Meeting Abstract

116.6  Monday, Jan. 7  Sponge recovery after extreme mortality events: Taxonomic and morphological patterns in regeneration vs. recruitment WULFF, J/L; Florida State University wulff@bio.fsu.edu

Sponge mortality associated with a dense phytoplankton bloom on the southern portions of the Belize Barrier Reef in late summer 2011 was extreme, with 70% of the sponge biomass abruptly lost. Context for this mortality event was provided by detailed records of community dynamics for the previous five years. Beginning in 2006, all sponges on a set of shallow patch reefs were mapped, identified, and measured for volume at yearly intervals, allowing sponge dynamics to be quantified with respect to biomass, number of individuals, and species. These data revealed an earlier mortality event and documented the early stages of recovery, both on the community level and also for every individual sponge. Differences in the degree to which the 54 sponge species suffered mortality ranged from complete loss to no effect, resulting in immediate significant alterations in community composition. Groups of species defined by higher taxa or by morphology not only experienced mortality very differently, but also recovered differently, with some showing efficient regeneration after partial mortality, others adding small individuals by recruitment, and still others not recovering at all. And because each taxonomically or morphologically defined group of sponge species also contributes differently to ecosystem services, such as water column filtration, hosoting inquilines, feeding spongivores, stabilization of broken corals, and improved coral survival, differential mortality and recovery has caused shifts in how adequately these functional roles are played. Rapid changes in representation of taxonomically-defined groups, at levels from species to order, provide additional strong impetus for continuing efforts aimed at thorough understanding of sponge systematics.