Population dynamics of a sponge/macroalgal symbiosis; possible causes for a patchy distribution at One Tree Reef, Great Barrier Reef

1 Pages·1999·0.2 MB·English

by  D A Trautman

602 MEMOIRS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM
POPULATION DYNAMICS OF A populations ofHaliclona/Ceratodictyon appear to be
SPONGE/MACROALGAL SYMBIOSIS: maintained by fragmentation and the size-frequency
POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR A PATCHY distribution is skewed toward smaller individuals. In
DISTRIBUTION AT ONE TREE REEF, GREAT the centre of the lagoon, clumps of the association
BARRIER REEF. Memoirs of the Queensland grow to much larger sizes. Fusion experiments
Museum 44: 602. 1999:- Haliclona cymiformis is a between individuals collected from different sites
tropicalmarinespongethatisfoundonlyinassociation showed some histocompatibility, suggesting that
witharedmacroalga,Ceratodictyonspongiosum.This existing populations ofHaliclona/Ceratodictyon may
association is commonly found on coral reef flats have originated from the same parent population. G
whereitisfrequentlythemostprominentmacroscopic Porifera, Haliclona cymiformis, Ceratodictyon
organism. At One Tree Reef, populations of spongiosum, symbiosis, distribution, size-frequency,
Haliclona/Ceratodictyonaregenerallyrestrictedtothe reproduction,fragmentation, histocompatibility.
rubble banksjust inside the reefcrest that surrounds
One Tree Lagoon. Only one population of the Donelle A. Trautman* (email: dtrautma@
association is found in the centre ofthe lagoon. It is bio.usyd.edu.au), School ofBiological Sciences and
likely that the lack ofrocky substrata in the centre of Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western
thelagoonlimitstherecruitmentoftheassociationinto Australia6150, Australia; ^Presentaddress:Department
newareas. Sexual reproductionbythespongeappears ofScience (Biological Sciences), University ofSydney,
to be rare at OneTree Reef. At the rubble bank sites, Biological Sciences A12, NSW2006 Australia; 1 June
1998.