Second survey of heterobranch sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) from Bunaken National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia - how much do we know after 12\xa0years?

Abstract

BackgroundBunaken National Park (BNP) is one of the most famous marine national parks in Indonesia with an extraordinary diversity in marine life forms. However, this diversity is threatened by an increasing population on the islands, ongoing destructive fishing techniques and lately by an increase in tourism. Protecting and managing the future use of BNP resources will require the assessment of both, local marine biodiversity through monitoring efforts and the identification and subsequent reduction of any threats or changes in the park. A high diversity in marine Heterobranchia indicates a high diversity of metazoan life forms and a diverse habitat structure. Surveying the complete biological diversity across taxonomic groups found in BNP would be an extensive undertaking, so focus on heterobranch diversity as an indicator of coral reef health was initiated and a model group on which future monitoring and conservation efforts can be based is provided. This study follows up the first investigation of marine Heterobranchia in BNP, conducted 12 years ago, while assessing molluscan diversity, and intends to present a base line for future monitoring programs.ResultsThe diversity of marine heterobranchs around BNP was surveyed with an emphasis on Bunaken Island by diving and snorkeling at nearly 20 sites. Species are listed with photographic documentation (81 species) and results compared with the former study on molluscan species diversity in BNP. Taking these two studies into account 135 species are now recorded from BNP. The low overlap of described species (21) between the two BNP studies illustrates the gap of knowledge about overall species diversity in this particular area. A comparison with other studies from the region and Indo-Pacific also provides evidence for undersampling, but show similar taxa composition except of a somewhat higher cladobranch number in relation to Anthobranchia.ConclusionsBNP is still under-sampled with regard to sea slug diversity. Thus conclusions as to whether or not a shift in species has occurred during the 12 years since the first study cannot be drawn. More and extensive studies are necessary to completely document the species richness in this area.