Morphometric responses of two zooxanthellate octocorals along a water quality gradient in the Cuban northwestern coast

Octocoral abundance is increasing on Caribbean reefs, and one of the possible causes is their vertical morphological plasticity that allows them to grow above the substrate to reduce the effect of processes that occur in it (e.g., scour by sediments) as well as adapt to environmental gradients. The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric response of two octocorals species (Eunicea flexuosa and Plexaura kukenthali) with different life strategies in a water quality gradient. The research was carried out between 2008 and 2016 on eight forereefs of northwest Cuba. Different morphometric indicators were measured in the colonies of both species found within a belt transect (100 x 2 m) randomly located at each site. The lowest means in height, diameter, number of terminal branches/colony, cover index, and least arborescent colonies of E. flexuosa were detected at the sites with the greatest anthropogenic pollution. The water quality gradient did not explain the variability of the five morphometric indicators of P. kukenthali. However, hydrodynamic stress was the factor that most negatively affected the morphometry of this species. The chronic effect of poor water quality over time resulted in more small sized colonies of E. flexuosa at the polluted site, probably due to higher mortality. The size distribution of P. kukenthali also showed the same trend but at the sites with greater hydrodynamic stress. These results show that the morphometric response of octocorals along a water quality gradient is species-specific. This study suggests that poor water quality decreases the size and thus availability of habitat provided by octocorals sensitive to that factor (e.g., E. flexuosa) while other tolerant species (e.g., P. kukenthali) could provide the habitat of several organisms in a scenario of increasing anthropogenic pollution.