Hoeksema, B.W.

Electronic Supplementary Material 1

This supplementary data belongs to the article:  Hoeksema, B.W., van der Loos, L.M., van Moorsel, G.W.N.M., 2022. Coral diversity matches marine park zonation but not economic value of coral reef sites at St. Eustatius, eastern Caribbean. Journal of Environmental Management.

 

https://www.dcbd.nl/document/coral-diversity-matches-marine-park-zonatio...

Date
2022
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
St. Eustatius

Host-related Morphological Variation of Dwellings Inhabited by the Crab Domecia acanthophora in the Corals Acropora palmata and Millepora complanata (Southern Caribbean)

A team of researchers from Naturalis Biodiversity Center, ANEMOON Foundation, and colleagues from various intitutes, performed several bodiversity surveys in the Dutch Caribbean (Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Eustatius). These expeditions were organized by professor Bert Hoeksema, who is the coral expert at Naturalis and honorary professor of tropical marine biodiversity at the University of Groningen. The team discovered, amongst others, some new associations for Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus spp.) as symbionts within different coral species. These worms live partly inside the coral and appeared to be able survive when the host coral becomes covered by encrusting animals, who then serves as a secondary host. Surprisingly, most discoveries were made in very shallow water (less than 2 m depth), where scuba divers may spend less time when compared to greater depths.

Date
2020
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Journal
Geographic location
Bonaire
Curacao

Extension of the Recorded Host Range of Caribbean Christmas Tree Worms (Spirobranchus spp.) with Two Scleractinians, a Zoantharian, and an Ascidian

Caribbean Christmas tree worms (Annelida: Polychaeta: Serpulidae: Spirobranchus) are considered host generalists in their associations with anthozoan (Scleractinia) and hydrozoan (Millepora) stony corals. As planktonic larvae, they settle on coral surfaces and start secreting a calcareous tube to be used as a dwelling. This tube usually becomes overgrown by the host coral (except for its opening) and may get encapsulated deep inside the coral skeleton. In this manner, the well-protected worms grow and survive predation and other hazards, allowing them to live for over four decades. When the host corals are overgrown by other organisms, such as octocorals and sponges, these may act as secondary hosts.

Date
2020
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Journal
Geographic location
Aruba
Bonaire
Curacao
Saba
Saba bank
St. Eustatius
St. Maarten

A review of Caribbean Copepoda associated with reef-dwelling cnidarians, echinoderms and sponges

This review of copepod crustaceans associated with reef-dwelling cnidarians, sponges and echinoderms of the Greater Caribbean is based on published records, systematically arranged by the classification of symbiotic copepods and their hosts, sampling sites, coordinates, depth and date of sampling, literature sources, and three recent surveys (Cuba, St. Eustatius in the Eastern Caribbean and Curaçao in the Southern Caribbean). This resulted in totals of 532 records of 115 species of symbiotic copepods (47 genera, 17 families, three orders) hosted by 80 species of invertebrates, representing scleractinians (47%), octocorals (9%), echinoderms (3%), and sponges (1%). Among ten Caribbean ecoregions, the Greater Antilles (with 64 species of symbiotic copepods) as well as the Southern and Eastern Caribbean (with 46 and 17 species of copepods, respectively) are the most studied and best represented, whereas only six species of copepods are known from Bermuda, one from Southwestern Caribbean and none from the Gulf of Mexico. The absence of poecilostomatoid copepods (Anchimolgidae, Rhynchomolgidae and Xarifidae) on Caribbean stony corals as noted by Stock (1988) is confirmed. The results indicate that the diversity and ecology of Caribbean symbiotic copepods are still poorly investigated.

Keywords: CrustaceaCnidariaEchinodermataPoriferareefs, diversitysymbiosisparasitism

Date
2019
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Curacao
St. Eustatius

The rise of a native sun coral species on southern Caribbean coral reefs

 Abstract. In contrast with a general decline of Caribbean reef corals, a previously rare sun coral is increasing in abundance within shallow coral communities on Curacao. This azooxanthellate scleractinian was identified as Cladopsammia manuelensis, which has an amphi-Atlantic distribution. Over the last decade, C. manuelensis has increased abundance along the leeward coast of Curacao (southern Caribbean) between depths of 4 and 30 m. This species was initially not noticed because it resembles the invasive coral Tubastraea coccinea, which was introduced to Curacao from the Indo-Pacific around 1940. However, in contrast to T. coccinea, C. manuelensis was previously only present on deeper reef sections (>70 m) of Caribbean reefs. Our observations illustrate how the sudden increase in abundance of a previously unnoticed, apparently cryptogenic species could result from natural dynamics on present-day reefs, but also could easily be mistaken for an invasive species. The finding that deep reef sections can harbor species capable of colonizing shallower reef zones highlights the importance of thorough inventories of reef communities across large depth ranges, which can help us to discriminate between range increases of native species and the arrival of invasives.

