Habitat structure increases richness and abundance of species in many environments by providing easy access to resources and refuge from predators. In coral reefs, corals are habitat for many organisms and differences in their morphologies may act as variation in habitat structure for associated fauna. In the present study, we investigate whether there are differences in the richness and abundance of molluscs associated with three species of Mussismilia corals exhibiting different growth morphologies, in two different reef areas of the Bahia state. Mussismilia harttii has a meandroid pattern, M. hispida is a massive coral, M. braziliensis also has a massive growth pattern with crevices at the corallum base. Coral characteristics were measured in the laboratory. Significant differences were identified for richness among coral species – higher values were reported in colonies of M. harttii and no significant statistical differences were observed between M. braziliensis and M. hispida. Considering the density of associated molluscs, the same pattern was found. The results are in accordance with previous studies and indicate the importance of M. harttii as a key habitat to maintain a richer and more abundant associated fauna. The internal volume of interpolypal space is an important factor influencing the richness and density of associated species.

中文翻译：

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栖息地结构对Mussismilia珊瑚软体动物组合的影响：评估不同珊瑚生长形态的影响

栖息地结构通过提供容易获取资源和躲避捕食者的避难所，增加了许多环境中物种的丰富度和丰富度。在珊瑚礁中，珊瑚是许多生物的栖息地，其形态的差异可能会导致相关动物群的栖息地结构发生变化。在本研究中，我们调查了与三种软体动物相关的软体动物的丰富度和丰度是否存在差异。穆斯林在巴伊亚州的两个不同珊瑚礁区域，珊瑚表现出不同的生长形态。哈氏小菇有一个meandroid模式，M. hispida是一个巨大的珊瑚，巴西分枝杆菌也有一个巨大的生长模式，珊瑚基部有裂缝。珊瑚特征是在实验室测量的。发现珊瑚物种的丰富度存在显着差异——据报道，珊瑚群落的值较高M. harttii之间没有观察到显着的统计学差异巴西分枝杆菌和M. hispida. 考虑到相关软体动物的密度，发现了相同的模式。结果与以前的研究一致，表明了M. harttii作为维持更丰富和更丰富的相关动物群的关键栖息地。息肉间空间的内部体积是影响伴生种丰富度和密度的重要因素。