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First published online August 22, 2008
Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 2827-2831 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
doi: 10.1242/jeb.019216

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Chemical and mechanical bioerosion of boring sponges from Mexican Pacific coral reefs

Héctor Nava^1,2,* and José Luis Carballo¹

¹ Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Avenida Joel Montes Camarena, s/n. apartado postal 811, 82000 Mazatlán, México
² Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, ICML, UNAM, Mexico

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: oemit{at}ola.icmyl.unam.mx)

Accepted 7 July 2008

Species richness (S) and frequency of invasion (IF) by boring sponges on living colonies of Pocillopora spp. from National Park Isla Isabel (México, East Pacific Ocean) are presented. Twelve species belonging to the genera Aka, Cliona, Pione, Thoosa and Spheciospongia were found, and 56% of coral colonies were invaded by boring sponges, with Cliona vermifera Hancock 1867 being the most abundant species (30%). Carbonate dissolution rate and sediment production were quantified for C. vermifera and Cliona flavifodina Rützler 1974. Both species exhibited similar rates of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) dissolution (1.2±0.4 and 0.5±0.2 kg CaCO₃ m^–2 year^–1, respectively, mean ± s.e.m.), and sediment production (3.3±0.6 and 4.6±0.5 kg CaCO₃ m^–2 year^–1), resulting in mean bioerosion rates of 4.5±0.9 and 5.1±0.5 kg CaCO₃ m^–2 year^–1, respectively. These bioerosion rates are close to previous records of coral calcification per unit of area, suggesting that sponge bioerosion alone can promote disequilibrium in the reef accretion/destruction ratio in localities that are heavily invaded by boring sponges. The proportion of dissolved material by C. vermifera and C. flavifodina (27 and 10.2%, respectively) confirms that chemical bioerosion plays an important role in sponge bioerosion and in the CaCO₃ cycle in coral reefs.

Key words: coral reef, boring sponge, bioerosion rate, carbonate dissolution, sediment production, Mexican Pacific Ocean

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