Invertebrate Cover Within a Submerged Lava Tunnel, Concha de Perla Lagoon, Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Abstract
Shallow water (<10m depth) coastal benthic invertebrate communities in the Galápagos Archipelago are well-described. However, the submerged Concha de Perla lava tunnel is undescribed, despite being at a main tourist area in a lagoon near (~150m east) the main dock for the town of Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island. The tunnel is oriented along an east-west axis, is ~15m long, with an interior diameter of ~2m. This creates habitat for cavernicolous fauna in the interior, with more typical benthic cover at the entrances. Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) trees surround and grow on top of the tunnel. Benthic cover on the tunnel interior includes sponges, cnidarians, sea urchins and bryozoans. The most common invertebrates include the endemic sea urchin Eucidaris galapagensis, white sponges, bryozoans and the azooxanthellate orange cup coral Tubastrea coccinea. Algae is absent except for a patch of crustose coralline algae on the northern wall near the west opening that receives dim light in the late afternoons. This descriptive survey quantifies the contribution of each taxonomic group to the lava tunnel walls, ceiling, and floor. Community structure is distinct from the surrounding benthos outside of the tunnel with similarities to deeper (~20-30m depth) communities on near-vertical walls. The production of a photogrammetric map provides baseline (May 2023) ecological cover for comparisons to future maps planned to be obtained at 2-year intervals.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Joshua Feingold
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-3-2024 12:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2024 1:30 PM
Invertebrate Cover Within a Submerged Lava Tunnel, Concha de Perla Lagoon, Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Alvin Sherman Library
Shallow water (<10m >depth) coastal benthic invertebrate communities in the Galápagos Archipelago are well-described. However, the submerged Concha de Perla lava tunnel is undescribed, despite being at a main tourist area in a lagoon near (~150m east) the main dock for the town of Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island. The tunnel is oriented along an east-west axis, is ~15m long, with an interior diameter of ~2m. This creates habitat for cavernicolous fauna in the interior, with more typical benthic cover at the entrances. Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) trees surround and grow on top of the tunnel. Benthic cover on the tunnel interior includes sponges, cnidarians, sea urchins and bryozoans. The most common invertebrates include the endemic sea urchin Eucidaris galapagensis, white sponges, bryozoans and the azooxanthellate orange cup coral Tubastrea coccinea. Algae is absent except for a patch of crustose coralline algae on the northern wall near the west opening that receives dim light in the late afternoons. This descriptive survey quantifies the contribution of each taxonomic group to the lava tunnel walls, ceiling, and floor. Community structure is distinct from the surrounding benthos outside of the tunnel with similarities to deeper (~20-30m depth) communities on near-vertical walls. The production of a photogrammetric map provides baseline (May 2023) ecological cover for comparisons to future maps planned to be obtained at 2-year intervals.
