Competitive interactions among zoanthids (cnidaria: zoanthidae) in an intertidal zone of northeastern Brazil

Authors

  • Emanuelle Fontenele Rabelo Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido; Departamento de Ciências Animais; Laboratório de Ecologia Marinha
  • Marcelo de Oliveira Soares Universidade Federal do Ceará; Instituto de Ciências do Mar
  • Helena Matthews-Cascon Universidade Federal do Ceará; Instituto de Ciências do Mar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-87592013000100004

Keywords:

Zoanthids, Competition, Growth rate, Coexistence

Abstract

Sessile organisms that live in consolidated substrates frequently compete for space. Coral species have many strategies to face this competition, including harming their opponents or hindering their growth. In the present study, the competitive interactions between three species of zoanthids were investigated in the intertidal zone of a sandstone reef environment in northeastern Brazil. The competitive abilities of the three species were evaluated by periodic observation of the natural fringes of contact and experimental evaluation of their growth rate through removal of 100 cm² of colonies of each species. Palythoa caribaeorum and Zoanthus sociatus had similar growth rates, and both species grew faster than Protopalythoa variabilis. The recolonization strategy seems to differ among species. The contact fringes between P. caribaeorum and Z. sociatus remained unchanged over time, without any type of aggressive interaction between them, suggesting that stand-off was the strategy used by these organisms. Palythoa caribaeorum and Z. sociatus grew among the polyps of P. variabilis, often killing its colonies. The coexistence of zoanthids reveals a capacity for survival in the face of competition for limited resources such as free substrate, which led to the colonization and establishment of zoanthids in intertidal environments.

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Published

2013-03-01

Issue

Section

naodefinida

How to Cite

Competitive interactions among zoanthids (cnidaria: zoanthidae) in an intertidal zone of northeastern Brazil . (2013). Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 61(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-87592013000100004