How do reproductive output, larval behaviour, and recruitment contribute to adult spatial patterns in Mediterranean encrusting sponges?
We studied the abundance and spatial pattern of 2 Mediterranean encrusting sponges, Crambe crambe (highly toxic) and Scopalina lophyropoda (non-toxic), at 4 spatial scales (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 m2). We also examined the reproductive output, larval behavior and recruitment in these species, and assessed the relative importance of these parameters in explaining the abundance and spatial patterns of adults. We also determined, in field experiments, whether the presence of adults induces or inhibits recruitment in these 2 species. We found that C. crambe was much more abundant than S. lophyropoda at the site studied in both number of individuals per m2 (67+- 2.7 vs 10.2 +- 2.1, mean +- SE) and coverage (47 +- 1 9 vs l l .l +-1.4 %). At the smallest scale sampled (0.5 m’), both species showed an aggregated pattern Aggregation was also detected for S. lophyropoda, but not for C crambe, at the scales of 1 and 2 m2 The number of embryos incubated per cm2 by C. crambe and S. lophyropoda was 76.2 +-
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