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Diversity and composition of macro- and meiofaunal carapace epibionts of the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata Linnaeus, 1822) in Atlantic waters

  • Diversity of marine meiofauna on the coast of Brazil
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Abstract

The presence of macro-epibionts on turtle carapaces is a well-known phenomenon, whereby carapaces are occupied by dynamic and fully functional epibiont communities. However, meiofaunal organisms have been largely ignored in turtle shell studies despite their omnipresence and higher abundances and diversity than the macrofauna. Epifauna from the hawksbill sea turtle Eretmochelys imbricata was investigated during summer 2010 with the aim to advance our knowledge on meiofaunal epibiont communities on turtle carapaces and gain insights into their interaction with settled macrofauna. Eighteen epibiont higher taxa were found (17 meiofauna, 5 macrofauna), 5 of which are common for macro- and meiofauna. Meiofauna was present on all turtle carapaces, but macrofauna occurred on only 8 out of 19 investigated carapaces, suggesting that carapace colonization by meiofauna precedes macrofauna recruitment. In addition, the macrofauna embedded on the carapaces increased the microhabitat complexity, favoring richer and more abundant meiofauna communities. The significant positive correlations between meiofauna and macrofauna taxa (up to 90 %) suggests the presence of mutual facilitating processes and indicates the positive effects between meio- and macrofaunal epibionts important for their recruitment and establishment. The hawksbill sea turtle carapaces were occupied by fully functional and active epifaunal communities, with adult and reproductive stages for most meiofaunal and macrofaunal taxa. Turtle carapaces can therefore be seen as a biological substrate that can serve as a platform for faunal dispersal, as has been observed for barnacles, enhancing the geographical distribution of several species through sea turtle migration. In addition to the main focus of this paper on meio- and macrofaunal epibiont communities, we provide an updated list of taxa found on carapaces of the hawksbill sea turtle and discuss the geographical scope and dispersion potential of some of these taxa.

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Notes

  1. As there are very few marine insects, it is suspicious to find this taxon in turtle carapaces. Although we have found this aquatic insect in the samples taken from the carapaces, we cannot confirm whether the insect was living on the carapace or whether it was a sample contamination.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by FACEPE (Fundação de Amparo a Ciência e Tecnologia) grant (IBPG-0027-2.04/10) to the first author and by Federal University of Pernambuco for the laboratory support and the ONG Ecoassociados for the essential help in the field. JI is supported by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme (Grant Agreement FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF No 300879). The authors acknowledge the Guest Editor, Gustavo Fonseca, and anonymous referees for their valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.

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  1. Departmento de Zoologia, CCB, Laboratorio de Meiofauna, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, 50670-901, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

    G. V. V. Corrêa, Y. V. Valdes, V. G. Fonsêca-Genevois & G. A. P. Santos

  2. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK

    J. Ingels

  3. Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, 52171-900, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

    C. M. R. Farrapeira

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  1. G. V. V. Corrêa
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Corrêa, G.V.V., Ingels, J., Valdes, Y.V. et al. Diversity and composition of macro- and meiofaunal carapace epibionts of the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata Linnaeus, 1822) in Atlantic waters. Mar Biodiv 44, 391–401 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-013-0189-9

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