Temporal variability in epifaunal assemblages associated with temperate gorgonian gardens Item Type Article Authors Dias, I.M.; Curdia, Joao; Cunha, M.R.; Santos, M.N.; Carvalho, Susana Citation Temporal variability in epifaunal assemblages associated with temperate gorgonian gardens 2015 Marine Environmental Research Eprint version Post-print DOI 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.10.006 Publisher Elsevier BV Journal Marine Environmental Research Rights NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Marine Environmental Research. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Marine Environmental Research, 19 October 2015. DOI: 10.1016/ j.marenvres.2015.10.006 Download date 29/09/2021 10:57:55 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10754/581500 Accepted Manuscript Temporal variability in epifaunal assemblages associated with temperate gorgonian gardens I.M. Dias, J. Cúrdia, M.R. Cunha, M.N. Santos, S. Carvalho PII: S0141-1136(15)30057-X DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.10.006 Reference: MERE 4078 To appear in: Marine Environmental Research Received Date: 3 July 2015 Revised Date: 9 October 2015 Accepted Date: 15 October 2015 Please cite this article as: Dias, I.M., Cúrdia, J., Cunha, M.R., Santos, M.N., Carvalho, S., Temporal variability in epifaunal assemblages associated with temperate gorgonian gardens, Marine Environmental Research (2015), doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.10.006. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Title Temporal variability in epifaunal assemblages associated with temperate gorgonian gardens Authors Dias I.M. 1, Cúrdia J. 1,2,3 , Cunha M.R. 1, Santos M.N. 2, Carvalho S. 2,3* Authors’ affiliations: 1Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal 2IPMA, Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera Av. 5 de Outubro, s/n, 8700-305 Olhão, Portugal 3King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Red Sea Research Center, Thuwal 23955- 6900. Saudi Arabia. *Corresponding author Phone: +966 28082908 Email: [email protected] Keywords MANUSCRIPT Biodiversity; Benthic ecology; Coastal waters; Gorgonian gardens; Epibenthic assemblages; Temporal variability; Species turnover; NE Atlantic ACCEPTED 1 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 1 Abstract 2 The present study is one of the few that investigate the temporal variability of 3 epifaunal assemblages associated with coral species, particularly the octocorals 4 Eunicella gazella and Leptogorgia lusitanica in south Portugal. The results suggest 5 time rather than colony size as a primary driver of the ecological patterns of these 6 assemblages, which were dominated by amphipods, molluscs and polychaetes. 7 Temporal variability was linked to changes in environmental parameters, namely 8 temperature, chlorophyll a and particulate organic carbon. Hence, temporal variability 9 must be taken into account for the design of future biodiversity assessment studies, as 10 different patterns may be observed depending on the sampling time. Associated 11 epifaunal assemblages were consistently dominated by resident species (i.e. species 12 present in all sampling periods) and a peak of rare species was observed in the 13 transition from spring to summer following the increase of seawater temperature. 14 Turnover was particularly high in the transitionMANUSCRIPT between the spring and summer 15 periods. In both hosts, turnover was higher in the small sized colonies, which 16 generally harboured less diverse and less abundant assemblages which also differed 17 from those inhabiting larger size colonies. The high levels of diversity associated with 18 gorgonian colonies highlights the need for the conservation of this priority habitat. 19 1. Introduction 20 Gorgonian gardens, like coral reefs, may provide an array of goods and ecological 21 services, conferringACCEPTED to them a high relevance in the context of coastal ecosystems. 22 Among those products and services are several bioactive compounds that can be 23 valuable for human (e.g. anti-tumoral, anti-inflammatory; Bhakuni and Rawat, 2005; 24 Berrue and Kerr, 2009; Rocha et al., 2011) and environmental health (e.g. anti-fouling 25 agents). They can also support local tourism activities, as gorgonian gardens are 2 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 26 appreciated diving spots. Their ecological and social relevance, particularly in 27 temperate ecosystems, along with the increasing threats to the marine environment 28 makes the protection of gorgonian gardens a priority. 