Community structure of Pleistocene coral reefs of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles

The Quaternary fossil record of living coral reefs is fundamental for understanding modern ecological patterns. Living reefs generally accumulate in place, so fossil reefs record a history of their former biological inhabitants and physical environments. Reef corals record their ecological history especially well because they form large, resistant skeletons, which can be identified to species. Thus, presence-absence and relative abundance data can be obtained with a high degree of confidence. Moreover, potential effects of humans on reef ecology were absent or insignificant on most reefs until the last few hundred years, so that it is possible to analyze "natural" distribution patterns before intense human disturbance began. We characterized Pleistocene reef coral assemblages from Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean Sea, focusing on predictability in species abundance patterns from different reef environments over broad spatial scales. Our data set is composed of >2 km of surveyed Quaternary reef. Taxonomic composition showed consistent differences between environments and along secondary environmental gradients within environments. Within environments, taxonomic composition of communities was markedly similar indicating nonrandom species associations and communities composed of species occurring in characteristic abundances. This community similarity was maintained with little change over a 40-km distance. The nonrandom patterns in species abundances were similar to those found in the Caribbean before the effects of extensive anthropogenic degradation of reefs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The high degree of order observed in species abundance patterns of fossil reef coral communities on a scale of tens of kilometers contrasts markedly with patterns observed in previous small-scale studies of modern reefs. Dominance of Acropora palmata in the reef crest zone and patterns of overlap and nonoverlap of species in the Montastraea ''annularis'' sibling species complex highlight the tendency for distribution and abundance patterns of Pleistocene corals to reflect environmental preferences at multiple spatial scales. Wave energy is probably the most important physical environmental variable structuring these coral communities. The strong similarity between ancient and pre-1980s Caribbean reefs and the nonrandom distribution of coral species in space and time indicate that recent variability noted at much smaller time scales may be due to either unprecedented anthropogenic influences on reefs or fundamentally different patterns at varying spatio-temporal scales

Benthic Habitat Characterization for the South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility (SFOMF)

This report summarizes the distribution and relative abundance of two stony coral species (Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata) currently listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) (Federal Register/Vol. 71, No. 129/Thursday, July 6, 2006 / Rules and Regulations, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2006-07-06/pdf/06-6017.pdf) and seven additional stony coral species which have been petitioned for listing as endangered or threatened under the ESA (Agaricia lamarcki, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Dichocoenia stokesii, Montastraea annularis, Montastraea faveolata, Montastraea franksi, and Mycetophyllia ferox) (Federal Register/Vol. 75, No. 27/Wednesday, February 10, 2010/Proposed Rules, http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/fr/fr75-6616.pdf). This report also summarizes the abundance and distribution of small recreational vessel anchors observed within the study area for this survey effort. This effort was guided by the NOAA Fisheries Service’s recommended survey protocol (http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdf/RecommendedSurveyProtocolforAcropora.pdf). This protocol was designed for surveying the distribution and abundance of Acropora spp. utilizing a 2-tiered survey approach. The protocol recommends data collection at 1 sampling site per every 10,000 m² within the project area. The first tier is a rapid assessment of the site to locate any occurrences of Acropora spp. The second tier is a more comprehensive effort designed to provide greater detail on colony abundance, size, and condition. If five or more Acropora colonies are identified during the tier 1 effort, a tier 2 effort is conducted. The seven candidate species were also included in the tier 1 sampling effort. No tier 2 effort was conducted for the seven candidate species. The number of small recreational vessel anchors seen during the tier 1 effort was also included. The project area included eight coral reef habitats found in depths less than 30m (Walker et al. 2008). These habitats included, from nearshore to offshore: colonized pavement-shallow, ridge shallow, inner linear reef, middle linear reef, colonized pavement-deep, outer linear reef, spur and groove, and aggregated patch reefs. Within these habitats in the project area, 376 sites were sampled (tier 1 sites). No Acropora palmata colonies were identified during this effort. Acropora cervicorniswas identified within 45 of the 376 tier 1 sites. A majority of these sites were within the nearshore habitats (colonized pavement-shallow, ridge-shallow, and inner linear reef) in depths less than 10m. Of these 45 sites, 29 had more than five colonies identified and were included in the tier 2 effort. All seven candidate species were identified at the tier 1 sites within the project area during the effort: Dichocoenia stokesii (344 sites), Montastraea faveolata (291 sites), Agaricia lamarcki (155 sites), Montastraea annularis (85 sites); Montastraea franksi (74 sites), Mycetophyllia ferox (24 sites), and Dendrogyra cylindrus (4 sites). D. stokesii was abundant in all habitats with more than five colonies identified in 228 sites. The middle reef supported the highest abundance of M. faveolata. More than five colonies of M. faveolatawere identified in 188 sites, and 11 sites had more than 50 colonies identified. A. lamarkicolonies were identified at nearly all of the colonized pavement-deep, outer reef, spur and groove, and aggregated patch reef; no colonies were identified in the nearshore colonized pavement-shallow and ridge-shallow habitats. Fifty sites had more than five colonies identified, and 29 sites had more than 10 colonies identified. Fourteen sites supported more than five colonies of M. annularis, and four sites in the middle linear reef habitat had more than 10 colonies identified. M. franksi colonies were identified in all habitats except the ridge shallow habitat; more than five colonies of M. franksi were identified in 15 sites, and the middle linear reef supported the highest abundance of colonies. More than five colonies of D. cylindricus and M. feroxwere not identified in any of the 376 tier one sites during the survey. Anchors were counted at 149 of the 376 tier 1 sites. Anchors were observed in all eight habitats. The maximum number of anchors seen at one site was eight, and 65 sites had two or more anchors

