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Rey-Villers, N., A., Sánchez-González, P., González-Díaz & L., Álvarez-Filip (2023). Morphometric responses of two zooxanthellate octocorals along a water quality gradient in the Cuban northwestern coast. PLoS ONE. 18(8): e0290293. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290293.

Morphometric responses of two zooxanthellate octocorals along a water quality gradient in the Cuban northwestern coast

Néstor Rey-Villers 1, Alberto Sánchez-González 2, Patricia González-Díaz 3 y Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip 1

1 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
2 Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Oceanologia
3 Universidad de la Habana
Octocoral abundance is increasing on Caribbean reefs, and one of the possible causes istheir vertical morphological plasticity that allows them to grow above the substrate to reducethe effect of processes that occur in it (e.g., scour by sediments) as well as adapt to environmentalgradients. The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric response of twooctocorals species (Eunicea flexuosa and Plexaura ku¨kenthali) with different life strategiesin a water quality gradient. The research was carried out between 2008 and 2016 on eightforereefs of northwest Cuba. Different morphometric indicators were measured in the coloniesof both species found within a belt transect (100 x 2 m) randomly located at each site.The lowest means in height, diameter, number of terminal branches/colony, cover index,and least arborescent colonies of E. flexuosa were detected at the sites with the greatestanthropogenic pollution. The water quality gradient did not explain the variability of the fivemorphometric indicators of P. ku¨ kenthali. However, hydrodynamic stress was the factor thatmost negatively affected the morphometry of this species. The chronic effect of poor waterquality over time resulted in more small sized colonies of E. flexuosa at the polluted site,probably due to higher mortality. The size distribution of P. ku¨kenthali also showed the sametrend but at the sites with greater hydrodynamic stress. These results show that the morphometricresponse of octocorals along a water quality gradient is species-specific. This studysuggests that poor water quality decreases the size and thus availability of habitat providedby octocorals sensitive to that factor (e.g., E. flexuosa) while other tolerant species (e.g., P.ku¨ kenthali) could provide the habitat of several organisms in a scenario of increasing anthropogenic

pollution.

Palabras clave: Octoral; water quality; morphometric

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