Biology
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Although there is no direct information on the reproduction of the pink sea fan, it is thought that larvae are short-lived and settle soon after release (6). It is a slow growing and long-lived species (specimens may reach 50 years old) and if a population is entirely lost from an area, recolonisation is likely to be very slow (6). The age can be determined (destructively) by the presence of internal growth rings, much like those of a tree (3). The pink sea fan provides habitat for the sea fan sea slug, (Tritonia nilsohdneri) and the rare sea fan anemone (Amphianthus dohrnii) (5).
Conservation
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The pink sea fan is fully protected against killing, taking or injuring, and sale. It is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) priority species, the resulting Species Action Plan aims to maintain the present distribution of the sea fan (1). The pink sea fan occurs in the Marine Nature Reserves (MNRs) of Lundy and Skomer; the zones of these MNRs were developed specifically to reflect the sensitivity of this species (1). As the pink sea fan is the host species for the sea anemone Amphianthus dohrnii, which is also a UK BAP priority, the conservation of these two species goes hand-in-hand (1). A project by The Marine Conservation Society is currently monitoring and assessing pink sea fans (2).
Description
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Pink sea fans are formed from a colony of tiny polyps; they may be a deep pink to white in colour (3), and attach to the substrate with a broad base. Branches occur 2 to 4 cm above this base from a column which can reach 0.8 cm in diameter. Branching occurs in one plane, and the whole fan is orientated at right angles to the prevailing current in order to maximise the efficiency of filter feeding (2). The anemone-like polyps emerge from warty bumps along the branches (3).
Habitat
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The pink sea fan attaches to rocky substrata such as large stable boulders or upward facing bedrock. They only occur at depths below the level where algae dominate, often below 15 m (1), with moderately strong currents or wave action (3).
Range
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This species is found in the waters of the south west of England between north Pembrokeshire and Dorset. It is also known from the west of Ireland (1) and around south-west Europe (2), reaching as far south as the Mediterranean (1). Old records indicate that this species was once present in the English Channel up to the Thames Estuary (3).
Status
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Protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (1).
Threats
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This species is extremely vulnerable to physical disturbance (3). In the 1960s it was collected as souvenirs, which may have caused a long-term reduction in populations. Climate change may be a future concern, and damage may occur as a result of strikes by careless scuba divers' fins and entanglement in fishing nets. Smothering by seaweeds and other species may also cause the death of pink sea fans (1). Although classified as Nationally Scarce, this species is likely to have a wider range than current records indicate (3).
Eunicella verrucosa
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Eunicella verrucosa, the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian "soft coral" in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
Description
Eunicella verrucosa has a densely branching, fan-like stem and usually grows in a single plane. It orientates itself at right angles to the direction of water movement and can grow to a height of 50 cm (20 in), although 25 cm (10 in) is a more usual size. Stems and branches are covered with wart-like growths from which the polyps protrude. The colour can vary from red, through pink to white.[3]
Distribution
Eunicella verrucosa is native to the northeastern Atlantic and the western Mediterranean Sea.[2] Its range extends from the southwestern coasts of Britain and Ireland to France, Spain, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania.[1] A recent study of genetic connectivity in Eunicella verrucosa identified marked population structure between samples from northwest Ireland, Britain, France and southern Portugal.[4] It is found growing on rock, timber, metal or concrete and its depth range is 4 to 50 metres (13 to 164 ft).[5] In British waters this sea fan has become scarcer, possibly being damaged by dredging but may benefit from higher seawater temperatures.[6]
Biology
Eunicella verrucosa is usually orientated at right angles to the direction of water flow across the colony. The polyps expand and spread out their tentacles to feed. The nutrients are passed to other parts of the colony through the internal channels connecting the polyps.[7]
Reproduction in Eunicella verrucosa has been little studied. The planula larvae are likely to be lecithotrophic (sustained by a yolk-sac) and able to drift for a short time before settling on the seabed where they develop into polyps and found new colonies. The growth rate of colonies varies; in Lyme Bay in southern Britain, some colonies grew by 6 cm (2 in) in one year while in another year, did not grow at all.[8] The sea fan anemone (Amphianthus dohrnii) is often found living on Eunicella verrucosa.[9]
References
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^ a b World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1996). "Eunicella verrucosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T8262A12903486. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T8262A12903486.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
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^ a b Eunicella verrucosa (Pallas, 1766). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
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^ Hiscock, Keith (2007). "Pink sea fan - Eunicella verrucosa - General information". MarLIN. Archived from the original on 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
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^ Holland, L. P.; Jenkins, T. L.; Stevens, J. R. (2017). "Contrasting patterns of population structure and gene flow facilitate exploration of connectivity in two widely distributed temperate octocorals". Heredity. 119 (1): 35–48. doi:10.1038/hdy.2017.14. PMC 5520136. PMID 28295035.
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^ Hiscock, Keith (2007). "Pink sea fan - Eunicella verrucosa - Habitat preferences and distribution". MarLIN. Archived from the original on 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
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^ Hiscock, Keith; Southward, Alan; Tittley, Ian; Hawkins, Stephen (2004). "Effects of changing temperature on benthic marine life in Britain and Ireland". Aquatic Conservation. 14 (4): 333–362. doi:10.1002/aqc.628.
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^ Dumas, Jacques; Maran, Vincent; Ader, Denis; Huet, Sylvie (2014-04-30). "Eunicella verrucosa (Pallas, 1766)". DORIS (in French). Retrieved 2014-12-18.
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^ Hiscock, Keith (2007). "Pink sea fan - Eunicella verrucosa - Reproduction and longevity". MarLIN. Archived from the original on 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
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^ "Sea-fan anemone Amphianthus dohrnii". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
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Eunicella verrucosa: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Eunicella verrucosa, the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian "soft coral" in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
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