Caribbean sponge recruitment and growth on coral reef and mangrove sites in Belize

Sponges play important roles in supporting coastal marine ecosystem health and have been shown to have particularly important ecological significance in both mangrove and reef ecosystems where they are found abundantly. This study aims to compare how recruitment differs between these habitats by observing recruitment rate, species composition, and community dynamics on recruitment surfaces placed in each location over 3 years. This study also aims to analyze the growth rates of individuals of 4 of the most common species of Caribbean reef sponges. This was done by measuring the same individuals of the 4 species at least annually over 5 years, while leaving them undisturbed in the field. This thesis was based on a dataset previously collected which included community composition data and size distribution data of sponges. Over 3 years, a total of 20 species and 13 species were identified on the recruitment substrata that were supplied in the reef site and the mangrove site respectively. The sponge fauna differed in all species between the two sites. Varying trends in the number of individuals recruited and total volume were also observed between sites such as a drop off in individuals in the reef site and a large increase in volume in the mangrove site over 3 years. Growth rates differed greatly among the 4 species of Caribbean reef sponges. Large differences in sponge volume and in sponge species composition, over all the years considered in this study, in comparisons both between and within the reef and mangrove sites suggest that sponge communities may be highly dynamic.