scholarly journals Macrofauna Inhabiting Massive Demosponges From Shallow and Mesophotic Habitats Along the Israeli Mediterranean Coast

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liron Goren ◽  
Tal Idan ◽  
Sigal Shefer ◽  
Micha Ilan
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Ecosystem Engineers ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Shallow Habitat ◽  
Sponge Diversity ◽  
Clear Differentiation ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Sponges have long been considered as “living hotels” due to the great diversity and abundance of other taxonomic groups often found in association with them. Sponges are the dominant components of benthic communities in the Levant Sea; and especially in the recently discovered mesophotic sponge grounds off the coast of Israel. However, almost no data exist regarding their associated macrofauna. The current study sought to identify the macrofauna associated with massive sponges along the Israeli Mediterranean coast; and to compare the role of sponges, as ecosystem engineers, or “living hotels,” in both the shallow-water and mesophotic habitats. Sixty-four massive sponge specimens, from 10 different species, were collected from shallow and mesophotic habitats by SCUBA diving and Remotely Operated Vehicle, respectively. Sponge volume was estimated, specimens were dissected, and the associated macrofauna were identified. Our results reveal that the sponges supported a diverse assemblage of associated macrofauna. A total of 61 associated taxa were found, including species reported for the first time in Israel. A clear, differentiation existed in the structure of the associated assemblage between the two habitats, which is mainly attributed to four species (two polychaetes, a crustacean, and a brittle star). The trophic composition remained stable across the two habitats. No correlation was found between sponge volume and the associated fauna community parameters. The highest richness of associated fauna was found in the mesophotic habitat, where sponge diversity is also higher. In contrast, a greater endobiont abundance and density were recorded in the shallow habitat, where massive sponges may be a limiting factor due to their lower richness and abundance. Our findings emphasize the importance of sponges as ecosystem engineers, and suggest that sponge diversity may be an important factor that contribute to benthic biodiversity in these regions.

scholarly journals Shedding light on an East-Mediterranean mesophotic sponge ground community and the regional sponge fauna

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAL IDAN ◽  
SIGAL SHEFER ◽  
TAMAR FELDSTEIN ◽  
RUTH YAHEL ◽  
DOROTHEE HUCHON ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Shallow Waters ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
East Mediterranean ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Gas Drilling ◽  
Sponge Diversity ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Levant Basin

Sponges are a diverse and abundant phylum, globally inhabiting many hard-bottom habitats. However, data on the East-Mediterranean sponge communities are scarce, outdated, and limited to the shallow waters. This study sought to expand the knowledge of the poriferan fauna along the Mediterranean shore of Israel. A newly-discovered mesophotic sponge ground at ~100 m depth was studied using a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), in addition to shallow-water surveys conducted by scuba diving. In the mesophotic ecosystem, sponges, serving as environmental engineers, create complex 3D structures that attract invertebrates and fish. The results of the quantitative survey of this mesophotic sponge ground reveal that it maintains a rich and diverse community with an estimated 63 species, and a high sponge percent coverage (~35%). Several of the mesophotic species are documented for the first time from the Levant basin, while others might be novel species. Here we identified over 100 sponge species along the Mediterranean coast of Israel, 33 of which were sampled from the mesophotic sponge ground. The updated sponge list supports the hypothesis that the Levantine sponge diversity is not as species-poor, compared to other parts of the Mediterranean Sea, as has previously been considered. In addition, shallow and mesophotic sponge community compositions were found to only partially overlap.  Moreover, the latter harbors some species that have disappeared from the shallow habitats, and only a few species thrive along the entire depth range. We suggest that mesophotic sponge grounds may serve as refugia for species stressed by the rising temperatures in shallow waters and should be protected from anthropogenic influences such as oil and gas drilling.

scholarly journals Sponge community variation along the Apulian coasts (Otranto Strait) over a pluri-decennial time span. Does water warming drive a sponge diversity increasing in the Mediterranean Sea?

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (7) ◽  
pp. 1519-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Costa ◽  
Giorgio Bavestrello ◽  
Valerio Micaroni ◽  
Maurizio Pansini ◽  
Francesca Strano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Biodiversity Monitoring ◽  
Sponge Diversity ◽  
Community Variation ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Mass Mortalities

AbstractClimate change and heavy anthropic pressures are giving rise to important modifications in the rocky benthic communities of the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, sponge assemblages have been deeply affected due to the susceptibility of some species to dramatic phenomena such as mass mortalities or widespread variations in the abundance of other species. For this reason, long-term biodiversity monitoring of the sponge assemblages is important for understanding the direction of changes over time. We studied the sponge fauna living off Tricase Porto (Otranto Strait) and compared its composition with the results of a study conducted in the same area 50 years ago. The comparison indicated that the sponge diversity of this area has strongly increased in the last 50 years and a large number of the sponges recorded in the old survey are still present in the recent community. This evidence matches with other results obtained from different localities of the Mediterranean Sea indicating an increase of sponge diversity, possibly due to the present water warming. The description of two new Demosponge species, Diplastrella boeroi sp. nov. and Spirastrella angulata sp. nov., is also provided.

