Living with marginal coral communities: Diversity and host-specificity in coral-associated barnacles in the northern coral distribution limit of the East China Sea.

ABSTRACT: Corals and their associated fauna are extremely diverse in tropical waters and form major reefs. In the high-latitude temperate zone, corals living near their distribution limit are considered marginal communities because they are particularly extremely sensitive to environmental and climatic changes. In this study, we examined the diversity and host usage of coral-associated barnacles on Jeju Island, Korea, the northern coral distribution limit in the East China Sea. In this study, only three coral-associated barnacles-from two genera in two subfamilies-were collected. The Pyrgomatinid barnacles Cantellius arcuatus and Cantellius cf. euspinulosum were found only on the corals Montipora millepora and Alveopora japonica, respectively. The Megatrematinid barnacle Pyrgomina oulastreae, relati

SUBMITTER: Chan BKK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5929504 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature