Abstract
Corals and their associated fauna are extremely diverse in tropical waters and form major reefs. In the high-latitude temperate zone, corals living near their distribution limit are considered marginal communities because they are particularly extremely sensitive to environmental and climatic changes. In this study, we examined the diversity and host usage of coral-associated barnacles on Jeju Island, Korea, the northern coral distribution limit in the East China Sea. In this study, only three coral-associated barnacles—from two genera in two subfamilies—were collected. The Pyrgomatinid barnacles Cantellius arcuatus and Cantellius cf. euspinulosum were found only on the corals Montipora millepora and Alveopora japonica, respectively. The Megatrematinid barnacle Pyrgomina oulastreae, relatively a generalist, was found on Psammocora spp. (both profundacella and albopicta) and Oulastrea crispata corals. The host usage of these three barnacles does not overlap. DNA barcode sequences of the C. arcuatus specimens collected in the present study matched those collected in Kochi in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, suggesting that this species has a wide geographical distribution. C. arcuatus covers a wider host range in Taiwan waters, inhabiting Montipora spp. and Porites spp., which suggests that the host specificity of coral-associated barnacles varies with host availability. C. cf. euspinulosum probably has a very narrow distribution and host usage. The sequences of C. cf. euspinulosum on Jeju Island do not match those of any known sequences of Cantellius barnacles in the Indo-Pacific region. P. oulastreae probably prefers cold water because it has been reported in temperate regions. Coral-associated barnacles in marginal communities have considerably lower diversity than their subtropical and tropical counterparts. When host availability is limited, marginal coral-associated barnacles exhibit higher host specificity than those in subtropical and tropical reef systems.
Highlights
Coral reef ecosystem supports a high diversity of scleractinian corals and their associated fauna
At high latitudes, where the water temperature is approximately 14 ̊C, corals living at the limit of their geographical distribution are mainly composed of encrusting forms and exhibit considerably reduced growth and reproduction
A. japonica was more abundant in NE Seop Seom
Summary
Coral reef ecosystem supports a high diversity of scleractinian corals and their associated fauna. The diversity of corals and their associated fauna is high in the Coral Triangle region, which is considered a marine biodiversity hotspots. At high latitudes, where the water temperature is approximately 14 ̊C, corals living at the limit of their geographical distribution are mainly composed of encrusting forms and exhibit considerably reduced growth and reproduction. These high-latitude corals do not form intense reefs, and are called marginal communities. The diversity of coral-associated fauna and their host usage in marginal communities have received limited attention
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