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Under the radar: Sessile epifaunal invertebrates in the seagrass Posidonia australis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2015

Marie-Claire A. Demers ,
Nathan A. Knott  and
Andrew R. Davis
Marie-Claire A. Demers*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Nathan A. Knott
Affiliation:
NSW Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries NSW, PO Box 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
Andrew R. Davis
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to:M.-C.A. Demers, Institute for Conservation Biology and Environmental Management, Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Northfield Ave. WollongongAustralia2522 email: mdemers@uow.edu.au
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Abstract

Despite the current global decline in seagrass, sessile epifaunal invertebrates inhabiting seagrass ecosystems, particularly sponges and ascidians, have been poorly studied due to their taxonomic complexity. Understanding patterns of distribution of sessile epifaunal communities in seagrass meadows is an important precursor to determining the processes driving their distribution and species interactions. This study (1) identified the sponge and ascidian assemblage associated with Posidonia australis meadows and (2) determined distributional patterns of these invertebrates at a hierarchy of spatial scales in Jervis Bay, Australia. We used a fully nested design with transects distributed in the seagrass (10s m apart), two sites (100s m apart), and six locations (km apart). Within these transects, we recorded the abundance, volume, diversity and substratum used for attachment by sponges and ascidians. We encountered 20 sponge species and eight ascidian species; they were sporadically distributed in the seagrass meadows with high variability among the transects, sites and locations. A few sponge and ascidian species dominated the assemblage and were widespread across the largest spatial scale sampled. The remaining species were mostly rare and sparsely distributed. Sponges attached to a variety of substrata but most notably shells, P. australis and polychaete tubes. No obligate seagrass species were recorded although three species predominantly used P. australis as a substratum. These sponge species relying heavily on seagrass for their attachment are likely prone to disturbances impacting their host habitat. Examining the response of sessile epifauna to the degradation of their seagrass habitat remains a key challenge for the future.

Keywords

Sessile epifaunal invertebratesPosidonia australisseagrassspongesascidiansspatial distributionsubstratum used for attachment
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 96 , Issue 2: Proceedings of the 9th World Sponge Conference held in Fremantle Australia in 2013: New Frontiers in Sponge Science , March 2016 , pp. 363 - 377
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

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