Distribution of Epiphytic Macroalgae on the Thalli of Their Hosts in Cuba
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Acta Botanica Brasilica 27(4): 815-826. 2013. Distribution of epiphytic macroalgae on the thalli of their hosts in Cuba Yander Luis Diez García1, Abdiel Jover Capote2,6, Ana María Suárez Alfonso3, Liliana María Gómez Luna4 and Mutue Toyota Fujii5 Received: 4 April, 2012. Accepted: 14 October, 2013 ABSTRACT We investigated the distribution of epiphytic macroalgae on the thalli of their hosts at eight localities along the sou- theastern coast of Cuba between June 2010 and March 2011. We divided he epiphytes in two groups according to their distribution on the host: those at the base of the thallus and those on its surface. We determining the dissimilarity between the zones and the species involved. We identified 102 taxa of epiphytic macroalgae. There were significant differences between the two zones. In 31 hosts, the number of epiphytes was higher on the surface of the thallus, whereas the number of epiphytes was higher at the thallus base in 25 hosts, and the epiphytes were equally distributed between the two zones in five hosts (R=−0.001, p=0.398). The mean dissimilarity between the two zones, in terms of the species composition of the epiphytic macroalgae, was 96.64%. Hydrolithon farinosum and Polysiphonia atlantica accounted for 43.76% of the dissimilarity. Among macroalgae, the structure of the thallus seems to be a determinant of their viability as hosts for epiphytes. Key words: Chlorophyta, epiphytism, distribution, Phaeophyceae, Rhodophyta Introduction scales is a potentially productive approach. It is important to understand the patterns of abundance of all sympatric The structure of intertidal marine communities is deter- epiphytic species along the various gradients, because in- mined by a combination of physical factors and biotic interac- terspecific relationships could represent one of the factors tions (Little & Kitching 1996; Wernberg & Connell 2008). The that explain their distribution (Longtin et al. 2009). establishment of marine macroalgae involves a number of The texture and structure of the host thalli are frequently complex physical interactions, as well as biological, ecological exploited by epiphytes, thus increasing habitat complexity and chemical processes at the microscale, from the release (Hacker & Steneck 1990). The epiphytic macroalgae with of propagules by reproductive adults to their migration to a filamentous or branched structure usually present a high appropriate substrates, initial adhesion to a surface, perma- degree of structural complexity and might therefore increa- nent attachment and development (Reed 1990a; Brawley & se the suitability of host algae as habitats for mesoherbivores Johnson 1992; Vreeland & Epstein 1996). Because macroalgae (Martin-Smith 1993). constitute a key component of coastal communities, they In marine communities, the plant substrates that are the are associated with other organisms and processes and have most widely colonized by are seagrasses and macroalgae, be- been central to the debate about the nature and scope of the cause they provide the necessary space, shelter and nutrition structure and dynamics of those communities (Foster 1990, (Aguilar-Rosas & Galindo 1990). Macroalgae morphology 1991; Paine 1991; Underwood 2000). might be related to the density of the community (Reed In the intertidal zone, environmental gradients also 1990b; Ang & DeWreede 1992). High densities of adults can occur at smaller scales, such as within the host zone of re- help reduce desiccation during low tide due to overlapping ceptivity, where there is a light intensity gradient between thalli, as well as reducing water flow, providing shade and the periphery and the interior of the thallus, and along microhabitats below, which can affect the structure of the host fronds, where there is a gradient in biomass, which community (Bruno et al. 2003). decreases progressively from the holdfast to the frond tip. The host macroalgae differ considerably in their suita- The investigation of the distribution of epiphytes at different bility as substrates for epiphytes. This difference might be 1 Administración Portuaria Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba 2 Universidad de Oriente, Departamento de Biología, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba 3 Universidad de La Habana, Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Ciudad Habana, Cuba 4 Universidad de Oriente, Centro Nacional de Electromagnetismo Aplicado, Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba 5 Instituto de Botânica, Seção de Ficologia, São Paulo, SP, Brazil 6 Author for correspondence: [email protected] Yander Luis Diez García, Abdiel Jover Capote, Ana María Suárez Alfonso, Liliana María Gómez Luna and Mutue Toyota Fujii related