Abstract
This study assessed the biodiversity of sponges within the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia (IMCRA) bioregions of the Pilbara using datasets amalgamated from the Western Australian Museum and the Atlas of Living Australia. The Pilbara accounts for a total of 1164 Linnean and morphospecies. A high level of “apparent endemism” was recorded with 78% of species found in only one of six bioregions, with less than 10% confirmed as widely distributed. The Ningaloo, Pilbara Nearshore and Pilbara Offshore bioregions are biodiversity hotspots (>250 species) and are recognised as having the highest conservation value, followed by North West Shelf containing 232 species. Species compositions differed between bioregions, with those that are less spatially separated sharing more species. Notably, the North West Province bioregion (110 species) exhibited the most distinct species composition, highlighting it as a unique habitat within the Pilbara. While sponge biodiversity is apparently high, incomplete sampling effort for the region was identified, with only two sampling events recorded for the Central West Transition bioregion. Furthermore, only 15% of records in the dataset are presently described (Linnean) species, highlighting the continuing need for taxonomic expertise for the conservation and management of marine biodiversity resources.
Highlights
Many marine filter feeding communities are dominated by sponges, which can form extensive garden-like environments characterised by high biomass and diversity [1,2,3,4]
Five Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia (IMCRA) mesoscale bioregions were within the study area: Ningaloo, Pilbara Nearshore, Pilbara Offshore, Eighty Mile Beach, and part of the North
With 1164 sponge species of which 1129 are demosponges, the Pilbara is characterised by very high species richness, yielding one of the highest species counts recorded for an area of similar size, even in a global context
Summary
Many marine filter feeding communities are dominated by sponges, which can form extensive garden-like environments characterised by high biomass and diversity [1,2,3,4]. To ensure effective management and conservation for sponges, a comprehensive understanding of their diversities, distributions and biological roles are critical, in particular for regions of high biodiversity and endemism [26,30] This knowledge is even more pertinent in the face of rapid global climate change and altered habitat and water quality from increasing coastal development and offshore industries [15]. The environmental impact assessment process for coastal infrastructure development and the growing recognition of the significance of the filter feeder communities of the region raised awareness on how little is known about them [37] This highlighted the need for a synthesis of sponge data from research already undertaken in the Pilbara, which to date was only available through various collections and databases.
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