Deep sponge communities of the Gulf of St Eufemia (Calabria, southern Tyrrhenian Sea), with description of two new species

2013 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 1371-1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bertolino ◽  
M. Bo ◽  
S. Canese ◽  
G. Bavestrello ◽  
M. Pansini
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Southern Boundary ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Sponge Diversity ◽  
Southern Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
The Rich ◽  
First Time

Recently, the rich coral communities of the so called roche du large biocoenose of the Gulf of St Eufemia (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) between 90 and 130 m deep, have been described thanks to remotely operated vehicle (ROV) imaging. This preliminary survey evidenced the massive presence of a well-diversified sponge community living among the coral colonies. This work aims at giving an ecological overview of some of the dominant species of this environment, together with a taxonomic part including the description of new species: Topsentia calabrisellae sp. nov. and Haliclona (Soestella) fimbriata sp. nov. The silted, rocky outcrops of the Gulf of St Eufemia facilitate the settling mainly of massive sponges with erect habit which may also avoid sedimentation by growing on the coral colonies. On the other hand, the site Capo Vaticano, located at the southern boundary of the gulf, characterized by rocky boulders exposed to strong currents and completely devoid of corals, is inhabited by a poor megabenthic community, dominated by patches of massive sponges, such as Topsentia vaceleti, a species of recent description whose aspect in the field was still unknown. In the entire investigated area 19 species have been photographed (often for the first time in vivo), collected and identified, but the real sponge diversity is certainly under-estimated due to the difficulty of collecting all the sighted specimens through the ROV grabber. Similarly to the coral component, sponges also respond to the same environmental constraints by growing in heterogeneous patches or by showing different morphologies mainly associated with current and sedimentation conditions.

scholarly journals Crustacean assemblages of coastal wetlands from fragmented and scarcely isolated islands compared with the mainland

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paloma Lucena-Moya ◽  
Stéphanie Gascón ◽  
Daniel Boix ◽  
Isabel Pardo ◽  
Jordi Sala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Wetlands ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Harsh Conditions ◽  
Total Diversity

The present study compared crustacean assemblages from coastal wetlands between a fragment archipelago and a landmass. The study included four typical crustacean taxonomic groups (i.e. Cladocera, Copepoda, Ostracoda and Malacostraca) from the Balearic Archipelago region as an example of a fragment island (‘Archipelago’) and the Catalonia region as the landmass (‘Mainland’; Spanish Mediterranean coast). We tested null hypotheses based on the expected similarity between Archipelago and Mainland in terms of crustacean assemblages and biodiversity. Similar relationships of those community attributes with environmental variables were also expected in both regions. The results partially met the null hypotheses. We found that crustacean taxonomic composition varied between Archipelago and Mainland, likely due to peculiar biological and biogeographical processes acting in the Archipelago. The relationship between crustacean assemblages and the environmental variables was mostly similar between Archipelago and Mainland, as expected. Both regions also showed similar patterns of species distribution (i.e. Archipelago and Mainland coastal wetlands were characterised by a few dominant species). This result could be masked by the ‘filter’ effect exercised by the harsh conditions of coastal wetlands. Moreover, the total diversity values (gamma biodiversity) in the Archipelago were similar to the values for the Mainland, supporting the hypothesis that fragment islands can be of substantial value for the conservation of global biodiversity.

scholarly journals The First Cut Is the Deepest: Trawl Effects on a Deep-Sea Sponge Ground Are Pronounced Four Years on

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katelin M. Morrison ◽  
Heidi Kristina Meyer ◽  
Emyr Martyn Roberts ◽  
Hans Tore Rapp ◽  
Ana Colaço ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Bottom Trawl ◽  
Physical Disturbance ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Control ◽  
Distinct Separation

