Figures & data
Figure 1. (a–d.) Vase sponges seen from above showing the concavities with sand and algae, and a 6 cm ruler attached to a 7 × 4 cm dive slate.
Table I. An ‘X’ indicates the polychaete species found only in vase sponge sediment (A, vase only), found only in adjacent sand (B, sand only), or found in both habitats (C, both)
Table II. These polychaete species were exclusively found in vase sponges. In terms of a broader ongoing (since 2007) polychaete survey, which includes over 200 samples, these species have not yet been identified from any other shallow water habitats (coral rubble, rocks, algal holdfasts or synthetic sponges attached to artificial cement block reefs)
Figure 2. Mean species richness (± S.E.) and abundance (±S.E.) of polychatea fauna in sediments of vase sponges and adjacent sand areas.
Figure 3. Three-dimensional nMDS ordination of polychaete assemblages in sediments of vase sponges and adjacent sand areas. (Stress = 19.22233; variation accountability = 67%.)
