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Biogeography of sponge chemical ecology: comparisons of tropical and temperate defenses

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Abstract

Examples from both marine and terrestrial systems have supported the hypothesis that predation is higher in tropical than in temperate habitats and that, as a consequence, tropical species have evolved more effective defenses to deter predators. Although this hypothesis was first proposed for marine sponges over 25 years ago, our study provides the first experimental test of latitudinal differences in the effectiveness of sponge chemical defenses. We collected 20 common sponge species belonging to 14 genera from tropical Guam and temperate Northeast Spanish coasts (Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean biogeographic areas) and conducted field-based feeding experiments with large and small fish predators in both geographic areas. We use the term global deterrence to describe the deterrent activity of a sponge extract against all of the predators used in our experiments and to test the hypothesis that sponges from Guam are chemically better defended than their Mediterranean counterparts. Sympatric and allopatric deterrence refer to the average deterrent activity of a sponge against sympatric or allopatric predators. All of the sponges investigated in this study showed deterrent properties against some predators. However, 35% of the sponge species were deterrent in at least one but not in all the experiments, supporting the idea that predators can respond to chemical defenses in a species-specific manner. Tropical and temperate sponges have comparable global, sympatric, and allopatric deterrence, suggesting not only that chemical defenses from tropical and temperate sponges are equally strong but also that they are equally effective against sympatric and allopatric predators. Rather than supporting geographic trends in the production of chemical defenses, our data suggest a recurrent selection for chemical defenses in sponges as a general life-history strategy.

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank Maria Garcia and Ramon Alos not only for providing the schooner Rael but also for making us feel at home aboard. Gemma Agell, Dave Ginsburg, and Ruth Marti helped with sampling and extraction procedures. Many other people from the UOGML and the CEAB provided assistance in the field and in the laboratory. Comments from two anonymous reviewers improved the manuscript. The U.S.-Spain Joint Commission on Scientific and Technological Cooperation funded this collaborative project between the UOGML and the CEAB. This is contribution number 528 of the University of Guam Marine Laboratory.

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  1. Valerie J. Paul

    Present address: Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Advanced Studies (CEAB, CSIC), 17300, Blanes, GI, Spain

    Mikel A. Becerro & Maria J. Uriz

  2. University of Guam Marine Laboratory, Mangilao, Guam, 96923, USA

    Valerie J. Paul

  3. Department of Animal Biology (Invertebrates), University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Xavier Turon

  4. Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-1170, USA

    Robert W. Thacker

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  1. Mikel A. Becerro
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Correspondence to Mikel A. Becerro.

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Becerro, M.A., Thacker, R.W., Turon, X. et al. Biogeography of sponge chemical ecology: comparisons of tropical and temperate defenses. Oecologia 135, 91–101 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-002-1138-7

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