Supplementary Materials
Table S1 Collection site, methodology and exposure to food sources of the different fireworm specimens used
for stable isotope analysis (Fig. 5).
Fireworm group name
Fw SW Bay
Fw SW Reef
Collection
site
Collection
method
Spanish Water
Natural algal
Bay
clump
Channel
Spanish Water
Natural algal
Reef
clump
Reef Crest
Experiment
Experimental
Exposure
exposure to
period
food
n.a.*
No
n.a.
n.a.
No
n.a.
Fw B0 Bay
Buoy 0 Bay
Channel
Natural algal
clump
n.a.
No
n.a.
Fw B0 Reef (<1m)
Buoy 0 Reef
Shoreline
MAD
Exp. 1
No
n.a.
Fw B0 Reef (1-3m)
Buoy 0 Reef
Shallows (Sand)
MAD
Exp. 1
No
n.a.
Fw B0 Reef (3-5m)
Buoy 0 Reef
Shallows (Rock)
MAD
Exp. 1
No
n.a.
Fw B0 Reef (6-10m)
Buoy 0 Reef
Reef Crest
MAD
Fw B0 Reef (14-16m)
Buoy 0 Reef
Drop Off
MAD
Exp. 1
No
n.a.
Fw B0 Reef ‘Live Coral’
Buoy 0 Reef
Reef Crest
MAD
Exp. 2
(live coral)
Yes
21d
* n.a. = not applicable
No for Exp. 1
Exps. 1, 2 (dead coral),
and 2
3 (6-48 h) and 4
Yes for Exp. 3
and 4
≤ 48 h
Table S2 All pair wise multiple comparison Z value tests between treatments for Experiments 1, 3 and 4
Exp. 1 Fw abundance & reef zone
Shallow reef shoreline (< 1 m)
Shallow reef rock (1 - 3 m)
Shallow reef sand (3 - 5 m)
Reef crest (6 - 10 m)
Drop off (14 - 16 m)
<1m
2.88*
2.92*
3.52*
2.87*
1-3m
3-5m
6 - 10 m 14 - 16 m
0.04
0.64
0.01
0.60
0.05
0.65
-
Exp. 3 Fw appearance over time
6h
12 h
24 h
48 h
96 h
6h
0.94
3.39*
3.10*
0.00
Control
12 h
24 h
48 h
96 h
0.29
3.39*
Crab
subst.
3.10*
Gorgon. Live
coral
Raw Decaying
fish coral
0.00
0.33
3.04*
3.51*
0.33
3.04*
3.51*
0.47
Exp. 4 Food preferences
Control (no food source)
Hydrozoan (M. complanata)
Crab substitute meat
Gorgonian (Pseudoplexaura sp.)
Live coral (O. faveolata)
Raw fish (L. champechanus)
Decaying coral (O. faveolata)
*
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.33
3.04*
3.51*
2.45
2.16
0.94
Hydroz.
0.00
0.00
0.33
3.04*
3.51*
2.71
3.18*
-
significance level: P = 0.05
Table S3 1-way ANOVA and t-test results of the effects on fireworm size distribution in reef/bay habitats
of Buoy Zero and on reef rugosity (Experiment 1)
Exp. 1 Fw size distribution
1-Way ANOVA:
B0 Reef zones
Error
t-test:
B0 Reef vs. Bay habitat
SS
df’s
MS
F
P
0.102
1.82
5
54
0.02
0.03
0.601
0.699
69
0.337
Exp. 1 Reef rugosity
1-Way ANOVA:
Reef zones
Error
34.09
13.2
4
30
8.52
0.44
19.37
0.000
t
Mean
0.967 0.40 / 0.34
Table S4 Stable isotope composition (δ
C and δ
13
15
N values) and fireworm sizes (mean
± SE) for fireworm
specimens (see Table S1 for collection procedures), potential food sources and sediment samples (Figs. 5a & b).
n = numbers of replicates for fireworm stable isotope and size analyses within each group.