Few studies have described the effects of physical disturbance and post-recovery of deep-sea benthic communities. Here, we explore the status of deep-sea sponge ground communities four years after being impacted by an experimental bottom trawl. The diversity and abundance of epibenthic megafauna of two distinct benthic communities in disturbed versus control areas were surveyed using a remotely operated vehicle on the Schulz Bank, Arctic Ocean. Four years after disturbance, megafaunal densities of the shallow (∼600 m depth) and deep (∼1,400 m depth) sites were significantly lower on the disturbed patches compared to the control areas. Multivariate analyses revealed a distinct separation between disturbed and control communities for both sites, with trawling causing 29–58% of the variation. Many epibenthic morphotypes were significantly impacted by the trawl, including ascidians, Geodia parva, Hexactinellida spp., Craniella infrequens, Lissodendoryx complicata, Haliclonia sp. Stylocordyla borealis, Gersemia rubiformis and Actiniaria sp. However, we found some smaller morphospecies to be equally abundant with control transects, including Polymastia thielei, Geodia hentscheli, and Stelletta rhaphidiophora, reflecting lower trawl impact for these morphotypes. Overall, our results suggest that these are fragile ecosystems that require much more time than four years to recover from physical disturbance typical of trawling activities.

scholarly journals Density and distribution of megafauna at the Håkon Mosby mud volcano (the Barents Sea) based on image analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 3359-3374 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Rybakova (Goroslavskaya) ◽  
S. Galkin ◽  
M. Bergmann ◽  
T. Soltwedel ◽  
A. Gebruk
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Mud Volcano ◽  
Observation System ◽  
Taxa Richness ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Tube Worms ◽  
Bacterial Mats ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Background Area

Abstract. During a survey of the Håkon Mosby mud volcano (HMMV), located on the Bear Island fan in the southwest Barents Sea at ∼1250 m water depth, different habitats inside the volcano caldera and outside it were photographed using a towed camera platform, an Ocean Floor Observation System (OFOS). Three transects were performed across the caldera and one outside, in the background area, each transect was ∼2 km in length. We compared the density, taxa richness and diversity of nonsymbiotrophic megafauna in areas inside the volcano caldera with different bacterial mat and pogonophoran tubeworm cover. Significant variations in megafaunal composition, density and distribution were found between considered areas. Total megafaunal density was highest in areas of dense pogonophoran populations (mean 52.9 ind. m−2) followed by areas of plain light-coloured sediment that were devoid of bacterial mats and tube worms (mean 37.7 ind. m−2). The lowest densities were recorded in areas of dense bacterial mats (mean ≤1.4 ind. m−2). Five taxa contributed to most of the observed variation: the ophiuroid Ophiocten gracilis, lysianassid amphipods, the pycnogonid Nymphon macronix, the caprellid Metacaprella horrida and the fish Lycodes squamiventer. In agreement with previous studies, three zones within the HMMV caldera were distinguished, based on different habitats and megafaunal composition: "bacterial mats", "pogonophoran fields" and "plain light-coloured sediments". The zones were arranged almost concentrically around the central part of the caldera that was devoid of visible megafauna. The total number of taxa showed little variation inside (24 spp.) and outside the caldera (26 spp.). The density, diversity and composition of megafauna varied substantially between plain light-coloured sediment areas inside the caldera and the HMMV background. Megafaunal density was lower in the background (mean 25.3 ind. m−2) compared to areas of plain light-coloured sediments inside the caldera. So the effect of the mud-volcano environment on benthic communities is expressed in increasing of biomass, changing of taxa composition and proportions of most taxonomic groups.

EVALUATION OF FRESHWATER BENTHIC COMMUNITIES: A CASE STUDY IN AN URBAN SOURCE IN THE NORTHEAST OF BRAZIL

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Suelen Nascimento Dos Santos ◽  
Jonathas Barbosa De Araújo Freitas ◽  
Jaime Joaquim Da Silva Pereira Cabral ◽  
Anderson Luiz Ribeiro de Paiva ◽  
Caroline Cibelle Correia Clemente
Keyword(s):  
Rainy Season ◽  
Hyporheic Zone ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
River Bank ◽  
Urbanized Area ◽  
Meiofauna Community ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

The environmental damage suffered by urban water bodies and the need for public water supply result in a greater interest in techniques that enable water treatment in an efficient and ecological way, such as River Bank Filtration (RBF). This technique uses the soil as a filtering medium, as well as the biological activities of organisms that dwell in the Hyporheic Zone (HZ), the zone of interaction between the surface water body and its underlying aquifer. Knowledge of sediments and hyporheic organisms is indispensable to study RBF. The present paper aimed to characterize the HZ of the middle section of Beberibe river (Pernambuco State, Brazil) in its sedimentological and biological aspects, with sampling druing the rainy and dry seasons, in two distinct sampling sites, one in a conserved area and the other in a highly urbanized area. Biological characterization was performed at the level of large taxonomic groups of meiofauna, accounting for 982 individuals, with the three most abundant taxa being Nematoda, Annelida, and Rotifera. Permutational Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) statistical tests were performed, showing significant differences for the season and point factors (p < 0.05) in relation to abundance. The highest concentration of individuals and total organic matter were seen in the rainy season, especially at the point located in the urbanized area. With sedimentological characterization by grain size tests of the hyporheic sediments, the predominance of silt was observed during the rainy season, and sandy during the dry season. It was concluded that the main factor that influenced the structure of the meiofauna community was the release of domestic effluents. The information obtained by the present work helps to understand some features of the HZ, which is essential for RBF or other techniques that use the interstitial matrix.

