Abstract
Sponges mediate consolidation of Porites furcata rubble on shallow Caribbean reefs by quickly adhering to rubble and stabilizing it until carbonate secreting organisms can grow and consolidate it to the reef. Experimental investigations demonstrate that the entire cycle from (1) temporary binding of rubble by sponges, through (2) rubble consolidation by encrusting coralline algae, to (3) colonization of consolidated rubble by corals, can be completed within 10 months. Bound rubble both adds to vertical reef growth and also provides stable substrata for colonization by corals. Corals that colonize stabilized rubble are damaged less and survive better than on unstable rubble. Rubble that is not temporarily stabilized by sponges does not become bound to the reef, because continuous movement disturbs the consolidation process, and does not provide suitable substrata for settlement and growth of corals. Sponge-mediated consolidation of rubble may increase rates of reef growth and enhance reef recovery after damage. This new role for sponges in reef growth is not obvious from examination of the internal fabric of a reef frame. Spongemediated consolidation may help to explain geographic and temporal differences in growth and morphology among shallow reefs of ramose corals.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Basan PB (1973) Aspects of sedimentation and development of a carbonate bank in the Barracuda Keys, South Florida. J Sediment Petrol 43:42–53
Bathurst RGC (1967) Subtidal gelatinous mat, sand stabilizer and food, Great Bahama Bank. J Geol 75:736–738
Bonem RK, Stanley GD (1977) Zonation of a lagoonal patch reef: analysis, comparison, and implications for fossil biohermal assemblages. Proc 3rd Int Coral Reef Symp 2:175–181
Ginsburg RN, Lowenstam HA (1958) The influence of marine bottom communities on the depositional environment of sediments. J Geol 66:310–318
Ginsburg RN, Shinn EA, Schroeder JH (1967) Submarine cementation and internal sedimentation within Bermuda reefs. Geol Soc Am Spec Pap 115:78–79
Glynn PW (1973) Aspects of the ecology of coral reefs in the Western Atlantic region. In: Jones OA, Endean R (eds) Biology and geology of coral reefs, vol 2: Biology I. Academic Press, New York London, pp 271–324
Glynn PW (1974) Rolling stones among the Scleratina: mobile coralliths in the Gulf of Panama. Proc. 2nd Int Coral Reef Symp 2:183–198
Glynn PW (1976) Some physical and biological determinants of coral community structure in the Eastern Pacific. Ecol Monogr 46:431–456
Glynn PW, Macintyre IG (1977) Growth rate and age of coral reefs on the Pacific coast of Panama. Proc 3rd Int Coral Reef Symp 2:251–259
Glynn PW, Stewart RH, McCosker JE (1972) Pacific coral reefs of Panama: structure, distribution, and predators. Geol Rundsch 61:483–519
Goreau TF, Hartman WD (1963) Boring sponges as controlling factors in the formation and maintenance of coral reefs. In: Sognnaes RF (ed) Mechanisms of hard tissue destruction. Am Assoc Adv Sci Publ 75:25–54
Goreau TF, Hartman WD (1966) Sponge: effect on the form of reef corals. Science 151:343–344
Goreau TF, Land LS (1974) Fore-reef morphology and depositional processes, North Jamaica. In: Laporte LF (ed) Reefs in time and space. Soc Econ Paleontol Mineral Spec Publ 18:77–89
Hartman WD (1977) Sponges as reef builders and shapers. Am Assoc Petrol Geol Stud Geol, 4
Hartman WD, Wendt JW, Wiedenmayer F (1980) Living and fossil sponges. Sedimenta VIII. University of Miama Press, Miami, Fla
Hechtel GJ (1969) New species and records of shallow water Demospongiae from Barbados, West Indies. Postilla No 132. Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Conn
James NP, Ginsburg RN, Marszalek DS, Choquette PW (1975) Facies and fabric specificity of early subsea cements in shallow Belize (British Honduras) reefs. J Sediment Petrol 46:523–544
Land LS, Goreau TF (1970) Submarine lithification of Jamaican reefs. J Sediment Petrol 40:457–462
Macintyre IG (1977) Distribution of submarine sediments in a modern Caribbean fringing reef, Galeta Point, Panama. J Sediment Petrol 47:503–516
Macintyre IG, Mountjoy EW, D'Anglejan BF (1968) An occurrence of submarine cementation of carbonate sediments off the west coast of Barbados, W.I. J Sediment Petrol 38:660–664
Neumann AC, Gebelein CD, Scoffin TP (1970) The composition, structure, and erodability of subtidal mats, Abaco, Bahamas. J Sediment Petrol 40:274–297
Paine RT (1980) Food webs: linkage, interaction strength and community infrastructure. J Anim Ecol 49:667–685
Robertson DR, Glynn PW (1977) Proc 3rd Int Coral Reef Symp (Field Guidebook to the Reefs of San Blas Islands, Panama)
Schroeder JH, Zankl H (1974) Dynamic reef formation: a sedimentological concept based on studies of Recent Bermuda and Bahama reefs. Proc 2nd Int Coral Reef Symp 2:413–428
Scoffin TP (1970) The trapping and binding of subtidal carbonate sediments by marine vegetation in Bimini Lagoon, Bahamas. J Sediment Petrol 40:249–273
Stearn CW, Scoffin TP (1977) Carbonate budget of a fringing reef, Barbados. Proc 3rd Int Coral Reef Symp 2:471–476
Steneck RS (1983) Escalating herbivory and resulting adaptive trends in calcareous algal crusts. Paleobiology 9:44–61
Stoddart DR (1969) Ecology and morphology of recent coral reefs. Biol Rev 44:433–498
Vine PJ (1974) Effects of algal grazing and aggressive behavior of the fishes Pomacentrus lividus and Acanthurus sohal on coral-reef ecology. Mar Biol 24:131–136
Wulff JL, Buss LW (1979) Do sponges help hold coral reefs together? Nature (London) 281:474–475
Zankl H, Schroeder JH (1972) Interaction of genetic processes in Holocene reefs off North Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. Geol Rundsch 61:520–541
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wulff, J.L. Sponge-mediated coral reef growth and rejuvenation. Coral Reefs 3, 157–163 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00301960
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00301960