Assemblage depended distribution of sponge community in rocky intertidal ecosystem

Population ecology and distribution pattern of common intertidal sponges were studied at Veraval coast of Gujarat state, India. The uneven substratum of the studied intertidal zone supports various macrofaunal assemblages like coral assemblage, zoanthid assemblage and cerethium assemblage which provides unique habitat for sponges. Sponges were identified using standard identification keys while the quadrate method and various statistical tools like ANOSIM, SIMPER and PCA were used to study the distribution pattern of common sponge species. Amongst the studied sponge species, Cliona sp. was distributed abundantly throughout the sampling sites in all vertical zones and assemblages, five sponge species observed in the coral assemblage and eight sponge species observed in both Zoanthid and Cerethium assemblages that indicates essential substrate preferability for the spatial distribution of sponges. Inferences shows that diversity, distribution and seasonal existence of sponges were depends on existing assemblages and substratum.