaster reticulatus in populations from (a) grass bed and (b) sand- bottom habitats: percentage frequencies of substratum grazing on various substratum types, and of predation/scavenging Percentage of Feeding Observations Pre- Number of Substratum Grazing dation! Feeding Scaveng- Populations Observations Sand Grass Algae Other Total ing (a) Grassbed Habitats Hillsborough Bay 3,346 7.7 74.4 ]7.2 0.1 99.4 0.6 L'Esterre Bay 374 ]5.4 74.5 9.3 0.4 99.6 0.4 Chatham Bay 611 19.8 48.5 21.9 0.] 90.3 9.7 (b) Sand-Bottom Habitats Buck I. Channel 1,833 98.4 0.3 1.2 0 99.9 0.1 Coakley Bay 2,355 95.1 0 4.9 0 100.0 0 Horseshoe Patch 1,162 95.2 2.2 1.9 0 99.3 0.7 Watering Bay 568 %.2 0 0 2.6 98.8 1.2 Manchioneal Bay 79 100.0 0 0 0 100.0 0 Tripneustes ventricosus was a predominant prey item. Predation of T. ventricosus by O. reticulatus was rare in Hillsborough Bay and L'Esterre Bay (7 out of a total of 3,720 feeding observations) due to the paucity of the urchin on beds of Halodule wrightii inhabited by the asteroid. When offered T. ventricosus in an enclosure in the H. wrightii zone, 10-20 O. reticulatus consumed an average of six urchins/day (range: 4-9) over a 3-day period. Predation of T. ventricosus was more frequent in Chatham Bay (43 out of 611 feeding observations) and increased with urchin density within various substratum types (Table 2). The density of O. reticulatus, however, was greatest in beds of H. wrightii where T. ventricosus was least abundant. Oreaster reticulatus attacked Tripneustes ventricosus within a radius of 10-30 cm. The tip of the leading ray was curled upwards, and the terminal tentacles were extended and active as the asteroid moved towards its potential prey. Con- tact by the ray tip evoked vigorous spine activity, projection of globiferous ped- icellaria and a flight response in T. ventricosus. The pedicellaria affixed them- selves to the epidermis and tube feet of the ray tip, eliciting its momentary retraction, but pursuit followed. Chases lasting 5-10 min were observed; in each instance the faster moving urchin escaped O. reticulatus. T. ventricosus occa- sionally initiated flight prior to contact by an attacking asteroid. When feeding upon Tripneustes ventricosus, Oreaster reticulatus mounted and overlaid the urchin, enveloping the test with the fully everted cardiac stomach. Once the epidermis was digested, the stomach was inserted into the test through the periproct to digest internal tissue and gut contents of the urchin.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Sea Stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea): Their Biology, Ecology, Evolution and Utilization OPEN ACCESS
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328063815 The Sea Stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea): Their Biology, Ecology, Evolution and Utilization OPEN ACCESS Article · January 2018 CITATIONS READS 0 6 5 authors, including: Ferdinard Olisa Megwalu World Fisheries University @Pukyong National University (wfu.pknu.ackr) 3 PUBLICATIONS 0 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Population Dynamics. View project All content following this page was uploaded by Ferdinard Olisa Megwalu on 04 October 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Review Article Published: 17 Sep, 2018 SF Journal of Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering The Sea Stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea): Their Biology, Ecology, Evolution and Utilization Rahman MA1*, Molla MHR1, Megwalu FO1, Asare OE1, Tchoundi A1, Shaikh MM1 and Jahan B2 1World Fisheries University Pilot Programme, Pukyong National University (PKNU), Nam-gu, Busan, Korea 2Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh Abstract The Sea stars (Asteroidea: Echinodermata) are comprising of a large and diverse groups of sessile marine invertebrates having seven extant orders such as Brisingida, Forcipulatida, Notomyotida, Paxillosida, Spinulosida, Valvatida and Velatida and two extinct one such as Calliasterellidae and Trichasteropsida. Around 1,500 living species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from the tropics to subzero polar waters. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, 6,000m below the surface. Starfish typically have a central disc and five arms, though some species have a larger number of arms. The aboral or upper surface may be smooth, granular or spiny, and is covered with overlapping plates.
