Sponge diversity patterns in the shallow and mesophotic reefs of the Northern Red Sea row data

Accumulating data regarding the increasingly degraded coral reefs worldwide have directed focus to the unique mesophotic coral ecosystem (MCE) as a potential refuge for shallow-water endangered species. Sponges play a crucial role in coral-reef functioning but are often overlooked in benthic surveys. This knowledge gap is especially true for the Red Sea, where data on sponge abundance, coverage and species composition are scarce. Moreover, no study to date has examined Red Sea mesophotic sponges.
Here we compared sponge diversity metrics between the shallow and mesophotic reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba, Northern Red Sea. We also examined the role of biotic and abiotic parameters in determining sponge spatial variability. Sponge diversity metrics significantly varied with increasing depth and between sites. Sponge species composition also significantly differed between depth and sites. However, while no significant evidence supported a sponge bottom-up control, the findings indicated that l..., Data was collected during suryes at the shallow (5, 10, 20 m) and mesophotic (50, 60, 70 m) reef at the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat northern Red Sea at two sites the IUI and OJ. At each site and depth the quantitative survey comprised three transects of 3.5 m2 each (total 10.52 per site*depth). Each transect was created from 25-30 photo-quadrats, processed using ImageJ [40] to create image collections of equal size (~70X50 cm). The MCE survey was conducted from the R/V Sam Rothberg using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV ECA-Robotics H800) equipped with FHD camera, four video lights (4000 lumens) and two parallel laser beams for scale (7.5 cm apart). A similar methodology was performed at the shallow reefs, using SCUBA diving, with photo-quadrats taken ~1 m above the reef using a CANON G12/16 camera mounted on a tray with two video lights (3500 lumens) and two parallel laser beams for scale. At both habitats, additional close-up pictures of the surveyed area (in each photo-quadrat) were taken in..., All statistical analyses and data visualizations were performed with RStudio 2021.09.0+351

R version 4.1.0 and Excel (MS Office).Â