Threatened reef corals of the world

10.1371/journal.pone.0034459PLoS ONE73

Diversity Partitioning of Stony Corals Across Multiple Spatial Scales Around Zanzibar Island, Tanzania

The coral reefs of Zanzibar Island (Unguja, Tanzania) encompass a considerable proportion of the global coral-reef diversity and are representative of the western Indian Ocean region. Unfortunately, these reefs have been recently subjected to local and regional disturbances. The objectives of this study were to determine whether there are potentially non-random processes forcing the observed coral diversity patterns, and highlight where and at which spatial scales these processes might be most influential.A hierarchical (nested) sampling design was employed across three spatial scales, ranging from transects (<or=20 m), stations (<100 m), to sites (<1000 m), to examine coral diversity patterns. Two of the four sites, Chumbe and Mnemba, were located within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), while the other two sites, Changuu and Bawe, were not protected. Additive partitioning of coral diversity was used to separate regional (total) diversity (gamma) into local alpha diversity and among-sample beta diversity components. Individual-based null models were used to identify deviations from random distribution across the three spatial scales. We found that Chumbe and Mnemba had similar diversity components to those predicted by the null models. However, the diversity at Changuu and Bawe was lower than expected at all three spatial scales tested. Consequently, the relative contribution of the among-site diversity component was significantly greater than expected. Applying partitioning analysis for each site separately revealed that the within-transect diversity component in Changuu was significantly lower than the null expectation.The non-random outcome of the partitioning analyses helped to identify the among-sites scale (i.e., 10's of kilometers) and the within-transects scale (i.e., a few meters; especially at Changuu) as spatial boundaries within which to examine the processes that may interact and disproportionately differentiate coral diversity. In light of coral community compositions and diversity patterns we strongly recommend that Bawe be declared a MPA

Return of naturally sourced Pb to Atlantic surface waters

Anthropogenic emissions completely overwhelmed natural marine lead (Pb) sources during the past century, predominantly due to leaded petrol usage. Here, based on Pb isotope measurements, we reassess the importance of natural and anthropogenic Pb sources to the tropical North Atlantic following the nearly complete global cessation of leaded petrol use. Significant proportions of up to 30-50% of natural Pb, derived from mineral dust, are observed in Atlantic surface waters, reflecting the success of the global effort to reduce anthropogenic Pb emissions. The observation of mineral dust derived Pb in surface waters is governed by the elevated atmospheric mineral dust concentration of the North African dust plume and the dominance of dry deposition for the atmospheric aerosol flux to surface waters. Given these specific regional conditions, emissions from anthropogenic activities will remain the dominant global marine Pb source, even in the absence of leaded petrol combustion

Water Quality and Herbivory Interactively Drive Coral-Reef Recovery Patterns in American Samoa

BACKGROUND: Compared with a wealth of information regarding coral-reef recovery patterns following major disturbances, less insight exists to explain the cause(s) of spatial variation in the recovery process. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study quantifies the influence of herbivory and water quality upon coral reef assemblages through space and time in Tutuila, American Samoa, a Pacific high island. Widespread declines in dominant corals (Acropora and Montipora) resulted from cyclone Heta at the end of 2003, shortly after the study began. Four sites that initially had similar coral reef assemblages but differential temporal dynamics four years following the disturbance event were classified by standardized measures of 'recovery status', defined by rates of change in ecological measures that are known to be sensitive to localized stressors. Status was best predicted, interactively, by water quality and herbivory. Expanding upon temporal trends, this study examined if similar dependencies existed through space; building multiple regression models to identify linkages between similar status measures and local stressors for 17 localities around Tutuila. The results highlighted consistent, interactive interdependencies for coral reef assemblages residing upon two unique geological reef types. Finally, the predictive regression models produced at the island scale were graphically interpreted with respect to hypothesized site-specific recovery thresholds. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Cumulatively, our study purports that moving away from describing relatively well-known patterns behind recovery, and focusing upon understanding causes, improves our foundation to predict future ecological dynamics, and thus improves coral reef management

Conserved and variable correlated mutations in the plant MADS protein network

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plant MADS domain proteins are involved in a variety of developmental processes for which their ability to form various interactions is a key requisite. However, not much is known about the structure of these proteins or their complexes, whereas such knowledge would be valuable for a better understanding of their function. Here, we analyze those proteins and the complexes they form using a correlated mutation approach in combination with available structural, bioinformatics and experimental data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Correlated mutations are affected by several types of noise, which is difficult to disentangle from the real signal. In our analysis of the MADS domain proteins, we apply for the first time a correlated mutation analysis to a family of interacting proteins. This provides a unique way to investigate the amount of signal that is present in correlated mutations because it allows direct comparison of mutations in various family members and assessing their conservation. We show that correlated mutations in general are conserved within the various family members, and if not, the variability at the respective positions is less in the proteins in which the correlated mutation does not occur. Also, intermolecular correlated mutation signals for interacting pairs of proteins display clear overlap with other bioinformatics data, which is not the case for non-interacting protein pairs, an observation which validates the intermolecular correlated mutations. Having validated the correlated mutation results, we apply them to infer the structural organization of the MADS domain proteins.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our analysis enables understanding of the structural organization of the MADS domain proteins, including support for predicted helices based on correlated mutation patterns, and evidence for a specific interaction site in those proteins.</p

Is obesity associated with reduced health-related quality of life in Latino, black and white children in the community?

