Sediments and herbivory as sensitive indicators of coral reef degradation

Around the world, the decreasing health of coral reef ecosystems has highlighted the need to better understand the processes of reef degradation. The development of more sensitive tools, which complement traditional methods of monitoring coral reefs, may reveal earlier signs of degradation and provide an opportunity for pre-emptive responses. We identify new, sensitive metrics of ecosystem processes and benthic composition that allow us to quantify subtle, yet destabilizing, changes in the ecosystem state of an inshore coral reef on the Great Barrier Reef. Following severe climatic disturbances over the period 2011-2012, the herbivorous reef fish community of the reef did not change in terms of biomass or functional groups present. However, fish-based ecosystem processes showed marked changes, with grazing by herbivorous fishes declining by over 90%. On the benthos, algal turf lengths in the epilithic algal matrix increased more than 50% while benthic sediment loads increased 37-fold. The profound changes in processes, despite no visible change in ecosystem state, i.e., no shift to macroalgal dominance, suggest that although the reef has not undergone a visible regime-shift, the ecosystem is highly unstable, and may sit on an ecological knife-edge. Sensitive, process-based metrics of ecosystem state, such as grazing or browsing rates thus appear to be effective in detecting subtle signs of degradation and may be critical in identifying ecosystems at risk for the future

Preparing reading/literacy specialists to meet changes and challenges: International Literacy Association’s Standards 2017

Lead writers and co-chairs of the International Literacy Association’s Standards 2017provide a hands on guide to using updated standards for the preparation of reading/literacy specialists. Authors share key changes in content, supporting explanations with updated references, and implications for program faculty, state policymakers, and specialist candidates. Standards 2017 adds a new seventh standard for Practicum/Clinical Experiences and sets high expectations for programs to incorporate candidate experiences with technology, diversity, collaboration, and advocacy. Processes to work with colleagues to design or re-design, implement, and evaluate programs are discussed

Specialized Literacy Professionals as Literacy Leaders: Results of a National Survey

This large-scale national survey of specialized literacy professionals was designed to answer questions about responsibilities, including leadership, and preparation for these roles. Questionnaires, completed by over 2,500 respondents, indicated that respondents had multiple responsibilities that included both instruction of struggling readers and support for teachers. Four distinct role-groups were identified: instructional/literacy coaches, reading/literacy specialists, reading teachers/interventionists, and supervisors. The findings indicated a need for more precise definitions of the roles of these professionals and for preparation programs to include experiences that address the tasks required. Themes discussed included: roles have changed and require more focus on leadership, specialists must be nimble, and they require more in-depth preparation to handle the leadership demands of their positions

Environmental DNA reveals a multi-taxa biogeographic break across the Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly being used to assess community composition in marine ecosystems. Applying eDNA approaches across broad spatial scales now provide the potential to inform biogeographic analyses. However, to date, few studies have employed this technique to assess broad biogeographic patterns across multiple taxonomic groups. Here, we compare eDNA-derived communities of bony fishes and invertebrates, including corals and sponges, from 15 locations spanning the entire length of the Omani coast. This survey includes a variety of habitats, including coral and rocky reefs, and covers three distinct marine ecoregions. Our data support a known biogeographic break in fish communities between the north and the south of Oman; however, the eDNA data highlight that this faunal break is mostly reflected in schooling baitfish species (e.g., sardines and anchovies), whereas reef-associated fish communities appear more homogeneous along this coastline. Furthermore, our data provide indications that these biogeographic breaks also affect invertebrate communities, which includes corals, sponges, and broader eukaryotic groups. The observed community shifts were correlated with local environmental and anthropogenic differences characteristic of this coastline, particularly for the eDNA-derived bony fish communities. Overall, this study provides compelling support that eDNA sequencing and associated analyses may serve as powerful tools to detect community differences across biogeographic breaks and ecoregions, particularly in places where there is significant variation in oceanographic conditions or anthropogenic impacts

Promoting Native Roadside Plant Communities and Ensuring Successful Vegetation Establishment Practices

