Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T10:36:46.121Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects of habitat structure on the mollusc assemblage in Mussismilia corals: evaluation of the influence of different coral growth morphology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2021

M. M. Nogueira Open the ORCID record for M. M. Nogueira [Opens in a new window] ,
E. Neves  and
R. Johnsson
M. M. Nogueira*
Affiliation:
LABIMAR (Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos: Crustacea, Cnidaria e Fauna Associada), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, No. 147, Campus Ondina, Salvador, BACEP 40170-115, Brazil
E. Neves
Affiliation:
LABIMAR (Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos: Crustacea, Cnidaria e Fauna Associada), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, No. 147, Campus Ondina, Salvador, BACEP 40170-115, Brazil
R. Johnsson
Affiliation:
LABIMAR (Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos: Crustacea, Cnidaria e Fauna Associada), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, No. 147, Campus Ondina, Salvador, BACEP 40170-115, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: M. M. Nogueira, E-mail: mmouran@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Habitat structure increases richness and abundance of species in many environments by providing easy access to resources and refuge from predators. In coral reefs, corals are habitat for many organisms and differences in their morphologies may act as variation in habitat structure for associated fauna. In the present study, we investigate whether there are differences in the richness and abundance of molluscs associated with three species of Mussismilia corals exhibiting different growth morphologies, in two different reef areas of the Bahia state. Mussismilia harttii has a meandroid pattern, M. hispida is a massive coral, M. braziliensis also has a massive growth pattern with crevices at the corallum base. Coral characteristics were measured in the laboratory. Significant differences were identified for richness among coral species – higher values were reported in colonies of M. harttii and no significant statistical differences were observed between M. braziliensis and M. hispida. Considering the density of associated molluscs, the same pattern was found. The results are in accordance with previous studies and indicate the importance of M. harttii as a key habitat to maintain a richer and more abundant associated fauna. The internal volume of interpolypal space is an important factor influencing the richness and density of associated species.