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have examined the impact of obesity on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in non-clinical community samples of children, and methodological limitations have hindered drawing firm conclusions, especially whether the impact is similar across racial/ethnic groups. The present aims were to examine at what levels of non-normal weight, school-aged children experience lower HRQOL and whether this differs among racial/ethnic groups, when controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) differences. DESIGN: Cross-sectional community cohort survey. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data are from the Healthy Passages, reporting on 4824 Latino, black and white 5th graders in a population-based survey conducted in three United States metropolitan areas. Children's weight status was classified from measured weight and height into underweight (1%), normal weight (52%), overweight (19%), obese (13%) and extremely obese (14%). Children reported their own HRQOL using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and additional scales addressing global self-worth, physical appearance and body satisfaction. Parents reported children's overall health status. RESULTS: Each increment in higher non-healthy weight class—overweight to obese to extremely obese—was associated with significantly lower scores in more domains of psychosocial HRQOL compared with that in normal weight. However, only extremely obese children reported significantly lower physical HRQOL. Differences among weight classes remained when adjusting for SES and were independent of race/ethnicity. Underweight children generally reported HRQOL that was not significantly different from normal weight children. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight, obese and extremely obese 5th graders on average experience worse HRQOL than normal weight children, especially in psychosocial domains including self-worth and peer relationships, regardless of race/ethnicity. If messages can be conveyed in a sensitive and supportive manner, the desire to improve HRQOL could provide additional motivation for children and their parents in addressing unhealthy weight

Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adaptive radiation, the evolution of ecological and phenotypic diversity from a common ancestor, is a central concept in evolutionary biology and characterizes the evolutionary histories of many groups of organisms. One such group is the Mustelidae, the most species-rich family within the mammalian order Carnivora, encompassing 59 species classified into 22 genera. Extant mustelids display extensive ecomorphological diversity, with different lineages having evolved into an array of adaptive zones, from fossorial badgers to semi-aquatic otters. Mustelids are also widely distributed, with multiple genera found on different continents. As with other groups that have undergone adaptive radiation, resolving the phylogenetic history of mustelids presents a number of challenges because ecomorphological convergence may potentially confound morphologically based phylogenetic inferences, and because adaptive radiations often include one or more periods of rapid cladogenesis that require a large amount of data to resolve.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We constructed a nearly complete generic-level phylogeny of the Mustelidae using a data matrix comprising 22 gene segments (~12,000 base pairs) analyzed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. We show that mustelids are consistently resolved with high nodal support into four major clades and three monotypic lineages. Using Bayesian dating techniques, we provide evidence that mustelids underwent two bursts of diversification that coincide with major paleoenvironmental and biotic changes that occurred during the Neogene and correspond with similar bursts of cladogenesis in other vertebrate groups. Biogeographical analyses indicate that most of the extant diversity of mustelids originated in Eurasia and mustelids have colonized Africa, North America and South America on multiple occasions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Combined with information from the fossil record, our phylogenetic and dating analyses suggest that mustelid diversification may have been spurred by a combination of faunal turnover events and diversification at lower trophic levels, ultimately caused by climatically driven environmental changes. Our biogeographic analyses show Eurasia as the center of origin of mustelid diversity and that mustelids in Africa, North America and South America have been assembled over time largely via dispersal, which has important implications for understanding the ecology of mustelid communities.</p

Extraordinarily high coral cover on a nearshore, high-latitude reef in south-west Australia

Photographic line transects were used to quantify the benthic community at Hall Bank, a small, nearshore, high-latitude reef in south-west Australia. In some places, coral cover was 72.5% (mean = 52.6 ± 0.45%), which is the highest ever recorded coral cover for any reef at or beyond 32˚S. There were no macro-algae, possibly due to a high density of herbivorous sea-urchins (mean = 5.0 ± 0.8 m-2), which we hypothesize may also facilitate the high coral cover observed. Fourteen species of scleractinian corals dominated the benthos, seven of which were from the family Faviidae. Given that Hall Bank is at the limit of environmental tolerance for reef formation, it represents a valuable research opportunity for understanding the factors that build and maintain coral reef biodiversity and resilience

Long-term coral community records from Lugger Shoal on the terrigenous inner-shelf of the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Long-term (millennial timescale) records of coral community structure can be developed from the analysis of corals preserved in radiometrically dated reef cores. Here, we present such a record (based on six cores) from Lugger Shoal, a turbid zone, nearshore reef on the inner-shelf of the central Great Barrier Reef. Lugger Shoal initiated growth *800 cal yBP. It is constructed of large in situ Porites bommies, between which a framework of coral rubble (dominated by Acropora pulchra, Montipora mollis, Galaxea fascicularis and Cyphastrea serailia) has accumulated.\ud Reef accretion occurred under conditions of net long-term fine-grained, terrigenous sediment accumulation, and with a coral community dominated throughout by a consistent, but low diversity, suite of coral taxa. This dataset supports recent suggestions that nearshore coral communities that establish themselves under conditions that are already close to the thresholds for coral survival may be resilient to water quality deteriorations associated with human activities

Rapid assessment of stony coral richness and condition on Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles

The benthic habitats of Saba Bank (17°259N, 63°309W) are at risk from maritime traffic, especially oil tankers (e.g., anchoring). To mitigate this risk, information is needed on the biodiversity and location of habitats to develop a zone use plan. A rapid survey to document the biodiversity of macro-algae, sponges, corals and fishes was conducted. Here we report on the richness and condition of stony coral species at 18 select sites, and we test for the effects of bottom type, depth, and distance from platform edge. Species richness was visually assessed by roving scuba diver with voucher specimens of each species collected. Coral tissue was examined for bleaching and diseases. Thirty-three coral species were documented. There were no significant differences in coral composition among bottom types or depth classes (ANOSIM,