Water Contamination Reduces the Tolerance of Coral Larvae to Thermal Stress

Coral reefs are highly susceptible to climate change, with elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) posing one of the main threats to coral survival. Successful recruitment of new colonies is important for the recovery of degraded reefs following mortality events. Coral larvae require relatively uncontaminated substratum on which to metamorphose into sessile polyps, and the increasing pollution of coastal waters therefore constitutes an additional threat to reef resilience. Here we develop and analyse a model of larval metamorphosis success for two common coral species to quantify the interactive effects of water pollution (copper contamination) and SST. We identify thresholds of temperature and pollution that prevent larval metamorphosis, and evaluate synergistic interactions between these stressors. Our analyses show that halving the concentration of Cu can protect corals from the negative effects of a 2–3°C increase in SST. These results demonstrate that effective mitigation of local impacts can reduce negative effects of global stressors

UPAYA PENINGKATAN KINERJA UKM MELALUI DUKUNGAN KOMITMEN PERILAKU TERHADAP PROSES ORIENTASI WIRAUSAHA DAN KAPABILITAS JEJARING (Studi Empirik pada Klaster UKM Batik di Jawa Tengah)

Secara konseptual tujuan yang ingin dicapai dalam penelitian ini adalah untuk mengembangkan pendekatan-pendekatan teoritikal baru, sebagai upaya untuk menyelesaikan kontroversi konseptual tentang pengaruh orientasi wirausaha dan jejaring wirausaha terhadap peningkatan kinerja UKM, serta menelusuri dan menganalisis proses pengembangan orientasi wirausaha. Adapun, upaya yang dilakukan adalah dengan cara mengikutsertakan model perilaku wirausaha dalam perspektif teori kontingensi dan resource based view, sehingga dapat dibangun suatu grand theoretical model yang diusulkan. Secara operasional penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mensintesis dan menguji secara empiris : pengaruh langsung orientasi wirausaha terhadap peningkatan kinerja perusahaan; proses orientasi wirausaha dalam meningkatkan kinerja perusahaan dipengaruhi oleh komitmen perilaku; proses orientasi wirausaha dan pengembangan kapabilitas jejaring yang akan mendorong peningkatan pembelajaran organisasional yang pada gilirannya akan meningkatkan pengetahuan organisasi dan inovasi organisasi yang selanjutnya akan meningkatkan kompetensi eksplorasi/eksploitatif; pengaruh pembelajaran organisasional dalam meningkatkan kompetensi eksplorasi/eksploitatif dan komitmen perilaku yang selanjutnya akan meningkatkan kinerja perusahaan. Responden dalam penelitian ini adalah para manajer/pemilik UKM batik yang di sentra batik Jawa Tengah yaitu Sragen, Solo, Pekalongan, Rembang dan Banyumas, data diperoleh langsung melalui wawancara yang mendalam oleh tim surveyor. Tehnik sampling yang digunakan adalah stratified random sampling. Selanjutnya, pengujian terhadap seluruh hipotesis model penelitian empiris ini menggunakan Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) dengan menggunakan beberapa software yaitu AMOS 16, SPSS 16.0. dan Mixrosoft Excel 2007. Temuan teoritis dalam penelitian ini adalah : (1) penelitian ini mampu menjelaskan penyebab adanya perbedaan hasil penelitian mengenai pengaruh orientasi wirausaha terhadap kinerja perusahaan, (2) penelitian ini mampu menjelaskan penyebab adanya perbedaan hasil penelitian mengenai pengaruh kapabilitas dinamis (kompetensi eksplorasi/eksploitatif) terhadap peningkatan kinerja organisasi dalam mencapai keunggulan daya saing, (3) penelitian ini mampu menjelaskan penyebab adanya perbedaan hasil penelitian mengenai pengaruh jejaring wirausaha (kapabilitas jejaring) terhadap kinerja perusahaan, (4) penelitian ini mampu menambah literatur penelitian mengenai pemahaman bahwa human capital berkontribusi bagi pembentukan kapabilitas dinamik sektor UKM. Kapabilitas manajemen sumber daya manusia (SDM) adalah kemampuan yang dibutuhkan untuk mengembangkan SDM organisasi untuk mendukung kebutuhan usaha dan menanggapi lingkungan persaingan. Pada level grand theory, temuan teoritisnya berhasil menjelaskan variabel-variabel yang ada dalam teori RBV dan teori kontingensi untuk menjelaskan proses wirausaha dalam UKM yang pada gilirannnya akan meningkatkan kinerja UKM. Pada level substansial, variabel komitmen perilaku sangat mendukung interaksi orientasi wirausaha dalam rangka untuk meningkatkan kinerja perusahaan (UKM). Kata kunci : orientasi wirausaha,komitmen perilaku, kapabilitas jejaring, pembelajaran organisasional, pengetahuan organisasi, inovasi, kapabilitas dinamis. Conceptually, the purpose of this research is to develop new theoretical approach, as an effort to finish the conceptual controversy about the influence of entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial network on SMEs performance, it was also aimed at investigating and analyzing the development process of entrepreneurial orientation. The exertion is to include entrepreneurial behavior model into the perspective of contingency theory and resourece based view theory, until the proposed of a new grand theoretical model can be develop. Operationally, this research has an intention to sintesize and empirically tested about :directly influence of entrepreneurial orientation on SMEs performance; behavioral commitment on entrepreneurial process in order to increase SMEs performance; entrepreneurial process and the development of entrepreneurial network that will increase organizational learning and in turn will increase organizational knowledge and organizational innovation that will increase explorative/exploitative competency; influence of organizational learning to increase explorative/exploitative competency and behavioral commitment and then will increase firm performance. The objectives of the research was to explain the contradictory of some research results on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial network with small and medium enterprises performance; it was also aimed at investigating and analyzing the development process of entrepreneurial orientation. The respondents were 165 owners and/or managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) running batik industry sector in Central Java SMEs sentra in Sragen, Solo, Pekalongan, Rembang, and Banyumas area, and the data source was achieved directly from questionaire fulfillment by the respondents through directly deep interview by the surveyor team. Sampling technic was using stratified random sampling. In testing the empirical research model, we used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Among software used to assist the analysis in this study were AMOS 16, SPSS 16.0. and Mixrosoft Excel 2007. The theoritical findings of this research had successfully explained the improvement of SMEs performance through: (1) the research gap on the causal relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs performance, (2) the research gap on the causal relationship between dynamics competencies and SMEs performance in order to achieve competitive advantages, (3) the research gap on the causal relationship between network capability on SMEs performance, (4) this study has enriched similar literatures on the field that increase the understanding of human capital contribution for SMEs dynamic capability formation. Human resources management is the capability that needed to develop human resources of SMEs organization to support business need and to respon business competition. On the grand theoritical level, the theoritical findings of this research had successfully explained variables of RBV theory and contingency theory that support the process of entrepreneurial orientation to improve SMEs performance. On the substantial theoritical level there is a behavior commitment variable that gave high support on the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on SMEs performance Keywords : entrepreneurial orientation, behavioral commitment, network capability, organizational learning, organizational knowledge, innovation, dynamic capabilit

