Dataset Information

Metabolic responses of a phototrophic sponge to sedimentation supports transitions to sponge-dominated reefs.

ABSTRACT: Declines in coral abundance have been linked to increased sedimentation at many locations across the world and at some of these locations there have been subsequent increases in sponge abundance. These shifts appear counterintuitive as sponges are suspension feeders and many rely on photosymbionts for carbon. At a sedimented reef in Indonesia (Wakatobi) corals have declined and the photoautotrophic sponge Lamellodysidea herbacea is now abundant. We hypothesise that this is partly due to L. herbacea's ability to clear its tissues of high levels of settled-sediment and compensate for associated metabolic demands by altering its respiration rate. Negligible detrimental effects to sponge tissue were observed after treatments up to five times the sedimentation rate of the highly sedimented reef. Rapid sediment clearance occurred that was potentially aided by mucus production. Finally, high sediment exposure caused an immediate reduction in respiration rate, likely due to reduced pumping to prevent clogging, whereas sustained high sedimentation caused an increase in respiration rate, potentially due to the energetic cost of mucus production. Our study provides evidence that some sponges can tolerate environments that appear unsuitable to many corals and with increased sedimentation this acclimation may support further transitions to sponge dominated reefs in the future.

SUBMITTER: Biggerstaff A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5457416 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Metabolic responses of a phototrophic sponge to sedimentation supports transitions to sponge-dominated reefs.

Biggerstaff Andrew A Smith David J DJ Jompa Jamaluddin J Bell James J JJ

Scientific reports 20170602 1

Declines in coral abundance have been linked to increased sedimentation at many locations across the world and at some of these locations there have been subsequent increases in sponge abundance. These shifts appear counterintuitive as sponges are suspension feeders and many rely on photosymbionts for carbon. At a sedimented reef in Indonesia (Wakatobi) corals have declined and the photoautotrophic sponge Lamellodysidea herbacea is now abundant. We hypothesise that this is partly due to L. herba ...[more]

PMID: 28578387

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Project description:The federal channel at Port of Miami, Florida, USA, was dredged between late 2013 and early 2015 to widen and deepen the channel. Due to the limited spatial extent of impact-assessment monitoring associated with the project, the extent of the dredging impacts on surrounding coral reefs has not been well quantified. Previously published remote sensing analyses, as well as agency and anecdotal reports suggest the most severe and largest area of sedimentation occurred on a coral reef feature referred to as the Inner Reef, particularly in the sector north of the channel. A confounding regional warm-water mass bleaching event followed by a coral disease outbreak during this same time frame made the assessment of dredging-related impacts to coral reefs adjacent to the federal channel difficult but still feasible. The current study sought to better understand the sedimentation impacts that occurred in the coral reef environment surrounding Port of Miami, to distinguish those impacts from other regional events or disturbances, and provide supplemental information on impact assessment that will inform discussions on compensatory mitigation requirements. To this end, in-water field assessments conducted after the completion of dredging and a time series analysis of tagged corals photographed pre-, during, and post-dredging, are used to discern dredging-related sedimentation impacts for the Inner Reef north. Results indicate increased sediment accumulation, severe in certain times and places, and an associated biological response (e.g., higher prevalence of partial mortality of corals) extended up to 700 m from the channel, whereas project-associated monitoring was limited to 50 m from the channel. These results can contribute to more realistic prediction of areas of indirect effect from dredging projects needed to accurately evaluate proposed projects and design appropriate compliance monitoring. Dredging projects near valuable and sensitive habitats subject to local and global stressors require monitoring methods capable of discerning non-dredging related impacts and adaptive management to ensure predicted and unpredicted project-related impacts are quantified. Anticipated increasing frequency and intensity of seasonal warming stress also suggests that manageable- but- unavoidable local stressors such as dredging should be partitioned from such seasonal thermal stress events.

Dataset Information

Metabolic responses of a phototrophic sponge to sedimentation supports transitions to sponge-dominated reefs.

Publications

Metabolic responses of a phototrophic sponge to sedimentation supports transitions to sponge-dominated reefs.

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