Event Abstract

Comunity structure and habitat characterization of Neoschrammeniella cf. bowerbankii (Porifera, Corallistidae) aggregations in the Cantabrian Sea

  • 1 Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico Santander, Spain
  • 2 University of Alcalá, Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Spain
  • 3 University of Bergen, Department of Biological Sciences and K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep-Sea Research, Norway
  • 4 University of Porto, CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Portugal
  • 5 Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico Gijón, Spain

The "lithistids" or rock sponges are an artificial group of demosponges that share the possession of a rigid skeleton, as a result of articulated spicules, named desmas. Actually are classified in Tetractinellida, Bubarida and Sphaerocladina Orders. Neoschrammeniella is a recent genus included in the family Corallistidae (Tetractinellida) that is known since the Jurassic being ∼188 Ma the estimated age for its possible diversification. This genus has a wide distribution and is known to occur in the Northeast Atlantic, Pacific and Antarctic Oceans. Here we describe for the first time the community structure of aggregations of the sponge Neoschrammeniella cf. bowerbankii in the Cantabrian Sea. This study is based on the analyses of visual transects using photogrammetric sledge (Fig.1) and samples collected by rock dredge (Fig. 2), in two geomorphological features, Le Danois Bank and the Corbiro Canyon of important conservation status as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) and as a Site of Community Importance (SCI). These sponge aggregations had similar ranges in both areas, 477-760m in Le Danois Bank and 520-760m in the Corbiro Canyon, and under similar environmental conditions. The temperature of water is 10.3010.86ºC in the Corbiro and 10.5011.14ºC in Le Danois Bank. The salinity range is 35.5635.72 ppm in the Corbiro and 35.5935.66 ppm in Le Danois Bank. The habitat is hard substrata, but bedrock in the Corbiro Canyon and boulders with mixed sediments in Le Danois Bank, but with much more density in the first one (200 live indiv./ha) than in Le Danois Bank (39.4 live indiv./ha). Several dead specimens whose siliceous skeleton persist after sponge were also observed and collected and appeared to also provide habitat to other macrofauna. The lithistid sponge aggregation may be subjected to gill nets impact in the Corbiro with anglerfish (Lophius spp.) as target species. Neoschrammeniella cf. bowerbanki are distributed mainly in the very vertical slope which is not appropriate for the fishing gear and usually the fishermen do not launch their gear in this area (data from logbooks and VMS, Punzón et al., 2016). In Le Danois Bank, the aggregation was subjected to bottom longlines targeting Alfonsino (Beryx decadactylus), Splendid alfonsino (B. spendens) and Blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) between 1970 and 2011, date in which it was recognized as Marine Protected Area. Similar to the aggregated clumps of another lithistid species (Leiodermatium pfeifferae) recently recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, this discovery provides new insights into how the Mesozoic lithistid formations developed and functioned and is of great conservation relevance. Figure legends Figure 1. 3D reconstruction of video transect using Pix4D Mapper Pro. Green points show the camera’s position. Figure 2. Samples of Neoschrammeniella cf. bowerbankii collected in the Corbiro Canyon.

Figure 1
Figure 2

Acknowledgements

This research has been performed in the scope of the SponGES project, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 679849. This study was partially funded by the European Commission LIFE+ “Nature and Biodiversity” call, and included in the INDEMARES Project (07/NAT/E/000732). The Biodiversity Foundation, of the Ministry of the Environment, was the institution responsible for coordinating this project.

References

Punzón, A., Arronte, J. C., Sánchez, F., and García-Alegre, A. (2016). Spatial characterization of the fisheries in the Avilés Canyon System (Cantabrian Sea, Spain). Ciencias Marinas, 42: 237–260.

Keywords: VEMS, Porifera aggregations, Photogrammetry characterization, Neoschrammeniella habitat, Cantabrian Sea

Conference: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) , Braga, Portugal, 9 Sep - 12 Sep, 2019.

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Topic: Ecology, Biodiversity and Vulnerable Ecosystems

Citation: Ríos P, Carvalho FC, Sánchez F, Prado E, Rodríguez A, Xavier JR, Patrocinio T and Cristobo J (2019). Comunity structure and habitat characterization of Neoschrammeniella cf. bowerbankii (Porifera, Corallistidae) aggregations in the Cantabrian Sea. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) . doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2019.08.00122

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Received: 15 May 2019; Published Online: 27 Sep 2019.

* Correspondence: Dr. Pilar Ríos, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico Santander, Madrid, Spain, pilar.rios.lopez@gmail.com