    [Show full text]
  • Reproductive Biology in the Starfish Echinaster (Othilia) Guyanensis (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in Southeastern Brazil
    ZOOLOGIA 27 (6): 897–901, December, 2010 doi: 10.1590/S1984-46702010000600010 Reproductive biology in the starfish Echinaster (Othilia) guyanensis (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in southeastern Brazil Fátima L. F. Mariante1; Gabriela B. Lemos1; Frederico J. Eutrópio1; Rodrigo R. L. Castro1 & Levy C. Gomes1, 2 1 Centro Universitário Vila Velha. Rua Comissário José Dantas de Melo 21, Boa Vista, 29102-770 Vila Velha, ES, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Echinaster (Othilia) guyanensis Clark, 1987 is an endangered starfish distributed throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. Even though it has been extensively harvested, little is known about the biology and ecology of this starfish. Here, we examine reproduction seasonality in E. (O.) guyanensis. Individuals were collected monthly for one year, including four complete lunar phases. The gonad index (GI) was calculated to determine annual and monthly reproductive peaks. Gametogenesis stages were also determined. Sex ratio was 1:1.33 (M:F). Gonadosomatic index, body weight, central disc width and arm length were similar for both sexes. Gonads were present in all animals with arm length greater than 36.2 mm. Lunar phase was not associated with E. (O.) guyanensis reproduction. GI and gametogenesis patterns suggest that starfish have an annual reproductive peak with spawning during autumn months (March to May). KEY WORDS. Brazil; reproduction; gametogenesis;
    [Show full text]
  • Spp List.Xlsx
    Common name Scientific name ANGIOSPERMS Seagrass Halodule wrightii Manatee grass Syringodium filiforme Turtle grass Thalassia testudinium ALGAE PHAEOPHYTA Y Branched algae Dictyota sp Encrusting fan leaf algae Lobophora variegata White scroll algae Padina jamaicensis Sargassum Sargassum fluitans White vein sargassum Sargassum histrix Saucer leaf algae Turbinaria tricostata CHLOROPHYTA Green mermaid's wine glass Acetabularia calyculus Cactus tree algae Caulerpa cupressoides Green grape algae Caulerpa racemosa Green bubble algae Dictyosphaeria cavernosa Large leaf watercress algae Halimeda discoidea Small-leaf hanging vine Halimeda goreaui Three finger leaf algae Halimeda incrassata Watercress algae Halimeda opuntia Stalked lettuce leaf algae Halimeda tuna Bristle ball brush Penicillus dumetosus Flat top bristle brush Penicillus pyriformes Pinecone algae Rhipocephalus phoenix Mermaid's fans Udotea sp Elongated sea pearls Valonia macrophysa Sea pearl Ventricaria ventricosa RHODOPHYTA Spiny algae Acanthophora spicifera No common name Ceramium nitens Crustose coralline algae Corallina sp. Tubular thicket algae Galaxaura sp No common name Laurencia obtusa INVERTEBRATES PORIFERA Scattered pore rope sponge Aplysina fulva Branching vase sponge Callyspongia vaginalis Red boring sponge Cliona delitrix Brown variable sponge Cliona varians Loggerhead sponge Spheciospongia vesparium Fire sponge Tedania ignis Giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta CNIDARIA Class Scyphozoa Sea wasp Carybdea alata Upsidedown jelly Cassiopeia frondosa Class Hydrozoa Branching
    [Show full text]
  • Download The
    Behaviour (2016) DOI:10.1163/1568539X-00003401 brill.com/beh Improved performance, within-individual consistency and between-individual differences in the righting behaviour of the Caribbean sea star, Oreaster reticulatus Lee F.G. Gutowsky ∗, Jacob W. Brownscombe, Alexander D.M. Wilson, Petra Szekeres and Steven J. Cooke Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6 *Corresponding author’s e-mail address: [email protected] Accepted 21 August 2016; published online ??? Abstract Individuals cope differently to challenging and stressful situations. Being inverted is challenging and stressful for animals, as the position leaves them vulnerable to predators and desiccation. Al- though sea star self-righting was first studied in the 19th century, efforts to quantify patterns of within-individual consistency and among-individual differences are limited. Here we examined the performance and repeatability of righting behaviour in the Caribbean sea star (Oreaster retic- ulatus). Oreaster reticulatus were wild caught and transported to a nearby facility where they were inverted up to five times. Most animals improved their righting times and exhibited within- individual consistency and among individual differences in righting method. We posit that it may be favourable to employ a consistent righting method to effectively achieve an upright position. Predation pressure and stress physiology are hypothesized to shape individual differences in right- ing behaviour. Moreover, these results provide preliminary evidence of personality in sea stars. Keywords personality, starfish, self-righting, stress physiology, invertebrate behaviour. 1. Introduction Repeatable behaviour (i.e., behaviours that can be quantified to show between-individual variation and within-individual consistency, Sinn et al., 2008; Rudin & Briffa, 2012; Briffa et al., 2013) occurs in an extensive range of animal taxa (Bell et al., 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Theecological Systemsof Puerto Rico
    United States Department of Agriculture Guide to the Forest Service Ecological Systems International Institute of Tropical Forestry of Puerto Rico General Technical Report IITF-GTR-35 June 2009 Gary L. Miller and Ariel E. Lugo The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Authors Gary L. Miller is a professor, University of North Carolina, Environmental Studies, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804-3299.