The molecular biogeography of the Indo‐Pacific: Testing hypotheses with multispecies genetic patterns

Aim: To test hypothesized biogeographic partitions of the tropical Indo‐Pacific Ocean with phylogeographic data from 56 taxa, and to evaluate the strength and nature of barriers emerging from this test. Location: The Indo‐Pacific Ocean. Time period: Pliocene through the Holocene. Major taxa studied: Fifty‐six marine species. Methods: We tested eight biogeographic hypotheses for partitioning of the Indo‐Pacific using a novel modification to analysis of molecular variance. Putative barriers to gene flow emerging from this analysis were evaluated for pairwise ΦST, and these ΦST distributions were compared to distributions from randomized datasets and simple coalescent simulations of vicariance arising from the Last Glacial Maximum. We then weighed the relative contribution of distance versus environmental or geographic barriers to pairwise ΦST with a distance‐based redundancy analysis (dbRDA). Results: We observed a diversity of outcomes, although the majority of species fit a few broad biogeographic regions. Repeated coalescent simulation of a simple vicariance model yielded a wide distribution of pairwise ΦST that was very similar to empirical distributions observed across five putative barriers to gene flow. Three of these barriers had median ΦSTthat were significantly larger than random expectation. Only 21 of 52 species analysed with dbRDA rejected the null model. Among these, 15 had overwater distance as a significant predictor of pairwise ΦST, while 11 were significant for geographic or environmental barriers other than distance. Main conclusions: Although there is support for three previously described barriers, phylogeographic discordance in the Indo‐Pacific Ocean indicates incongruity between processes shaping the distributions of diversity at the species and population levels. Among the many possible causes of this incongruity, genetic drift provides the most compelling explanation: given massive effective population sizes of Indo‐Pacific species, even hard vicariance for tens of thousands of years can yield ΦST values that range from 0 to nearly 0.5

