Abstract
A pilot study was conducted at Davies Reef on the central Great Barrier Reef between 20 November 1991 and 20 January 1992 to assess the suitability of settlement collectors for measuring larval settlement rates of echinoderms on coral reefs. The collectors were deployed for two months during summer when many echinoderm species are known to spawn. A total of 657 newly settled echinoderms were recovered from just 47 collectors, each having a volume of just 0.005 m3 but with a utilisable surface area of about 1.44 m2, indicating that competent-to-settle larvae were very abundant during the sampling period. Echinoids (7.8 sampler-1) and ophiuroids (5.6 sampler-1) were the most abundant groups on the collectors. Asteroids (0.2 sampler-1) and crinoids (0.3 sampler-1 were less common. The asteroids were all identified to species and included the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci, Choriaster granulatus and Culcita novaeguineae. The newly settled echinoids could not be distinguished from each other but included Echinometra mathaei and Mespilia globulus. The abundance of each of the five different classes of echinoderms on the samplers was correlated with their abundance on the natural substratum. Significant spatial variability was found in settlement rates of echinoids over 1000s of metres and ophiuroids over 100s of metres, but not over smaller spatial scales. It is concluded that the collectors can provide a useful tool for monitoring spatial and temporal variability in settlement rates of echinoderms on coral reefs and for testing hypotheses about patterns of larval dispersal.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alldredge, A. L., Hamner, W. M. (1980). Recurring aggregation of zooplankton by a tidal current. Estuar. cstl mar. Sci. 10:31–37
Babcock, R. C. (1989) Fine-scale spatial and temporal patterns in coral settlement. Proc. 6th int. coral reef Symp. 2:635–639. [Choat, J. H., et al. (eds.) Sixth International Coral Reef Symposium Executive Committee, Townsville]
Babcock, R. C., Mundy, C. N. (1992). Reproductive biology, spawning and field fertilisation rates of Acanthaster planci (L). Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 43:525–534
Baker, V. J., Bass, D. K., Christie, C. A., Miller, I. R., Miller-Smith, B. A., Thompson, A. A. (1991). Broadscale surveys of crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef 1990 to 1991. Crown-of-Thorns Study Report; Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
Birkeland, C. (1989). Terrestrial runoff as the cause of outbreaks of Acanthaster planci (Echinodermata: Asteroidea). Mar. Biol. 69:175–185
Birkeland, C. (1982). The influence of echinoderms on coral-reef communities. In: Jangoux, M., Lawrence, J. (eds.) Echinoderm studies. Vol. 3. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 1–79
Black, K. P. (1989). The relationship of reef hydrodynamics to variations in numbers of planktonic larvae on and around coral reefs. Proc. 6th int. coral Reef Symp. 2:125–130 [Choat, J. H., et al. (eds.) Sixth International Coral Reef Symposium Executive Committee, Townsville]
Black, K. P., Moran, P. J. (1991). Influence of hydrodynamics on the passive dispersal and initial recruitment of larvae of Acanthaster planci (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) on the Great Barrier Reef. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 69:55–65
Cameron, R. A., Schroeter, S. C. (1980). Sea urchin recruitment: effect of substrate selection on juvenile distribution. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 2:243–247
Connell, J. H. (1985). The consequences of variation in initial settlement vs post-settlement mortality in rocky intertidal communities. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 93:11–45
Dight, I. J., James, M. K., Bode, L. (1990). Modelling the larval dispersal of Acanthaster planci. II. Patterns of reef connectivity. Coral Reefs 9:125–134
Doherty, P. J., Davidson, J. (1989). Monitoring the distribution and abundance of juvenile Acanthaster planci in the central Great Barrier Reef. Proc. 6th int. Coral Reef Symp. 2:131–136 [Choat, J. H., et al. (eds.) Sixth International Coral Reef Symposium Executive Committee, Townsville]
Done, T. J. (1985). Effects of two Acanthaster outbreaks on coral community structure: the meaning of devastation. Proc. 5th int. coral Reef Congr. 5:315–320 [Gabrié, C., et al. (eds.) Antenne Museum-EPHE, Moorea, French Polynesial
Endean, R., Cameron, A. M., Devantier, L. M. (1989). Acanthaster planci predation on massive corals: the myth of rapid recovery of devastated reefs. Proc. 6th int. Coral Reef Symp. 2:143–148 [Choat, J. H., et al. (eds.) Sixth International Coral Reef Symposium Executive Committee, Townsville]
Glynn, P. W. (1976). Some physical and biological determinats of coral community structure in the eastern Pacific. Ecol. Monogr. 46:431–456
Glynn, P. W. (1987). Some ecological consequences of coral-crustacean guard mutualisms in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Symbiosis 4:301–324
