van der Schoot Roeland J, Hoeksema Bert W
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300, RA, Leiden, the Netherlands; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300, RA, Leiden, the Netherlands; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Mar Environ Res. 2022 Nov;181:105738. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105738. Epub 2022 Aug 30.
Coral-associated invertebrates contribute much to the biodiversity of Caribbean coral reefs. Although the nature of their symbiotic relation is usually not fully understood, they can cause damage to their hosts, especially when they occur in high densities. The abundance of seven groups of coral-associated invertebrates was investigated on reefs along the leeward side of Curaçao, southern Caribbean. In particular, coral barnacles (Pyrgomatidae), boring mussels (Mytilidae: Leiosolenus spp.), gall crabs (Cryptochiridae), and Christmas tree worms (Serpulidae: Spirobranchus spp.) were recorded together with their host corals by means of a photo survey at four depths (5, 10, 15, 20 m) and across seven sites with high and five sites with low eutrophication values (based on δN isotope data). Feather duster worms (Sabellidae: Anamobaea), coral blennies (Chaenopsidae: Acanthemblemaria), and worm snails (Vermetidae: Petaloconchus) were insufficiently abundant for thorough quantitative analyses. The results show a decrease in the number of barnacles and Christmas tree worms per host over depth, which could be related to the availability of their host corals. Sites with high δN values show a higher abundance of barnacles and Christmas tree worms per host than sites with low values. This indicates that eutrophication could be favourable for these filter feeding organisms but when their densities become too high, they tend to overgrow their hosts and may become a threat to them.
与珊瑚共生的无脊椎动物对加勒比海珊瑚礁的生物多样性贡献巨大。尽管它们共生关系的本质通常尚未完全明了，但它们会对宿主造成损害，尤其是当它们高密度出现时。在加勒比海南部库拉索岛背风侧的珊瑚礁上，对七类与珊瑚共生的无脊椎动物的数量进行了调查。具体而言，通过在四个深度（5米、10米、15米、20米）进行的照片调查，记录了珊瑚藤壶（Pyrgomatidae）、穿孔贻贝（贻贝科：Leiosolenus属）、瘿蟹（Cryptochiridae）和圣诞树蠕虫（Serpulidae：Spirobranchus属）及其宿主珊瑚，调查覆盖了七个富营养化程度高的地点和五个富营养化程度低的地点（基于δN同位素数据）。羽鳃虫（Sabellidae：Anamobaea）、珊瑚鳚（Chaenopsidae：Acanthemblemaria）和蠕虫螺（Vermetidae：Petaloconchus）数量稀少，无法进行全面的定量分析。结果表明，随着深度增加，每个宿主上藤壶和圣诞树蠕虫的数量减少，这可能与它们宿主珊瑚的可利用性有关。δN值高的地点每个宿主上藤壶和圣诞树蠕虫的数量比δN值低的地点更多。这表明富营养化可能有利于这些滤食性生物，但当它们的密度过高时，它们往往会过度生长并覆盖宿主，可能对宿主构成威胁。