Biological community structure on patch reefs in Biscayne National Park, FL, USA

Coral reef ecosystem management benefits from continual quantitative assessment of the resources being managed, plus assessment of factors that affect distribution patterns of organisms in the ecosystem. In this study, we investigate the relationships among physical, benthic, and fish variables in an effort to help explain the distribution patterns of organisms on patch reefs within Biscayne National Park, FL, USA. We visited a total of 196 randomly selected sampling stations on 12 shallow (<10 m) patch reefs and measured physical variables (e.g., substratum rugosity, substratum type) and benthic and fish community variables. We also incorporated data on substratum rugosity collected remotely via airborne laser surveying (Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar—EAARL). Across all stations, only weak relationships were found between physical, benthic cover, and fish assemblage variables. Much of the variance was attributable to a “reef effect,” meaning that community structure and organism abundances were more variable at stations among reefs than within reefs. However, when the reef effect was accounted for and removed statistically, patterns were detected. Within reefs, juvenile scarids were most abundant at stations with high coverage of the fleshy macroalgae Dictyota spp., and the calcified alga Halimeda tuna was most abundant at stations with low EAARL rugosity. Explanations for the overwhelming importance of “reef” in explaining variance in our dataset could include the stochastic arrangement of organisms on patch reefs related to variable larval recruitment in space and time and/or strong historical effects due to patchy disturbances (e.g., hurricanes, fishing), as well as legacy effects of prior residents (“priority” effects)

The status of hard coral communities at Kosrae, Micronesia

Coral diversity is increasingly threatened by multiple anthropogenic and climate stressors. Threatened species assessments play an important role in guiding conservation action for management and mitigation of losses, but to provide accurate assessments it is necessary to collect quantitative data at an appropriate scale. When assessed at a global scale the level of threat facing corals in the tropical western Pacific Ocean is perceived to be low. However, whether the global threat classifications reflect the needs of species at regional scales remains to be verified. Here the status of scleractinian coral diversity is explored at a little-known Micronesian locality, Kosrae (5°15’S 162°58 E). Sixteen percent of the species recorded on the current survey are classified as Vulnerable on a global scale; however, down-scaling the assessment suggests that a larger proportion of species (up to 25%) may be vulnerable to regional extinction because they occupy a low proportion of sites. Twelve species are classified as Vulnerable at global and regional scales, and further monitoring of threatened species is needed to verify the status of 53 species that are listed as Data Deficient in the region. Despite the lower level of perceived extinction risk to coral communities in the NW Pacific, this study suggests the risk of regional diversity loss may be higher than expected. Ongoing coral reef monitoring and integrated watershed management to mitigate the threat of regional extinctions is needed

Coral pathogens identified for white syndrome (WS) epizootics in the Indo-Pacific

Background: White Syndrome (WS), a general term for scleractinian coral diseases with acute signs of advancing tissue lesions often resulting in total colony mortality, has been reported from numerous locations throughout the Indo-Pacific, constituting a growing threat to coral reef ecosystems.\ud \ud Methodology/Principal Findings: bacterial isolates were obtained from corals displaying disease signs at three WS outbreak sites: Nikko Bay in the Republic of Palau, Nelly Bay in the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and used in laboratory-based infection trials to satisfy Henle-Koch's postulates, Evan's rules and Hill's criteria for establishing causality. Infected colonies produced similar signs to those observed in the field following exposure to bacterial concentrations of 1×106 cells ml−1. Phylogenetic 16S rRNA gene analysis demonstrated that all six pathogens identified in this study were members of the γ-Proteobacteria family Vibrionacae, each with greater than 98% sequence identity with the previously characterized coral bleaching pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus. Screening for proteolytic activity of more than 150 coral derived bacterial isolates by a biochemical assay and specific primers for a Vibrio family zinc-metalloprotease demonstrated a significant association between the presence of isolates capable of proteolytic activity and observed disease signs.\ud \ud Conclusion/Significance: this is the first study to provide evidence for the involvement of a unique taxonomic group of bacterial pathogens in the aetiology of Indo-Pacific coral diseases affecting multiple coral species at multiple locations. Results from this study strongly suggest the need for further investigation of bacterial proteolytic enzymes as possible virulence factors involved in Vibrio associated acute coral infections