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The diversity and distribution of mesophotic benthic invertebrates at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

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Abstract

The effective management of marine species relies on a comprehensive understanding of how the environment can influence biodiversity and distributions. This study quantified the biodiversity of invertebrates across the phyla Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Mollusca and Porifera from 132 sampling stations along the coast of the Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP) and across depths ranging from 30 to 123 m, providing a broad assessment of the biodiversity of marine invertebrates in mesophotic habitats of the NMP. Benthic sleds were used to sample biodiversity and specimens identified to the highest taxonomic resolution. Single-beam and multibeam surveys of the seabed were performed to derive 58 spatial and bathymetric variables used to assess their relevance to the distributions of benthic diversity. A total of 787 taxa were identified across the four phyla, of which 51% were rare and sampled from a single station. Latitude and depth were significant in structuring the invertebrate diversity in the mesophotic, with Point Cloates notably identified as a significant geographical feature in partitioning diversity to the north and south of the NMP. Depth was more influential at structuring diversity in the northern section of the NMP due to the narrower Ningaloo Shelf, and southern localities including Turtles and Red Bluff were identified as biodiversity hotspots for benthic invertebrates. Importantly, comparisons of diversity within ‘no-take’ and ‘general use’ zones along the NMP indicate that sanctuary zones represent the diversity contained in the marine park, thus highlighting their importance in the protection and conservation of invertebrate diversity for the region.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (Node 3 Project 3.1.1) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science for providing funding for the sampling and identification of the diversity collected in this study. Thank you to the Masters and crew of the RV Cape Ferguson and Solander for supporting the fieldwork. We thank Lisa Kirkendale for comments on drafts of the manuscript. We thank Loisette Marsh for identifying the echinoderms; Shirley Slack-Smith for identifying the molluscs; and Mark Salotti, Oliver Gomez, and Lee Betterridge for technical support. Sample collections for this study were made possible by permits granted by the Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Fisheries. We would like to thank the associate editor Prof. Paulo Lana, and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (Node 3 Project 3.1.1) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, The University of Western Australia, (M096), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Muhammad Azmi Abdul Wahab, Ben Radford, Karen Miller & Andrew Heyward

  2. Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool, WA, 6986, Australia

    Jane Fromont & Andrew M. Hosie

  3. School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6103, Australia

    Andrew M. Hosie

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  1. Muhammad Azmi Abdul Wahab
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Correspondence to Muhammad Azmi Abdul Wahab.

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All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed by the authors.

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Communicated by P. Lana

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Abdul Wahab, M.A., Radford, B., Fromont, J. et al. The diversity and distribution of mesophotic benthic invertebrates at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Mar. Biodivers. 49, 2871–2886 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-019-01015-0

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