How a collaborative integrated taxonomic effort has trained new spongiologists and improved knowledge of Martinique Island (French Antilles, eastern Caribbean Sea) marine biodiversity.
Although sponges are important components of benthic ecosystems of the Caribbean Sea, their diversity remained poorly investigated in the Lesser Antilles. By organizing a training course in Martinique, we wanted both to promote taxonomy and to provide a first inventory of the sponge diversity on this island. The course was like a naturalist expedition, with a field laboratory and a classroom nearby. Early-career scientists and environmental managers were trained in sponge taxonomy. We gathered unpublished data and conducted an inventory at 13 coastal sites. We explored only shallow water habitats (0-30 m), such as mangroves, reefs or rocky bottoms and underwater caves. According to this study, the sponge fauna of Martinique is currently represented by a minimum of 191 species, 134 of which we could assign species names. One third of the remaining non-identified sponge species we consider to be new to science. Martinique appears very remarkable because of its littoral marine fauna harboring sponge aggregations with high biomass and species diversity dominating over coral species. In mangroves, sponges cover about 10% of the surface of subtidal roots. Several submarine caves are true reservoirs of hidden and insufficiently described sponge diversity. Thanks to this new collaborative effort, the Eastern Caribbean has gained a significant increase of knowledge, with sponge diversity of this area potentially representing 40% of the total in the Caribbean Sea. We thus demonstrated the importance of developing exploratory and educational research in areas historically devoid of biodiversity inventories and systematics studies. Finally, we believe in the necessity to consider not only the number of species but their distribution in space to evaluate their putative contribution to ecosystem services and our willingness to preserve them.
Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale, CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, Avignon Univ. Station Marine d'Endoume, chemin de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France.
Thierry
T
Pérez
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, Florida, United States of America.
Maria-Cristina
MC
Díaz
Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale, CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, Avignon Univ. Station Marine d'Endoume, chemin de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France.
César
C
Ruiz
Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Baslavi
B
Cóndor-Luján
Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Michelle
M
Klautau
Museu Nacional, Departamento de Invertebrados, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Eduardo
E
Hajdu
Departamento de Genetica, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Gisele
G
Lobo-Hajdu
Instituto de Estudios en Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Caribe, c/o INVEMAR. Calle 25 2-55, Rodadero Sur, Playa Salguero, Santa Marta, Colombia.
Sven
S
Zea
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, Florida, United States of America.
Shirley A
SA
Pomponi
Department of Ecology and Evolution, 650 Life Sciences Building, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America.
Robert W
RW
Thacker
OTEIS. Les Hauts de la Duranne, 370 rue René Descartes, Aix-en-Provence Cedex, France.
Sophie
S
Carteron
IMPACT MER. 90, rue du Professeur Raymond Garcin, Route de Didier, Fort-de-France, France.
Guillaume
G
Tollu
IMPACT MER. 90, rue du Professeur Raymond Garcin, Route de Didier, Fort-de-France, France.
Adeline
A
Pouget-Cuvelier
Abyss Plongée. 1 rue des cototiers, Grande Anse, Anses d'Arlet, France.
Philippe
P
Thélamon
Nova Blue Environment. 14 Rue Chery-Rosette, Fond Lahaye, Schoelcher, France.
Jean-Philippe
JP
Marechal
Marine Biodiscovery, National University of Ireland Galway, School of chemistry, College of Science, Galway, Ireland.
Olivier P
OP
Thomas
Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale, CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, Avignon Univ. Station Marine d'Endoume, chemin de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France.|Faculty of Biology, Saint-Petersburg State University, 7/9 Universitetskaya emb., St. Petersburg, Russia.
Alexander V
AV
Ereskovsky
Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale, CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, Avignon Univ. Station Marine d'Endoume, chemin de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France.
Jean
J
Vacelet
Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale, CNRS, Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, Avignon Univ. Station Marine d'Endoume, chemin de la Batterie des Lions, Marseille, France.
Nicole
N
Boury-Esnault
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002965:Classification; D004463:Ecology / Q000193:education; D017753:Ecosystem; D008395:Martinique; D011161:Porifera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D015046:Zoology / Q000193:education