Harrold, C., Lisin, S., Light, K. H., Tudor, S. (1991) Isolating settlemen from recruitment of sea urchins. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 147:81–94
Ikegami, S., Mitsuno, T., Kataoka, M., Yajima, S., Komatsu, M. (1991). Immunological survey of planktonic embryos and larvae of the starfish Asterina pectinifera, obtained from the sea, using a monoclonal antibody directed against egg polypeptides. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 181:95–103
Johnson, C. R., Sutton, D. C., Olson, R. R., Giddins, R. (1991). Settlement of crown-of-thorns starfish: role of bacteria on surfaces of coralline algae and a hypothesis for deepwater recruitment. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 71:143–162
Keesing, J. K. (1993). Influence of persistent sub-infestation density Acanthaster planci (L). and high density Echinometra mathaei (de Blainville) populations on coral reef community structure in Okinawa, Japan. Proc. 7th int. coral Reef Symp. (in press) [Richmond, R. H. (ed.) University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam]
Keesing, J. K., Halford, A. R. (1992a). The importance of pre- and post-settlement processes for the population dynamics of Acanthaster planci (L.). Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 43:635–651
Keesing, J. K., Halford, A. R. (1992b). Field measurement of survival rates of juvenile Acanthaster planci (L.): techniques and preliminary results. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 85:107–114
Keesing, J. K., Lucas, J. S. (1992). Field measurement of feeding and movement rates of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (L.). J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 156:89–104
Keough, M. J. (1986). The distribution of a bryozoan on seagrass blades: settlement, growth and mortality. Ecology 67:846–857
Keough, M. J., Downes, B. J. (1982). Recruitment of marine invertebrates: the role of active larval choices and early mortality. Oecologia 54:348–352
Luckenbach, M. W. (1984). Settlement and early post-settlement survival in the recruitment of Mulinia lateralis (Bivalvia). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 17:245–250
McClanahan, T. R., Muthiga, N. A. (1988). Changes in Kenyan coral reef community structure and function due to exploitation. Hydrobiologia 166:269–276
McShane, P. E. (1991). Density-dependent mortality of recruits of the abalone Haliotis rubra (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Mar. Biol. 110:385–389
McShane, P. E., Black, K. P., Smith, M. G. (1988). Recruitment processes in Haliotis rubra (Mollusca: Gastropoda) and regional hydrodynamics in south-eastern Australia imply localised dispersal of larvae. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 124:175–203
Pedrotti, M. L., Fenaux, L. (1992). Dispersal of echinoderm larvae in a geographical area marked by upwelling (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean) Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 86:217–227
Phillips, B. F. (1986). Prediction of commercial catches of the Western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sciences 43:2126–2130
Rowley, R. J. (1989). Settlement and recuitment of sea urchins Strongylocentrotus spp.) in a sea-urchin barren ground and a kelp bed: are populations regulated by settlement or post-settlement processes? Mar. Biol. 100:485–494
Rowley, R. J. (1990). Newly settled sea urchins in a kelp bed and sea urchin barrens: a comparison of growth and mortality. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 62:229–240
Sammarco, P. W., Andrews, J. C. (1989). The Helix experiment: differential localized dispersal and recruitment patterns in Great Barrier Reef corals. Limnol. Oceanogr. 34:896–912
Sause, B. L., Gwyther, D., Burgess, D. C. (1987). Larval settlement, juvenile growth and the potential use of spatfall indices to predict recruitment of the scallop, Pecten alba Tate, in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia. Fish. Res. 6:81–92
Warner, R. R., Hughes, T. P. (1989). The population dynamics of reef fishes. Proc. 6th int. coral Reef Symp. 1:149–155 [Choat, J. H., et al. (eds.) Sixth International Coral Reef Symposium Executive Committee, Townsville]
Young, C. M., Chia, F.-S. (1982). Factors controlling spatial distribution of the sea cucumber Psolus chitonoides: settling and postsettling behavior. Mar. Biol. 69:195–205
Young, C. M., Chia, F.-S. (1984). Microhabitat-associated variability in survival and growth of subtidal solitary ascidians during the first 21 days after settlement. Mar. Biol. 81:61–68
Zann, L., Brodie, J., Berryman, C., Nakasima, M. (1987). Recruitment, ecology, growth and behaviour of juvenile Acanthaster planci (L.) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea). Bull mar. Sci. 41:561–575
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Keesing, J.K., Cartwright, C.M. & Hall, K.C. Measuring settlement intensity of echinoderms on coral reefs. Marine Biology 117, 399–407 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349315
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349315