Keywords

Associated faunahabitat complexityhabitat heterogeneityhabitat structurescleractinian corals
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 101 , Issue 1 , February 2021 , pp. 61 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abele, LG and Patton, WK (1976) The size of coral heads and the community biology of associated decapod crustaceans. Journal of Biogeography 3, 35–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
August, PV (1983) The role of habitat complexity and heterogeneity in structuring tropical mammal communities. Ecology 64, 1495–1507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bazzaz, FA (1975) Plant species diversity in old field successional ecosystems in southern Illinois. Ecology 56, 485–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beck, MW (2000) Separating the elements of habitat structure: independent effects of habitat complexity and structural components on rocky intertidal gastropods. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 249, 29–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cirano, M and Lessa, GC (2007) Oceanographic characteristics of Baía de Todos os Santos, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Geofísica 25, 363–387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruz, ICS, Kikuchi, RKP and Leão, ZMAN (2009) Characterization of coral reefs from Todos os Santos Bay Protected Area for management purpose, Bahia, Brazil. Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management 9, 3–23.Google Scholar
Downes, BJ, Lake, PS, Schreiber, ESG and Glaister, A (1998) Habitat structure and regulation of local species diversity in a stony, upland stream. Ecological Monographs 68, 237–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, AJ and Emberton, HJ (1980) Crustacea associated with the scleractinian coral, Stylophora pistillata (Esper), in the Sudanese Red Sea. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 42, 225–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcia, TM, Matthews-Cascon, H and Franklin-Junior, W (2009) Macrofauna associated with branching fire coral Millepora alcicornis (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa). Thalassas 24, 11–19.Google Scholar
Grabowski, JH (2004) Habitat complexity disrupts predator-prey interactions but not the trophic cascade on oyster reefs. Ecology 85, 995–1004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grabowski, JH, Hughes, AR and Kimbro, DL (2008) Habitat complexity influences cascading effects of multiple predators. Ecology 89, 3413–3422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovalenko, K.E., Thomaz, S.M. and Warfe, DM (2012) Habitat complexity: approaches and future directions. Hydrobiologia 685, 1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leão, ZMAN, Kikuchi, RKP and Testa, V (2003) Coral reefs of Brazil. In Cortés, J (ed.), Latin America Coral Reefs. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, pp. 9–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leite, FPP, Tambourgi, MRS and Cunha, CM (2009) Gastropods associated with the green seaweed Caulerpa racemosa, on two beaches of the Northern coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Strombus 16, 1–10.Google Scholar
Leps, J and Smilauer, P (1999) Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data. Ceské Budejovice: Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia.Google Scholar
Loiola, M, Cruz, ICS, Leão, ZMAN and Kikuchia, RKP (2014) Definition of priority areas for the conservation of a coastal reef complex in the eastern Brazilian coast. Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management 14, 611–624.Google Scholar
MacArthur, RH and MacArthur, JW (1961) On bird species diversity. Ecology 42, 594–598.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menge, BA and Sutherland, JP (1976) Species diversity gradients: synthesis of the roles of predation, competition, and temporal heterogeneity. American Naturalist 110, 351–369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCloskey, LR (1970) The dynamics of the community associated with a marine Scleractinian coral. Internationale Revue der Gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie 55, 13–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, DR (1969) Systematics, distribution, and abundance of the west Indian micromollusc Rissoina catesbyana d'Orbigny. Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions 19, 425–426.Google Scholar
Nogueira, MM, Menezes, NM, Johnsson, R and Neves, E (2014) The adverse effects of cryptochirid crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) on Siderastrea stellata Verril, 1868 (Anthozoa: Scleractinia): causes and consequences of cavity establishment. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 55, 155–162.Google Scholar
Nogueira, MM, Neves, E and Johnsson, R (2015) Effects of habitat structure on the epifaunal community in Mussismilia corals: does coral morphology influence the richness and abundance of associated crustacean fauna? Helgoland Marine Research 69, 221–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nogueira, MM, Neves, E and Johnsson, R (2019) An exclusion experiment to study the influence of habitat structure provided by Mussismilia corals (Cnidaria; Anthozoa) on the predation of associated crustaceans. Helgoland Marine Research 73, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nogueira, MM, Neves, E, Queiroz, V and Johnsson, R (2020) Does coral morphology influence the richness and abundance of associated ophiuroids? An evaluation of differences in habitat structure provided by Mussismilia corals. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 61, 219–227.Google Scholar
Noseworthy, RG and Kwang-Sik, C (2010) The diversity and ecology of molluscs in Seogundo off the southern Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. Korean Journal of Malacology 26, 19–31.Google Scholar
Noseworthy, RG, Hong, HK, Keshavmurthy, S, Lee, HJ, Jeung, HD, Ju, SJ, Kim, JB, Jung, S and Choi, KS (2016) An assemblage of molluscs associated with the high latitude scleractinian coral Alveopora japonica (Eguchi 1968) in Jeju Island, off the south coast of Korea. Ocean Science Journal 51, 21–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piko, AA and Szedlmayer, ST (2007) Effects of habitat complexity and predator exclusion on the abundance of juvenile red snapper. Journal of Fish Biology 70, 758–769.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reed, J and Mikkelsen, P (1987) The molluscan community associated with the scleractinian coral Oculina varicosa. Bulletin of Marine Science 40, 99–131.Google Scholar
Rios, EC (2009) Compendium of Brazilian Sea Shells. Rio Grande: Fundação Universidade do Rio Grande.Google Scholar
Rodrigues, LRG and Absalão, RS (2005) Shell colour polymorphism in the chiton Ishnochiton striolatus (Gray, 1828) (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) and habitat heterogeneity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 85, 543–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stella, JS, Jones, GP and Pratchett, MS (2010) Variation in the structure of epifaunal invertebrate assemblages among coral hosts. Coral Reefs 29, 957–973.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stella, JS, Pratchett, MS, Hutchings, PA and Jones, GP (2011) Coral-associated invertebrates: diversity, ecological importance and vulnerability to disturbance. Oceanography and Marine Biology 49, 43–104.Google Scholar
Tews, J, Brose, U, Grimm, V, Tielbörger, K, Wichmann, MC, Schwager, M and Jeltsch, F (2004) Animal species diversity driven by habitat heterogeneity/diversity: the importance of keystone structures. Journal of Biogeography 31, 79–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vytopil, E and Willis, BL (2001) Epifaunal community structure in Acropora spp. (Scleractinia) on the Great Barrier Reef: implications of coral morphology and habitat complexity. Coral Reefs 20, 281–288.Google Scholar
Wee, SYC, Sam, SQ, Sim, WT, Ng, CSL, Taira, D, Afiq-Rosli, L, Kikuzawa, YP, Toh, TC and Chou, LM (2019) The role of in situ coral nurseries in supporting mobile invertebrate epifaunal. Journal for Nature Conservation 50, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, PS (1986) Análise qualitativa e quantitativa da fauna associada a corais hermatípicos (Coelenterata, Scleractinia) nos recifes de João Pessoa, PB. Revista Brasileira de Biologia 46, 99–126.Google Scholar