118543The loss of vegetation from roadside activities can lead to erosion and an increased sediment load in stormwater ponds. Current VDOT procedures regarding approved seed blends and establishment practices have led to inconsistent vegetation establishment and greatly rely on introduced species. Growing concerns regarding the threat of introduced, invasive species have increased the promotion of native plants in landscapes. One example is VDOT\u2019s participation in the Candidate Conservation Agreement for monarchs fostering a desire to better understand factors that may improve milkweed abundance. Native seed blends, however, have failed to produce soil stabilization or long-term establishment in the past, presumably because of erroneous species selection, seed dormancy, and competitive displacement by weedy vegetation. This study was conducted to (1) identify and document potential procedural improvements for successful roadside vegetation establishment in Virginia; (2) propose candidate native plants for VDOT see blend consideration based on a statewide plant community assessment on Virginia roadsides; and (3) summarize the literature on availability, cost, and establishment success of candidate native species. A review of VDOT\u2019s vegetation establishment practices indicates that procedural inconsistencies related to the development of Roadside Development Sheets and recent restrictions on fertilizer application may be contributing to vegetation establishment failures. A statewide plant community assessment evaluated 490 sites and identified 616 unique plant species among the 67,330 plants surveyed. The Shannon Diversity Index was calculated for 2,450 10-m transects, indicating that plant biodiversity was higher on low-maintenance distal backslopes compared with high-maintenance road edges, shoulders, and ditches. Plant biodiversity was also higher on secondary roads than on primary roads. The unique introduced species encountered were relatively stable across Virginia\u2019s seven ecoregions, but unique native species were more ecosystem dependent. Unique native species increased from 114 species on the road edge and shoulder to 281 species on the distal backslope. The likelihood of encountering a native plant increases from 1 in 4 on the road edge to 1 in 2 on the distal backslope. Among the native plants that were most frequently encountered, seeds were often unavailable or price prohibitive. Andropogon virginicus, Tridens flavus, Dichanthelium clandestinum, Tripsacum dactyloides, and Sorghastrum nutans have desirable attributes as native roadside grasses and are among the top 20 most commonly encountered native grasses on Virginia roadsides. The average cost of the seed for these grasses was $59 per pound compared with$2.40 per pound for tall fescue. Among grasses that are currently not commercially available, Setaria parviflora, Eragrostis pectinacean, Dichanthelium laxiflorum, and Panicum anceps are among the top 10 most commonly encountered native grasses and have characteristics that would be desirable for roadside vegetation. At least one milkweed species was observed at 37 out of 490 sites statewide (7.6%). The report recommends that VDOT explore opportunities to improve understanding of procedural policy and to implement procedural improvements, including revisions to the roadside development sheet. Additional opportunities for research include testing native plants for establishment and long term dominance

Quantifying Relative Diver Effects in Underwater Visual Censuses

Diver-based Underwater Visual Censuses (UVCs), particularly transect-based surveys, are key tools in the study of coral reef fish ecology. These techniques, however, have inherent problems that make it difficult to collect accurate numerical data. One of these problems is the diver effect (defined as the reaction of fish to a diver). Although widely recognised, its effects have yet to be quantified and the extent of taxonomic variation remains to be determined. We therefore examined relative diver effects on a reef fish assemblage on the Great Barrier Reef. Using common UVC methods, the recorded abundance of seven reef fish groups were significantly affected by the ongoing presence of SCUBA divers. Overall, the diver effect resulted in a 52% decrease in the mean number of individuals recorded, with declines of up to 70% in individual families. Although the diver effect appears to be a significant problem, UVCs remain a useful approach for quantifying spatial and temporal variation in relative fish abundances, especially if using methods that minimise the exposure of fishes to divers. Fixed distance transects using tapes or lines deployed by a second diver (or GPS-calibrated timed swims) would appear to maximise fish counts and minimise diver effects

The Role of Turtles as Coral Reef Macroherbivores

Herbivory is widely accepted as a vital function on coral reefs. To date, the majority of studies examining herbivory in coral reef environments have focused on the roles of fishes and/or urchins, with relatively few studies considering the potential role of macroherbivores in reef processes. Here, we introduce evidence that highlights the potential role of marine turtles as herbivores on coral reefs. While conducting experimental habitat manipulations to assess the roles of herbivorous reef fishes we observed green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) showing responses that were remarkably similar to those of herbivorous fishes. Reducing the sediment load of the epilithic algal matrix on a coral reef resulted in a forty-fold increase in grazing by green turtles. Hawksbill turtles were also observed to browse transplanted thalli of the macroalga Sargassum swartzii in a coral reef environment. These responses not only show strong parallels to herbivorous reef fishes, but also highlight that marine turtles actively, and intentionally, remove algae from coral reefs. When considering the size and potential historical abundance of marine turtles we suggest that these potentially valuable herbivores may have been lost from many coral reefs before their true importance was understood