Key words: bathymetric distribution; Cladopsammia; coral reefs; cryptogenic; deep water; Dendrophylliidae; invasive; native; Rhizopsammia; Tubastraea;.

Date
2019
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Journal
Geographic location
Curacao

A review of Caribbean Copepoda associated with reef-dwelling cnidarians, echinoderms and sponges

This review of copepod crustaceans associated with reef-dwelling cnidarians, sponges and echinoderms of the Greater Caribbean is based on published records, systematically arranged by the classification of symbiotic copepods and their hosts, sampling sites, coordinates, depth and date of sampling, literature sources, and three recent surveys (Cuba, St. Eustatius in the Eastern Caribbean and Curaçao in the Southern Caribbean). This resulted in totals of 532 records of 115 species of symbiotic copepods (47 genera, 17 families, three orders) hosted by 80 species of invertebrates, representing scleractinians (47%), octocorals (9%), echinoderms (3%), and sponges (1%). Among ten Caribbean ecoregions, the Greater Antilles (with 64 species of symbiotic copepods) as well as the Southern and Eastern Caribbean (with 46 and 17 species of copepods, respectively) are the most studied and best represented, whereas only six species of copepods are known from Bermuda, one from Southwestern Caribbean and none from the Gulf of Mexico. The absence of poecilostomatoid copepods (Anchimolgidae, Rhynchomolgidae and Xarifidae) on Caribbean stony corals as noted by Stock (1988) is confirmed. The results indicate that the diversity and ecology of Caribbean symbiotic copepods are still poorly investigated.

Date
2019
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
Curacao
St. Eustatius

Coral injuries caused by Spirobranchus opercula with and without epibiotic turf algae at Curaçao

Reef-dwelling Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus spp.) are common coral associates. Their calcareous tubes are usually embedded in the coral skeleton and can be closed by an operculum. Tubes not overgrown by coral tissue either remain bare or become covered by algae. Despite their widespread distribution, high abundance and striking appearance, little is known about the impact of these worms on their hosts. We quantifed visible coral damage caused by Spirobranchus in Curaçao (Southern Caribbean) and found that 62.6% of worm opercula (n = 1323) caused abrasions and tissue loss in their hosts. Filamentous turf algae, known to be potentially harmful to corals, covered 76.9% of the opercula. Examination of the six most frequently inhabited host species showed a variation in the damage percentages, although this was independent of the presence of epibiotic algae on 78.4% of all opercula. Since injured corals are more susceptible to diseases, the overall negative impact of Spirobranchus worms on their hosts may be more severe than previously assumed.

Date
2019
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Journal
Geographic location
Curacao

One-Third of Reef-Building Corals Face Elevated Extinction Risk from Climate Change and Local Impacts

The conservation status of 845 zooxanthellate reef-building coral species was assessed by using International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Criteria. Of the 704 species that could be assigned conservation status, 32.8% are in categories with elevated risk of extinction. Declines in abundance are associated with bleaching and diseases driven by elevated sea surface temperatures, with extinction risk further exacerbated by local-scale anthropogenic disturbances. The proportion of corals threatened with extinction has increased dramatically in recent decades and exceeds that of most terrestrial groups. The Caribbean has the largest proportion of corals in high extinction risk categories, whereas the Coral Triangle (western Pacific) has the highest proportion of species in all categories of elevated extinction risk. Our results emphasize the widespread plight of coral reefs and the urgent need to enact conservation measures. 

Date
2008
Data type
Scientific article
Theme
Research and monitoring
Journal

High coral cover at lower mesophotic depths: a dense Agaricia community at the leeward side of Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean

Coral cover at lower mesophotic depths (particular- ly >75 m) by zooxanthellate scleractinians is usually very scarce, largely due to the extremely low irradiance levels at these depths. An exception are the Leptoseris communities observed near the Hawaiian islands (Central Pacific) that form dense fields, supporting a broad range of associated organ- isms. Here, we describe a similar high-cover coral community at lower mesophotic depths, but in the Caribbean. The com- munity was observed on the leeward side of Curaçao (Southern Caribbean) using a manned submersible (Curasub), and was predominantly composed of plating Agaricia corals and an assemblage of reef fishes. Some of the fish species were known from similar depths at other lo- calities, whereas others obtained new depth records. Future surveys are required to establish the extent of similar high- coral communities around Curaçao, and more broadly in the western Atlantic. 

Date
2015
Data type
Scientific article
Geographic location
Curacao

Dutch Caribbean Species Register

On December 5, 2017, the launch of the Dutch Caribbean Species Register took place: www. dutchcaribbeanspecies.org.

This website is intended to become a useful tool for nature conservation, biodiversity research, and education in the Dutch Caribbean!

 

This news-item was published in BioNews 10-2017.

Date
2017
Data type
Media