Recruitment Panels Research Articles

FOULING COMMUNITY AT FOUR DEPTHS IN GUAIBA ISLAND, RIO DE JANEIRO (BRAZIL)

The specific composition and the structure of the fouling community that grew on 4 PVC panels (0.20 x 0.20m) at 2, 5, 10 and 15 meters deep are presented in this paper. During the experiment 40 taxa grew, on the panels as fouling organisms. Some taxa occorred only at one depth: Polyandrocarpa sp. (Chordata ) -15 meters, Ascidia interrupta (Chordata), Ulva lactuca , Enteromorpha flexuoxa (Chlorophyta) and Colpomenia sinuosa (Phaeophyta) - ­2 meters. Extra panels were fixed to observe the recruitment in 4 different seasons. Hincksia mitchelliae (Phaeophyta), Megabalanus coccopoma , Balanus trigonus , B. eburncus (Crustacea), Obelia dichotoma and Ectopleura warreni (Cuidaria) were some of the most frequent species observed on the recruitment panels. The biomass of the organism, present at 2 and 5 meters were higher than those from la and 15 meters. Significant differences were detected on the taxa frequence among the 4 depths and among the 12 experiment months.

DETECTING REGIONAL VARIATION USING META-ANALYSIS AND LARGE-SCALE SAMPLING: LATITUDINAL PATTERNS IN RECRUITMENT

Regional-scale variation of recruitment by marine organisms may reflect geographic patterns in adult stock sizes or fecundities, large-scale hydrodynamic features that influence the transport of larvae (e.g., currents, upwelling), and patterns of early mortality. In turn, recruitment may play a vital role in determining patterns of adult abundance and community structure, from local to biogeographic scales. We examined spatial variation in recruitment by corals at a regional scale, along 3300 km of the tropical and subtropical coast of eastern Australia (10°–31° S). We used two complementary approaches: (1) a meta-analysis of 21 different studies undertaken over a 16-yr period, each of which was generally conducted at a single reef, and (2) a large-scale sampling effort in which recruitment was measured in two years on 33 reefs arrayed along the length of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Our goal is to compare the emergent large-scale picture derived from many small-scale studies with patterns revealed by shorter-term regional sampling. The two approaches show very similar large-scale patterns. Recruitment by spawning corals (mainly acroporids) was highest in the central GBR and declined steadily with increasing latitude by up to more than 20-fold. A smaller decline occurred on the northern GBR between Australian and Papua New Guinea. Recruitment by brooding corals (mostly pocilloporids) was greatest in the northern GBR and also declined to the south. The latitudinal decline in brooders was three- to fivefold, i.e., not as great as for spawners. Consequently, the proportion of brooded recruits increased to the south, and they generally exceeded spawners on the southern GBR and on isolated subtropical reefs at higher latitudes. Our meta-analysis shows that fully half of the variation in the ratio of spawners to brooders is attributable to one of 11 variables that we extracted from the published studies: the month when the recruitment panels were deployed. This result suggests that the intensity and timing of spawning have a crucial impact on large-scale patterns of recruitment. Elsewhere, we tested this hypothesis in the field, and confirmed that regional variation in recruitment by spawning acroporid corals was driven by spatial and temporal variation in the extent of mass spawning. Together, large-scale sampling and meta-analyses provide a powerful, combined approach for investigating large-scale patterns and the mechanisms underlying them.

Spatial Variation in Development of Epibenthic Assemblages in a Coastal Lagoon

Spatial and temporal patterns in colonization of epibenthic assemblages were measured in a coastal lagoon on the west coast of Italy using recruitment panels. It was proposed that if the ecological processes influencing development of assemblages were homogeneous within the lagoon, then there should be no differences in mean cover of colonists nor in spatial patterns of variance in abundance in different areas of the lagoon. In contrast, heterogeneity in ecological processes affecting development would be revealed by spatial variability in colonization. To test these hypotheses, two sticks each with five replicate panels were placed 3–5m apart in each of two sites 30–100m apart in each of three locations 500–100m apart; the experiment was repeated three times between April and December 1999, using new sites at each location each time. The results revealed considerable spatial variation in the structure of developing assemblages across locations. There were significant Location or Time×Location effects in the mean abundance of common taxa, such asEnteromorpha intestinalis , Ulva rigida, Cladophora spp., bryozoans and serpulids. Patterns in spatial variation differed among locations for these organisms. Collectively, the results supported a model of spatial heterogeneity in intensity of processes influencing patterns of recruitment and development of epibenthic assemblages in the Lagoon of Orbetello. The implications of these results for management of environmental problems in complex, variable habitats such as coastal lagoons, are discussed.