Figure 5a
Fireworms / Potential food sources
δ 13C
Mean
SE
Fw size class 1: B0 Bay
Fw size class 2: B0 Bay
Fw size class 3: B0 Bay
Fw size class 4: B0 Bay
Fw size class 1: B0 Reef
Fw size class 2: B0 Reef
Fw size class 3: B0 Reef
Fw size class 4: B0 Reef
Fw size class 1: B0 Reef ‘Live Coral’
Fw size class 2: B0 Reef ‘Live Coral’
Fw size class 3: B0 Reef ‘Live Coral’
Fw size class 4: B0 Reef ‘Live Coral’
MA - Halimeda opuntia
MA - Dictyota pinnatifida
MA - Lobophora variegata
MA - Cladophora sp.
Fish (Lutjanus campechanus)
Crab substitute meat*
Gorgonian (Pseudoplexaura sp.)
Coral (Colpophyllia natans)
Coral (Orbicella faveolata)
Cyanobacterial mat
Hydrozoan (Millepora complanata)
Detritus
-17.40
-17.09
-17.16
-16.46
-15.92
-15.37
-14.13
-13.49
-12.85
-12.39
-11.53
-11.01
-29.59
-14.72
-16.78
-19.34
-14.50
-23.53
-19.75
-16.06
-13.00
-13.58
-17.12
-18.15
Figure 5b
Fireworms / Sediment samples
δ 13C
Mean
SE
δ 15N
Mean
SE
FW- B0 Bay
FW- B0 Reef (< 1m)
FW- B0 Reef (1 - 3 m)
FW- B0 Reef (3 - 5 m)
FW- B0 Reef (6 - 10 m)
FW- B0 Reef (14 - 16 m)
FW- B0 Reef (6-10 m) ‘Live Coral’
FW-SW Bay
FW-SW (6 - 10 m)
B0-Sediment B0 Bay
B0-Sediment B0 (< 1 m)
B0-Sediment (1 - 3 m)
B0-Sediment (3 - 5 m)
B0-Sediment (6 - 10 m)
B0-Sediment (14 - 16 m)
-17.08
-15.02
-15.87
-14.62
-16.23
-15.00
-11.94
-14.83
-15.21
-16.79
-16.40
-16.72
-17.31
-17.87
-18.14
10.38
9.49
5.72
5.84
9.18
6.97
9.14
10.18
5.59
4.07
4.14
3.74
3.90
3.60
3.84
0.67
0.48
0.09
0.17
0.46
0.29
0.21
0.38
0.44
0.01
0.04
0.06
0.09
0.06
0.09
*)
not a natural food source at B0 Reef
0.18
0.05
0.09
0.48
0.26
0.33
0.34
0.32
0.22
0.54
0.18
0.52
0.21
0.53
0.74
0.11
1.30
0.94
1.08
0.27
0.12
0.84
0.29
0.13
0.37
0.65
0.49
0.66
0.30
0.26
0.80
1.07
0.19
0.08
0.12
0.10
0.17
0.10
δ 15N
Mean
SE
8.10
9.34
11.33
13.93
7.04
7.75
8.63
8.99
7.88
8.93
9.5
9.78
2.90
4.46
2.71
3.67
9.52
6.61
3.33
5.75
3.67
-0.85
3.06
1.92
0.06
0.08
0.59
0.61
0.23
0.56
0.63
0.91
0.21
0.01
0.18
0.07
0.17
0.14
0.26
0.04
0.15
0.43
0.14
0.39
0.06
0.13
0.02
Fw size
Mean
SE
1.5
2.13
3.33
5.0
1.48
2.3
3.23
4.64
1.5
2.35
3.25
4.45
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n
0.17
0.09
0.23
1.0
0.46
0.06
0.09
0.22
0.1
0.04
0.32
-
3
3
3
2
21
18
6
5
1
4
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
4
5
4
Fw size
Mean
SE
n
2.81
2.24
2.38
2.25
2.29
2.38
2.92
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
0.42
0.23
0.58
0.28
0.29
0.27
0.35
-
11
7
6
6
15
17
9
9
11
3
3
4
3
3
3