    [Show full text]
  • Photographic Identification Guide to Some Common Marine Invertebrates of Bocas Del Toro, Panama
    Caribbean Journal of Science, Vol. 41, No. 3, 638-707, 2005 Copyright 2005 College of Arts and Sciences University of Puerto Rico, Mayagu¨ez Photographic Identification Guide to Some Common Marine Invertebrates of Bocas Del Toro, Panama R. COLLIN1,M.C.DÍAZ2,3,J.NORENBURG3,R.M.ROCHA4,J.A.SÁNCHEZ5,A.SCHULZE6, M. SCHWARTZ3, AND A. VALDÉS7 1Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama. 2Museo Marino de Margarita, Boulevard El Paseo, Boca del Rio, Peninsula de Macanao, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela. 3Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Invertebrate Zoology, Washington, DC 20560-0163, USA. 4Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Zoologia, CP 19020, 81.531-980, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. 5Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1E No 18A – 10, Bogotá, Colombia. 6Smithsonian Marine Station, 701 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, USA. 7Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007, USA. This identification guide is the result of intensive sampling of shallow-water habitats in Bocas del Toro during 2003 and 2004. The guide is designed to aid in identification of a selection of common macroscopic marine invertebrates in the field and includes 95 species of sponges, 43 corals, 35 gorgonians, 16 nem- erteans, 12 sipunculeans, 19 opisthobranchs, 23 echinoderms, and 32 tunicates. Species are included here on the basis on local abundance and the availability of adequate photographs. Taxonomic coverage of some groups such as tunicates and sponges is greater than 70% of species reported from the area, while coverage for some other groups is significantly less and many microscopic phyla are not included.
    [Show full text]
  • Oreaster Reticulatus (West Indian Sea Star)
    UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Ecology Oreaster reticulatus (West Indian Sea Star) Order: Valvatida (Starfish or Sea Stars) Class: Asteroidea (Starfish or Sea Stars) Phylum: Echinodermata (Starfish, Sea Urchins and Sea Cucumbers) Fig. 1. West Indian sea star, Oreaster reticulatus. [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreaster_reticulatus, downloaded 23 February 2016] TRAITS. Also known as the red cushion sea star, this species is the largest starfish occurring in the Caribbean Sea (Colin, 1978). The body is thick, measuring up to 50cm wide (Encyclopedia of Life, 2012). The red cushion sea star is characterized by a disk-shaped centre which is surrounded by five short, tapered arms with webbing between each arm (Wikipedia, 2008); it exhibits five- fold radial symmetry (Fig. 1). The skin is hard and studded with raised, darkly or lightly coloured knobby spines, or ossicles. Colours include olive green, yellow, brown and reddish brown (Colin, 1978). Juveniles are various shades of green (Fig. 2); adults are yellow, brown or reddish brown (Encyclopedia of Life, 2012). DISTRIBUTION. Abundant throughout the calm, shallow waters of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, to Florida. (Encyclopedia of Life, 2012). UWI The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago Ecology HABITAT AND ACTIVITY. Found in tropical, saltwater or marine habitats in calm, shallow water. Juveniles occupy dense beds of seagrass which provide protection from predators as they are able to camouflage themselves in this environment; adults occupy rough, calcareous, sandy bottoms. Juveniles may also be found in the soft sand and mud of mangroves, lagoons and certain shallow, fringing coral reefs as these environments also provide protection for the developing sea stars (Scheibling, 1980a).
