Abstract
Sea urchins are important grazers and influence reef development in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Diadema mexicanum and Eucidaris thouarsii are the most important sea urchins on the Ecuadorian coastal reefs. This study provided a trophic scenario for these two species of echinoids in the coral-rocky reef bottoms of the Ecuadorian coast, using stable isotopes. We evaluated the relative proportion of algal resources assimilated, and trophic niche of the two sea urchins in the most southern coral-rocky reefs of the ETP in two sites with different disturbance level. Bayesian models were used to estimate the contribution of algal sources, niche breadth, and trophic overlap between the two species. The sea urchins behaved as opportunistic feeders, although they showed differential resource assimilation. Eucidaris thouarsii is the dominant species in disturbed environments; likewise, their niche amplitude was broader than that of D. mexicanum when conditions were not optimal. However, there was no niche overlap between the species. The Stable Isotope Analysis in R (SIAR) indicated that both sea urchins shared limiting resources in the disturbed area, mainly Dictyota spp. (contributions of up to 85% for D. mexicanum and up to 75% for E. thouarsii). The Stable Isotope Bayesian Ellipses in R (SIBER) analysis results indicated less interspecific competition in the undisturbed site. Our results suggested a trophic niche partitioning between sympatric sea urchin species in coastal areas of the ETP, but the limitation of resources could lead to trophic overlap and stronger habitat degradation.
Highlights
As a consequence of increasing human pressure, coastal ecosystems are facing a wide range of threats, such as resource exploitation and habitat modification (Wilkinson, 1999; Dumas et al, 2007; Costello et al, 2010; Rossi, 2013)
The benthic communities in Ecuadorian rocky reefs ranged between habitats dominated by macroalgae and live corals (LA), and habitats dominated by turf and coral skeletons (PS)
The algae collected in Los Ahorcados (LA) were Asparagopsis armata, Dictyota dichotoma, Lobophora variegata, Polysiphonia spp., and Sargassum spp., while in Perpetuo Socorro (PS) were D. dichotoma, L. variegata, and Polysiphonia spp
Summary
As a consequence of increasing human pressure, coastal ecosystems are facing a wide range of threats, such as resource exploitation and habitat modification (Wilkinson, 1999; Dumas et al, 2007; Costello et al, 2010; Rossi, 2013). Several studies have evaluated the development of rocky bottom disturbances by analyzing the densities of echinoids and the development stage of habitats (Phillips & Shima, 2006; Alvarado, Cortés & ReyesBonilla, 2012; Hereu et al, 2012). Some of these studies have correlated different phases of benthic substrate degradation, considering sea urchin density and their association with. Another approach to decipher benthic dynamics is through the trophic relationships between consumers and resources using stable isotopes (Behmer & Joern, 2008). Several studies have focused on sea urchins from a stable isotope approach (e.g., Minagawa & Wada, 1984; Tomas et al, 2006; Vanderklift, Kendrick & Smith, 2006; Wing et al, 2008; Cabanillas-Terán, 2009; Rodríguez-Barreras et al, 2015)
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