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Monthly progression rates of the coral-killing sponge Terpios hoshinota in Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan
Terpios hoshinota is a black, encrusting sponge that hosts numerous symbiotic cyanobacteria in its tissues. The sponge often overgrows live scleractinian corals, thereby causing widespread and accelerated coral loss. However, our understanding of how subtropical waters influence the seasonal change...
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Published in: | Coral reefs 2021-06, Vol.40 (3), p.973-981 |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Terpios hoshinota
is a black, encrusting sponge that hosts numerous symbiotic cyanobacteria in its tissues. The sponge often overgrows live scleractinian corals, thereby causing widespread and accelerated coral loss. However, our understanding of how subtropical waters influence the seasonal change in the progression rate of the sponge is poor. To elucidate the progression dynamics over a year, we obtained monthly measurements of linear progression of
T. hoshinota
(mm month
−1
) on the branching coral
Montipora digitata
in the subtropical waters of Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan from 2019 to 2020. The progression rate of
T. hoshinota
varied monthly throughout the year. The progression rates were the highest in summer (July, August, and October) with a mean value of 66 mm month
−1
, except in September, when strong typhoons came close to Okinawa and the progression rate decreased temporarily. The progression rates were the lowest in February 2020, at 9 mm month
−1
. The mean annual linear progression rate was estimated to be 28 mm month
−1
.
Therefore, the progression dynamics of
T. hoshinota
could be linked to their growth mechanisms in relation to the seasonal changes in subtropical waters. |
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ISSN: | 0722-4028 1432-0975 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00338-021-02099-6 |