Competitive dominance by tabular corals: an experimental analysis of recruitment and survival of understorey assemblages.

Tabular and staghorn corals of the genus Acropora often form low-diversity stands on shallow coral reefs, presumably due to their rapid growth rate and ability to outcompete understorey assemblages. Coral cover underneath the abundant Indo-Pacific tabular coral, Acropora hyacinthus, was four times lower than on the adjacent substratum on the reef crest at Lizard Island on the northern Great Barrier Reef. We investigated the effect of A. hyacinthus on patterns of recruitment and mortality by placing experimental panels and coral fragments underneath large colonies of A. hyacinthus. After 8 weeks, recruitment of corals, filamentous algae and crustose coralline algae (CCA) underneath A. hyacinthus was 96, 85 and 50% lower, respectively, compared to panels placed in the open. In contrast, recruitment by bivalves and polychaetes was uniform among treatments, while bryozoans recruited four times more abundantly under A. hyacinthus than in the open. Consequently, the low rate of recruitment by corals beneath A. hyacinthus does not appear to be due to a reduction in the delivery of larvae underneath tables. Instead, the disparity between phototrophic and heterotrophic taxa suggests that diminished light levels under A. hyacinthus are partially responsible for the divergence in recruit assemblages. To test the effect of A. hyacinthus on early mortality and growth of established organisms, recruitment panels were placed on the open for 9 weeks then transplanted underneath A. hyacinthus for a further 8 weeks. The survivorship of juvenile corals underneath tables was less than half that of those on control panels on the unshaded reef crest. Furthermore, the abundance of algal turfs and CCA was sharply lower on transplanted panels. In contrast, heterotrophic organisms increased in cover, regardless of treatment. Experimental branch fragments of Acropora intermedia and Pocillopora damicornis also survived poorly following transplantation underneath A. hyacinthus, compared to adjacent, unshaded controls. We conclude that A. hyacinthus is a formidable competitor which can kill neighbouring corals by overgrowing them, and pre-empt future competition by reducing coral recruitment.

Morphometric patterns of two fouling Eudendrium spp. (Hydrozoa, Anthomedusae, Eudendriidae) from São Sebastião (SP, SE Brazil)

Thirty colonies of Eudendrium carneum and 100 colonies of E. glomeratum, collected on recruitment panels in São Sebastião (SP, SE Brazil), were studied concerning morphometrical parameters and compared with morphometrical data available from other locations. The results show that E. carneum from Brazil has a relatively smaller morphometric variation than colonies of E. glomeratum for Brazil and other areas. Both morphological and speciation causes are suggested as possible explanations for the high variation of E. glomeratum.

Recruitment of marine invertebrates to hard substrates at deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise and Galapagos spreading center

Recruitment panels were placed at and near hydrothermal vent communities at three sites on the Galapagos spreading center and one site on the East Pacific Rise at 21°N. Deployment periods ranged from 26 days (Clam Acres, 21°N) to 260–320 days (Rose Garden, Garden of Eden, Mussel Bed, GSC) to 1216 days (Clam Acres). Recruitment of gastropod post-larvae and juveniles was observed on arrays deployed at Clam Acres for 26 days. Regardless of length of deployment, populations of polychaetes, mollusks, and barnacles colonizing the panels were predominantly post-larval, juvenile, or sub-adult stages. We suggest that some combination of competition, migration, and predation maintains these populations in immature stages. Size distributions of individuals within a taxon on panels deployed for 1216 days are broad, suggesting intermittent or continuous recruitment in many of the vent-associated species rather than a single episodic recruitment event. Folliculinid and foraminiferan protozoans were the most abundant eucaryotic organisms colonizing long-term deployments at Clam Acres. On the Galapagos spreading center, level of recruitment differed among the vent sites, with Rose Garden > Garden of Eden ⪢ Mussel Bed. Recruitment of vent-associated species was greater on panels placed within vent communities compared to panels placed adjacent to these communities. This observation is consistent with the maintenance of vent communities in discrete regions of hydrothermal flux.