to the longevity of the species, which is a determining Material and methods factor in the process of substrate colonization by epiphytes; in some cases, this phenomenon is more evident in the older Study area parts of the thallus (Aguilar-Rosas & Galindo 1990). In Zostera noltii, Lebreton et al. (2009) found that the number The study was conducted in the rocky intertidal zone be- of diatoms was higher on young leaves than on old leaves. tween the municipalities of Aguadores and Baconao, Cuba, The suitability of macroalgae as substrates for epiphytes within the Baconao Biosphere Reserve (Managed Resource can also vary depending on the morphological characte- Protected Area), at eight locations (Fig. 1.): Aguadores 1, ristics of the base; the degree of branching; the roughness Aguadores 2; Sardinero; Juticí; Cajobabo; Verraco, Acuario and texture of the surface; the production of allelopathic and Baconao. Located east of the city of Santiago de Cuba, substances such as mucilage; and the thallus growth rate the study zone occupies an area of 5635 hectares of sea on (Lobban & Harrison 1997). When the thallus surface has the southeastern coast of the country, between Maisí and little mucilage, it provides favorable conditions for the Cabo Cruz. It is characterized by a rocky intertidal zone establishment of epiphytes (Paula & Oliveira-Filho 1980; with extensive fields of limestone (surface karst formation). Széchy et al. 2006). In tropical and subtropical regions, studies have shown Sampling design reductions in the size of communities that develop on Samples were collected on a quarterly basis between rocky shores, especially communities of macroalgae and June 2010 and March 2011, although inclement weather epiphytes. Such studies have been limited to identifying precluded sample collection in the month of September. epiphytic macroalgae species without studying the basic Therefore, with the aim of collecting the greatest number aspects of their ecology (Aguilar et al. 1998; Saad-Navarro of epiphytic species (Lecha & Chugaev 1989), we performed & Riosmena-Rodrígez 2005). Understanding the spatial three samplings: one during the rainy season (in June); and scales at which the rocky intertidal zone communities vary two during the dry season (in December and in March). provides the necessary information to initiate the study Samples were collected at low tide in the intertidal zone, of the relative importance of the various factors that can which is characterized by short intervals of immersion affect these communities and how those factors interact and emersion. (Underwood et. al. 2000). Therefore, the objective of the We collected all epiphytic macroalgae and their hosts present study was to determine the distribution of epiphytic in 15 square metal containers (25 cm × 25 cm × 25 cm) macroalgae on the thallus of their hosts. distributed at random (Jover et al. 2012). All macroalgae Figure 1. Location of the Aguadores-Baconao coastal sector and of the individual sampling sites. 816 Acta bot. bras. 27(4): 815-826. 2013. Distribution of epiphytic macroalgae on the thalli of their hosts in Cuba that were growing on other macroalgae were classified as the Jaccard index. The principal species responsible for epiphytes, according to the criteria of Borowitzka et al. the dissimilarity were identified by similarity percentage (2006). In accordance with Montañés et al. (2003), the analysis (Clarke 1993). These nonparametric multivariate epiphytic macroalgae were separated into two groups by tests were conducted with the statistical program Primer, their location on the thallus of the host: at the base or on the version 6 (Clarke & Gorley 2006). surface. The morphofunctional classification of the groups followed the criteria established by Littler & Littler (1984) and Steneck & Dethier (1994). Results The macroalgae were identified down to the lowest possible taxonomic level on the basis of the specialized Epiphytic macroalgae and their hosts: flora literature (Børgesen 1915-20; Taylor 1960; Littler et al. The observed number in the rocky intertidal zone of 1989; Littler & Littler 1997, 2000; Castro et al. 2008; Dawes & Mathieson 2008; Littler et al. 2008). The species list was the Aguadores-Baconao sector, we observed 102 taxa of created according to the taxonomic criteria established by epiphytic macroalgae (18 Phaeophyceae, 53 Rhodophyceae Wynne (2011). For the higher classes (class, division, and and 31 Chlorophyceae), belonging to 14 orders, 25 families kingdom), we followed the criteria established by Guiry and 52 genera. The most well-represented order was Cera- & Guiry (2011) in Algaebase (http://www.algaebase.org/). miales, with 30 species, accounting for 29.4% of the total. Among the Phaeophyceae and Chlorophyceae, respectively, the most well-represented orders were Dictyotales and Data analysis Cladophorales,