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An assessment of shallow and mesophotic reef brachyuran crab assemblages on the south shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i

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Abstract

Shallow coral reefs are extensively studied but, although scleractinian corals have been recorded to 165 m, little is known about other mesophotic coral reef ecosystem (MCE) inhabitants. Brachyuran crabs fill many ecological and trophic niches on reefs, making them ideal candidates for evaluating species composition among depths to ask whether MCEs host the same communities as shallower reef communities that have been well studied. Here we deployed autonomous reef monitoring structures for 2 yr on the south shore of O‘ahu along a depth gradient (12, 30, 60, and 90 m) to sample and assess brachyuran crab communities. A total of 663 brachyuran crabs representing 69 morphospecies (16 families) were found. Community composition was not significantly different within depths, but was highly stratified by depth. Each depth was distinct, but the 30 and 60 m depths were least dissimilar from one another. We show that deeper reefs host significantly different brachyuran communities, and at much lower total abundance, than shallow reefs in Hawai‘i, with 4–27 unique morphospecies per depth and only 3 of 69 morphospecies (~4 %) occurring across the entire depth range sampled.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded through a combination of grants including NSF OCE 12-60169, NSF GRFP DGE-1329626, the Jessie D. Kay Fellowship, the Seaver Institute, a UH Mānoa Arts and Humanities Grant, and the Carol Ann & Myron K. Hayashida Scholarship. We thank NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Division and K. Reardon for generous assistance with the shallow ARMS sites and crab identifications and the UH Mānoa Dive Safety Office, D. Pence, K. Stender, J. Jones, and C.J. Bradley for installation and retrieval of the mesophotic ARMS. We thank the ToBo laboratory members, particularly M. Iacchei, C. Ka‘apu-Lyons, and Z. Hee, for discussion, support, and their efforts in the disassembly and sorting of ARMS samples on retrieval. We also thank M. Donahue, R. Coleman, and I. Knapp for their assistance with the analyses and writing. Special thanks are due to B. Bowen & M. Donahue for their service as committee members and their valuable feedback on the manuscript. This is HIMB Contribution #1640 and SOEST #9545.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Coconut Island, P.O. Box 1346, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA

    Kaleonani K. C. Hurley, Molly A. Timmers, Joshua M. Copus & Robert J. Toonen

  2. Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 1000 Pope Road, MSB 312, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Molly A. Timmers

  3. Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI, 96818, USA

    Molly A. Timmers

  4. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI, 96818, USA

    L. Scott Godwin

  5. Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA

    Derek J. Skillings

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  1. Kaleonani K. C. Hurley
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Correspondence to Kaleonani K. C. Hurley.

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Hurley, K.K.C., Timmers, M.A., Godwin, L.S. et al. An assessment of shallow and mesophotic reef brachyuran crab assemblages on the south shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. Coral Reefs 35, 103–112 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-015-1382-z

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