Home > The sponge gardens of Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

The sponge gardens of Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia


Posted on 22 September 2011

TitleThe sponge gardens of Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2010
AuthorsHeyward, A, Fromont J, Schonberg CHL, Colquhoun J, Radford B, Gomez O
JournalThe Open Marine Biology Journal
Volume4
Issue1
Pagination3 - 11
Date Published10/2010
ISSN18744508
Keywordsbiodiversity, Ningaloo, sponges
AbstractPreliminary results from biodiversity surveys in the deeper waters of Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia revealed that while much of the area is composed of sediments and rhodolith fields with low densities of macroepibenthos, locally dense and extensive filter feeding communities exist. They were distinctly dominated by demosponges, both in biomass and diversity. A subsample of dominant taxa determined by fresh weight yielded 155 different demosponge species from over 350 transects between 18-102 m depth. Data from three successive years of sampling indicated that only a few species were ubiquitous, suggesting that as minor species are identified the cumulative species list will significantly exceed the present species record. This implies greatly enhanced biodiversity values associated with Ningaloo Marine Park, complementing records attributed to the shallow coral reef environment. The richness of the observed filter feeding communities adds additional weight to the increasing perception of Australia as a global hotspot for Porifera biodiversity.
URLhttp://www.benthamscience.com/open/tombj/openaccess2.htm
DOI10.2174/1874450801004010003
Short TitleTOMBJ
Refereed DesignationRefereed