Kandungan Logam Berat (Cu, Cr, Zn, dan Fe) pada Terumbukarang di Perairan Pulau Panjang, Jepara

KANDUNGAN LOGAM BERAT (Cu, Cr, Zn, DAN Fe) PADA TERUMBUKARANG DI PERAIRAN PULAU PANJANG, JEPARA. Pengamatan terhadap akumulasi logam berat Cu, Cr, Zn, dan Fe pada terumbu karang telah dilakukan di perairan pulau Panjang, Jepara dengan metode APN. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah menentukan konsentrasi logam berat pada tisue terumbu karang yang mengakomodasikan data lingkungan terkini dalam rangka mendukung ijin tapak dan Analisis Mengenai Dampak Lingkungan (AMDAL) PLTN. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa kadar unsur logam berat yang ada dalam tissue terumbu karang, kandungan Zn berkisar antara 1,78 – 42,34 ppm, Cu berkisar antara tidak terdeteksi – 0,41 ppm, Cr berkisar antara 0,03 – 0,35 ppm, dan Fe berkisar antara 5,25 – 30,56 ppm. Data ini menunjukkan adanya akumulasi keempat logam berat tersebut dalam tisu karang dengan konsentrasi di atas ambang batas yang diijinkan bagi kehidupan biota laut yang hidup di perairan laut menurut SK. Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup No. 51 tahun 2004

Status of coral reefs of Little Cayman, Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, British West Indies in 1999 and 2000. (Part 1: Stony corals and algae)

A benthic assessment of the isolated Cayman Islands was completed at 42 sites. Major changes in the reef community structure were documented by comparison with earlier studies. Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, once abundant as shallow framework builders, were uncommon. Diseased stony corals were seen in \u3e90% of the study sites, with the highest averages in Little Cayman, especially at Bloody Bay which is one of the most highly regulated marine parks in the Cayman Islands. The Montastraea annularis species complex accounted for two-thirds of the diseased corals which, along with other massive species, were affected largely by white-plague disease. Recent partial-colony mortality was particularly high in Grand Cayman. However, small- to intermediate-sized (M. annularis complex) suggest a strong potential for population regeneration. Algal competition generally did not appear to be a problem for stony corals, and bleaching was insignificant, yet more prevalent, in the deeper (\u3e10 m) sites

Bacterial Acquisition in Juveniles of Several Broadcast Spawning Coral Species

Coral animals harbor diverse microorganisms in their tissues, including archaea, bacteria, viruses, and zooxanthellae. The extent to which coral-bacterial associations are specific and the mechanisms for their maintenance across generations in the environment are unknown. The high diversity of bacteria in adult coral colonies has made it challenging to identify species-specific patterns. Localization of bacteria in gametes and larvae of corals presents an opportunity for determining when bacterial-coral associations are initiated and whether they are dynamic throughout early development. This study focuses on the early onset of bacterial associations in the mass spawning corals Montastraea annularis, M. franksi, M. faveolata, Acropora palmata, A. cervicornis, Diploria strigosa, and A. humilis. The presence of bacteria and timing of bacterial colonization was evaluated in gametes, swimming planulae, and newly settled polyps by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using general eubacterial probes and laser-scanning confocal microscopy. The coral species investigated in this study do not appear to transmit bacteria via their gametes, and bacteria are not detectable in or on the corals until after settlement and metamorphosis. This study suggests that mass-spawning corals do not acquire, or are not colonized by, detectable numbers of bacteria until after larval settlement and development of the juvenile polyp. This timing lays the groundwork for developing and testing new hypotheses regarding general regulatory mechanisms that control bacterial colonization and infection of corals, and how interactions among bacteria and juvenile polyps influence the structure of bacterial assemblages in corals

Coral community dynamics and disturbances : a modelling approach for Caribbean coral reefs

The capacity of reefs to recover after disturbance is fundamental to prediction of their stability. This is particularly relevant now, following the global decline of reefs during the last decades. A discrete, spatially explicit model (probabilistic cellular automaton) was developed to simulate a Caribbean coral community. Community complexity was generated from behaviour of fundamental units of corals, the polyps. Regarding background disturbance, area disturbed and patch size were investigated; both were equally important in driving coral community structure and diversity. A powerlaw model was developed to predict natural disturbances, and implemented in later testing of system dynamics. Corals were assigned differential susceptibilities to background disturbances. Results assessed against field data showed that most modelled species had realistic colony size frequency distributions (though 20% had insufficient comparison data). Following model development, recovery from single impacts (simulated warming events) was tested. Model responses indicate importance of local setting to community resilience. Individual susceptibility of species was mediated by life history strategy investment. Application of a warming sequence of predicted anomalies for this century was then introduced. Community composition changed betwee1 0-40 years from predominantly persistent, large, slow growing species to small, fecund, fast growing species. After 40 years a phase shift occurred in which algae dominated the community. It is concluded that the future may herald declines in the main Caribbean reef-building species, in ways that match several previous but largely untested speculations. This model indicates that there will be serious implications to reefs, including their numerous commercially important species. The model includes all known major life history attributes of the corals, based on real data. Structural properties of the model were tested for stability and computational efficiency. Disturbances of several types were investigated; natural background disturbance, and warming events, both as single and repeated incidents to assess recovery dynamics in the light of ongoing, intensifying climate-mediated global changes