Sponge diversity patterns across spatial scales in Western Atlantic coral reefs: a hierarchical study from the Mexican Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico
By
Diana Ugalde, Nuno Simões, María Cristina Díaz, Edlin Guerra-Castro
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
This study investigates sponge diversity patterns across Western Atlantic coral reefs using a hierarchical sampling design across five spatial scales (ecoregions to quadrats). Surveys were conducted across 13 coral reefs in the Mexican Caribbean and Southern Gulf of Mexico. The research aims to quantify how ecological processes at different spatial scales influence sponge assemblage structure, addressing a gap in understanding sponge diversity patterns in increasingly sponge-dominated coral reef ecosystems.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledSponges are increasingly dominant components of coral reefs in the Tropical Western Atlantic, yet patterns of their diversity across spatial scales remain poorly quantified.
We applied a hierarchical sampling design across 13 reefs and five spatial scales —ecoregions (thousands of kilometers), subregions (hundreds of kilometers), coral reefs (tens of kilometers), localities (hundreds of meters), and quadrats (meters)— to assess the relative influence of ecological processes structuring sponge assemblages.
Surveys were conducted across 13 coral reefs in the Mexican
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