Effect of disturbance on assemblages: an example using porifera

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Ecology
• Biodiversity Studies

Background:

• Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve hosts diverse sponge assemblages.
• Habitats within the reserve experience varied environmental conditions over short distances.
• This provides a unique setting to study factors influencing sponge community structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sponge assemblage composition across different hard substrata and energy environments.
• To determine the influence of habitat type and disturbance (flow rate, stability) on sponge communities.
• To identify factors driving variations in sponge distribution within the reserve.

Main Methods:

• Sponge assemblages were surveyed on rocks, cliffs, and artificial slate panels.
• Sites represented both high- and low-energy environments to assess disturbance.
• Bray-Curtis similarity analysis and Multi-Dimensional Scaling visualized assemblage differences.

Main Results:

• Sponge assemblages differed significantly between habitat types (rocks, cliffs, panels).
• Cliffs exhibited distinct assemblages compared to rocks and panels, irrespective of energy levels.
• Sponge morphology influenced habitat suitability, excluding certain species from 2D rock habitats.

Conclusions:

• Habitat type is a primary driver of sponge assemblage structure in Lough Hyne.
• Environmental energy had less impact on sponge communities than habitat characteristics.
• Sponge morphology plays a role in species' distribution across varied habitats.