29 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been increasingly used to ensure the protection 30 of habitats with particular ecological values (Kelleher and Kenchington, 1999). 31 According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an MPA is 32 defined as: “Any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water 33 and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved 34 by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment” 35 (Resolution 17.38 of the IUCN General Assembly, 1988). MPAs can provide several 36 benefits, such as management of fisheries, contribution to sound scientific data, 37 maintenance of ecosystem services, education opportunities, increase of financial 38 capital through tourism and preservation of species and genetic diversity (IUCN, 39 1994). However, an increase in the tourism MANUSCRIPTindustry tends to intensify recreational 40 activities such as diving (Coma et al., 2004). Physical contacts by divers caused either 41 by accidental kicks by fins, or climbing (Davenport and Davenport, 2006), can impact 42 gorgonians causing possible detachment, loss of tissue and consequent overgrowth by 43 epibionts (Medio et al., 1997; Jameson et al., 1999; Tratalos and Austin, 2001; Lloret 44 and Riera, 2008). Recently, an effort was made to recognize the conservation value of 45 coral gardens, including gorgonian-dominated biocenoses in south Portugal and 46 Spain, by theirACCEPTED inclusion in the OSPAR (Convention for the Protection of the Marine 47 Environment of the North-East Atlantic) list of protected habitats (Anonymous, 48 2011). However, the shallow sublittoral coastal rocky habitats of the Algarve coast in 49 southern Portugal have been poorly studied (but see Gonçalves et al., 2008, 2010; 50 Cúrdia et al., 2013; Carvalho et al., 2014). Therefore, a better understanding of these 3 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 51 marine habitats and the communities they support, as well as the mapping of their 52 habitat distribution is needed for the establishment of efficient MPAs. 53 Gorgonian ecosystems present abundant and rich biotic assemblages (Gonçalves et 54 al., 2008, 2010; Carvalho et al., 2014). The deep infralittoral and especially the 55 circalittoral rocky areas are dominated by dense gorgonian gardens formed by 56 different species (mainly Eunicella labiata , Eunicella verrucosa , Eunicella gazella , 57 Leptogorgia sarmentosa and Leptogorgia lusitanica ) (Gonçalves et al., 2010; Cúrdia 58 et al., 2013). Some studies of the epibenthic assemblages inhabiting gorgonian 59 colonies in temperate regions (Patton, 1972; Wendt et al., 1985; Greene, 2008; 60 Carvalho et al., 2014) showed biodiversity values similar to those reported in tropical 61 and sub-tropical areas (Spotte et al., 1995; Goh et al., 1999; Kumagai and Aoki, 2003; 62 Buhl-Mortensen and Mortensen, 2005). To our knowledge, no study has been 63 undertaken addressing the temporal variability in the ecological patterns of benthic 64 fauna associated with gorgonian gardens. MANUSCRIPTHowever, the only study we found 65 addressing this topic in scleractinian species, Astroides calycularis (Terrón-Sigler et 66 al., 2014) reports a significant contribution of time in shaping the structure of 67 associated macrofaunal assemblages. Quantifying temporal changes in epibenthic 68 communities associated with gorgonians will further strengthen our understanding of 69 ecosystem and biodiversity changes and contribute to a better knowledge of existing 70 ecological patterns. The distribution of species inhabiting coral reefs is often 71 heterogeneousACCEPTED (Henry et al., 2009), so we can expect a similar trend within gorgonian 72 gardens, as different species have different ecological requirements. 73 By assessing the spatial and temporal variability of the associated epifaunal 74 assemblages of gorgonian species, the present study adds valuable information to the 75 ecological patterns related to these particularly rich and sensitive environments. 4 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 76 Increasing the information available will improve the ability to accurately monitor 77 and manage the ecosystem in the future. Our hypothesis is that epibenthic fauna 78 inhabiting the gorgonian colonies of Eunicella