Caribbean Deep Reef Food Web
Coral Reef
Caribbean Sea — Cayman Islands, Curacao, Honduras, Bahamas
Description
Caribbean mesophotic coral reefs between 30 and 150 meters depth are a poorly explored twilight zone that may serve as refugia for shallow reef species under climate change. Specialized corals, sponges, and fish adapted to low light conditions occupy these deep reefs. Connectivity between shallow and deep reefs through larval dispersal links their food webs.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Deep-reef bacteria
Boring sponges
Detritivorous worms
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Caribbean reef shark
Great hammerhead
2 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Lionfish
Queen triggerfish
Spotted moray
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Deep reef damselfish
Sponge-eating angelfish
Brittle stars
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Agaricia corals
Coralline algae
Deep zooxanthellae
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Mesophotic reefs may reseed damaged shallow reefs through upward larval dispersal
- Invasive lionfish have colonized deep reefs where few native predators reach
- Low-light adapted corals photosynthesize at just 1% of surface light levels
- Deep reef sponges filter enormous volumes of water, recycling dissolved organic matter