    [Show full text]
  • Echinoderm Research and Diversity in Latin America
    Echinoderm Research and Diversity in Latin America Bearbeitet von Juan José Alvarado, Francisco Alonso Solis-Marin 1. Auflage 2012. Buch. XVII, 658 S. Hardcover ISBN 978 3 642 20050 2 Format (B x L): 15,5 x 23,5 cm Gewicht: 1239 g Weitere Fachgebiete > Chemie, Biowissenschaften, Agrarwissenschaften > Biowissenschaften allgemein > Ökologie Zu Inhaltsverzeichnis schnell und portofrei erhältlich bei Die Online-Fachbuchhandlung beck-shop.de ist spezialisiert auf Fachbücher, insbesondere Recht, Steuern und Wirtschaft. Im Sortiment finden Sie alle Medien (Bücher, Zeitschriften, CDs, eBooks, etc.) aller Verlage. Ergänzt wird das Programm durch Services wie Neuerscheinungsdienst oder Zusammenstellungen von Büchern zu Sonderpreisen. Der Shop führt mehr als 8 Millionen Produkte. Chapter 2 The Echinoderms of Mexico: Biodiversity, Distribution and Current State of Knowledge Francisco A. Solís-Marín, Magali B. I. Honey-Escandón, M. D. Herrero-Perezrul, Francisco Benitez-Villalobos, Julia P. Díaz-Martínez, Blanca E. Buitrón-Sánchez, Julio S. Palleiro-Nayar and Alicia Durán-González F. A. Solís-Marín (&) Á M. B. I. Honey-Escandón Á A. Durán-González Laboratorio de Sistemática y Ecología de Equinodermos, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (ICML), Colección Nacional de Equinodermos ‘‘Ma. E. Caso Muñoz’’, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apdo. Post. 70-305, 04510, México, D.F., México e-mail: [email protected] A. Durán-González e-mail: [email protected] M. B. I. Honey-Escandón Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (ICML), UNAM, Apdo. Post. 70-305, 04510, México, D.F., México e-mail: [email protected] M. D. Herrero-Perezrul Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ave.
    [Show full text]
  • Sponges on Coral Reefs: a Community Shaped by Competitive Cooperation
    Boll. Mus. Ist. Biol. Univ. Genova, 68: 85-148, 2003 (2004) 85 SPONGES ON CORAL REEFS: A COMMUNITY SHAPED BY COMPETITIVE COOPERATION KLAUS RÜTZLER Department of Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560-0163, USA E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Conservationists and resource managers throughout the world continue to overlook the important role of sponges in reef ecology. This neglect persists for three primary reasons: sponges remain an enigmatic group, because they are difficult to identify and to maintain under laboratory conditions; the few scientists working with the group are highly specialized and have not yet produced authoritative, well-illustrated field manuals for large geographic areas; even studies at particular sites have yet to reach comprehensive levels. Sponges are complex benthic sessile invertebrates that are intimately associated with other animals and numerous plants and microbes. They are specialized filter feeders, require solid substrate to flourish, and have varying growth forms (encrusting to branching erect), which allow single specimens to make multiple contacts with their substrate. Coral reefs and associated communities offer an abundance of suitable substrates, ranging from coral rock to mangrove stilt roots. Owing to their high diversity, large biomass, complex physiology and chemistry, and long evolutionary history, sponges (and their endo-symbionts) play a key role in a host of ecological processes: space competition, habitat provision, predation, chemical defense, primary production, nutrient cycling, nitrification, food chains, bioerosion, mineralization, and cementation. Although certain sponges appear to benefit from the rapid deterioration of coral reefs currently under way in numerous locations as a result of habitat destruction, pollution, water warming, and overexploitation, sponge communities too will die off as soon as their substrates disappear under the forces of bioerosion and water dynamics.
    [Show full text]
  • Proe 8Th Int Coral Reef Sym 2:1393-1398. 1997
    Proe 8th Int Coral Reef Sym 2:1393-1398. 1997 THE ROLE OF PSAMMOBIONTIC SPONGES IN THE REEF COMMUNITY Klaus Rutzler Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 29560, U.S.A. ABSTRACT unstable and subject to new deposits and scouring action by storms. In the calmer environments of back reefs and Unconsolidated carbonate sediments are a substantial part lagoonal patch reefs, similar sand and rubble substrates of reefs where they alternate with the coral framework shift only during periods of strong water agitation and and form the surrounding sea floor. Although most sponges allow colonization by seagrasses and build-up of are occupants of solid substrata, a few species have miniature reefs on substrate pieces as small as single pioneered into sand habitats by developing morphological dead coral branches and snail shells, including a few and ecophysiological adaptations for anchoring and fast-growing sponges. endobenthic existence. The Caribbean staghorn sponge Spheciospongia cuspidifera (Clionidae) is discussed as In the Caribbean, these sand flats may be colonized by an example. The hitherto known "sponge" is primarily its conspicuous clusters of 30 cm tall, slender, light brown large incurrent siphon complex, which is photosynthetc columns, commonly branching and tapering toward the top owing to the presence of zooxanthellae. The main (Fig. 1). Based on the abundant and dense siliceous functional part of the sponge, containing water­ spicules, these "staghorns" were long identified as propelling choanocyte chambers, reproductive cells, and sponges, Spheciospongia cuspidifera (Lamarck) exhalant canal system, is entirely buried in th'3 sand (Clionidae, Hadromerida) [misinterpreted but well substratum.
