Defense by association: Sponge-eating fishes alter the small-scale distribution of Caribbean reef sponges

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated that sponge-eating fishes alter the community of sponges on coral reefs across the Caribbean. Sponge species that lack chemical defenses but grow or reproduce faster than defended species are more abundant on reefs where sponge-eating fishes have been removed by overfishing. Does predator-removal have an effect on the distribution of sponges at smaller spatial scales? We conducted transect surveys of sponge species that are palatable to sponge predators in proximity to refuge organisms that are chemically or physically defended (fire coral, gorgonians, hard corals) on the heavily overfished reefs of Bocas del Toro, Panama, and a reef in the Florida Keys where sponge-eating fishes are abundant. In Panama, palatable sponge species were not distributed in close association with refuge organisms, while in the Florida Keys, palatable sponge species were strongly associated with refuge organisms. The presence of fish predators alters the meter-scale pattern of sponge distribution, and defense by association enhances biodiversity by allowing palatable sponges to persist on reefs where sponge-eating fishes are abundant.