Ecological boundaries in estuaries: macrobenthic β-diversity in the Río de la Plata system (34–36°S)

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.A. Giberto ◽  
C.S. Bremec ◽  
A. Cortelezzi ◽  
A. Rodrigues Capitulo ◽  
A. Brazeiro
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
La Plata ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Ecological Boundaries ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

In this study, we analyse spatial patterns of macrobenthic communities of the Río de la Plata system, and assess the species turnover or beta diversity and its relationship with environmental gradients. Macrobenthic samples and physico-chemical parameters were collected from 20 sampling sites along a transect of 560 km, including the freshwater (FW), estuarine (ES) and marine (MA) sectors. Three main assemblages corresponding to the above mentioned sectors were defined with multivariate analysis (cluster, MDS). In total 134 taxa were recorded, 81 in MA, 33 in FW and 38 in ES, represented mainly by polychaete, mollusc and crustacean species. Depth, salinity and %clay showed the strongest correlation with the observed faunal patterns (ρw=0.62; BIO-ENV analysis). Beta diversity varied between dominant taxonomic groups and was positively correlated with changes in salinity. The high variability in the composition of assemblages was reflected in beta diversity, reaching its highest values at the boundaries between the defined sectors. This study suggests that beta diversity represents a useful tool to define ecological boundaries for benthic communities in the Río de la Plata.

scholarly journals Macroinvertebrate fauna associated to the bromeliad Vriesea inflata of the Atlantic Forest (Paraná State, southern Brazil)

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Augusto M. Mestre ◽  
José Marcelo R. Aranha ◽  
Maria de Lourdes P. Esper
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Fauna

The accumulated water inside the bromeliad leaf rosette is a microhabitat for several animal and plant species. In this study, the associated fauna of bromeliad Vriesea inflata was analyzed related to seasons, bromeliad height in relation to the ground and environmental factors. The samples were seasonally collected in Quatro Barras (a municipality of Paraná State, southern Brazil) between March 1996 and March 1997. The associated fauna was very rich and it was grouped in 23 taxonomic groups, with a dominance of Coleoptera Scirtidae, Diptera and Hymenoptera Formicidae. We found higher abundance of macroinvertebrates in terrestrial bromeliads during the spring/1996 and in epiphyte bromeliads in the autumn/1997.

scholarly journals Bathyal feasting: post-spawning squid as a source of carbon for deep-sea benthic communities

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1869) ◽  
pp. 20172096 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. T. Hoving ◽  
S. L. Bush ◽  
S. H. D. Haddock ◽  
B. H. Robison
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Carbon Budgets ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Geographical Regions

In many oceanic carbon budgets there is a discrepancy between the energetic requirements of deep-sea benthic communities and the supply of organic matter. This suggests that there are unidentified and unmeasured food sources reaching the seafloor. During 11 deep-sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys in the Gulf of California, the remains (squid carcasses and hatched-out egg sheets) of 64 post-brooding squid were encountered. As many as 36 remains were encountered during a single dive. To our knowledge this is one of the largest numbers of natural food falls of medium-size deep-sea nekton described to date. Various deep-sea scavengers (Ophiuroidea, Holothuroidea, Decapoda, Asteroidea, Enteropneusta) were associated with the remains. Although many of the 80 examined ROV dives did not encounter dead squids or egg sheets ( n = 69), and the phenomenon may be geographically and temporally restricted, our results show that dead, sinking squid transport carbon from the water column to the seafloor in the Gulf of California. Based on food fall observations from individual dives, we estimate that annual squid carcass depositions may regionally contribute from 0.05 to 12.07 mg C m −2 d −1 to the seafloor in the areas where we observed the remains. The sinking of squid carcasses may constitute a significant but underestimated carbon vector between the water column and the seafloor worldwide, because squid populations are enormous and are regionally expanding as a result of climate change and pressure on fish stocks. In the future, standardized methods and surveys in geographical regions that have large squid populations will be important for investigating the overall contribution of squid falls to regional carbon budgets.

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