    [Show full text]
  • Fisheries Centre Research Reports 2011 Volume 19 Number 6
    ISSN 1198-6727 Fisheries Centre Research Reports 2011 Volume 19 Number 6 TOO PRECIOUS TO DRILL: THE MARINE BIODIVERSITY OF BELIZE Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada TOO PRECIOUS TO DRILL: THE MARINE BIODIVERSITY OF BELIZE edited by Maria Lourdes D. Palomares and Daniel Pauly Fisheries Centre Research Reports 19(6) 175 pages © published 2011 by The Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia 2202 Main Mall Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6T 1Z4 ISSN 1198-6727 Fisheries Centre Research Reports 19(6) 2011 TOO PRECIOUS TO DRILL: THE MARINE BIODIVERSITY OF BELIZE edited by Maria Lourdes D. Palomares and Daniel Pauly CONTENTS PAGE DIRECTOR‘S FOREWORD 1 EDITOR‘S PREFACE 2 INTRODUCTION 3 Offshore oil vs 3E‘s (Environment, Economy and Employment) 3 Frank Gordon Kirkwood and Audrey Matura-Shepherd The Belize Barrier Reef: a World Heritage Site 8 Janet Gibson BIODIVERSITY 14 Threats to coastal dolphins from oil exploration, drilling and spills off the coast of Belize 14 Ellen Hines The fate of manatees in Belize 19 Nicole Auil Gomez Status and distribution of seabirds in Belize: threats and conservation opportunities 25 H. Lee Jones and Philip Balderamos Potential threats of marine oil drilling for the seabirds of Belize 34 Michelle Paleczny The elasmobranchs of Glover‘s Reef Marine Reserve and other sites in northern and central Belize 38 Demian Chapman, Elizabeth Babcock, Debra Abercrombie, Mark Bond and Ellen Pikitch Snapper and grouper assemblages of Belize: potential impacts from oil drilling 43 William Heyman Endemic marine fishes of Belize: evidence of isolation in a unique ecological region 48 Phillip Lobel and Lisa K.
    [Show full text]
  • Influences of the Loggerhead Sponge and the Vase Sponge On
    INFLUENCES OF THE LOGGERHEAD SPONGE (SPHECIOSPONGIA VESPARIUM) AND THE VASE SPONGE (IRCINIA CAMPANA) ON NEARSHORE HARD-BOTTOM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE FLORIDA KEYS by Scott Donahue B.S. December 1994, University of South Florida A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE BIOLOGY OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY May 2008 Approved by: ________________________ Mark J. Butler IV (Director) ________________________ Daniel M. Dauer (Member) ________________________ John R. Holsinger (Member) ABSTRACT INFLUENCES OF THE LOGGERHEAD SPONGE (SPHECIOSPONGIA VESPARIUM) AND THE VASE SPONGE (IRCINIA CAMPANA) ON NEARSHORE HARD- BOTTOM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE FLORIDA KEYS Scott Donahue Old Dominion University, 2008 Director: Dr. Mark J. Butler IV Sponges, octocorals, and stony corals are the dominant sessile fauna within shallow, hard-bottom communities in the Florida Keys, FL (USA). The sponge component of these communities is not well studied and has been cyclically decimated from as early as 1844, most recently in south-central Florida Bay in 1991 and 1992, in apparent association with phytoplankton blooms. The purpose of this research was to examine ways in which sponges may contribute to the maintenance of hard-bottom communities. Specifically, I investigated: 1) the effect of sponges and physical structures on local sea floor scouring and thus the potential for maintenance of hard-bottom; 2) the growth and survival of sponge transplants inside and outside of areas historically susceptible to sponge die offs; and 3) the influence of sponges and physical structures on the recruitment of hard-bottom fauna onto artificial substrates. Sponges induce turbulent flow and increase scouring of the benthos immediately adjacent to them under both high and low-flow conditions.
    [Show full text]